Training, Coaching and Mentoring; What is the Difference? By: Nasim Smadi, www.edara.com

By Nasim Smadi

Given that my son is a certified Gallup coach, he has been writing a book about “Deep Coaching”. In his “Coaching to Coring” he calls for transformation. The book attracted my attention to the precariousness that prevails the field of human resource development due to lack of discrimination and heedlessness of the difference between the variety of training practices. Then, he asked me to search for the best arabization which clarifies denotation and connotation of the term “mentoring” and emphasizing the difference between “mentoring,” “training,” and “coaching”. Noteworthy is that “mentoring” has become commonplace in the Arab human resource practice.

I recalled an article which was published in 2010 in www.edara.com. It was entitled, “The Arabization of Training Language”. This was the first Arab attempt to differentiate between two training styles, namely, “training” and “coaching”. In that article, I made it a point that training is not mere collective teaching and instruction. Nor is coaching mere individual and personalized training. That is because the difference between the two terms includes their goals and strategies. The trainer is the pivot and pillar of training. He works on bridging technical, knowledge, and skill gaps. On the other hand, the trainee “coachee” is the pivot of coaching. He works on bridging behavior and perceptive gaps. A trainer instructs trainees using a training course that he had prepared. He transfers his material to them, applying it to their lives and work. On the other hand, a coach suffices with guiding the Coachee that the latter might help and take part in developing the training course and content while being coached. In other words, the coach allows his adherent to discover, develop, learn, and change by herself.

Arabic is rich in vocabulary and synonyms. So, I was certain that it can express all sorts of meanings. Arabic hoards more than 12 million words, as opposed to 500 to 600 thousand English words. Upon referring to dictionaries which explain meanings and show synonyms, I found the Arabic word “??????” “Tammarros” is suitable as a technical and professional term for “mentoring”. The mentee ??????? learns and undergoes mentoring, or “on the job practice” to be a professional and certified practitioner. Upon mixing and reshuffling both words, we come up with “???????” which rhymes with “???????”. On the other hand, the “mentor” leads the “mentoring” process which the “mentee” goes through.

In order to shed more light on the three practices, it is necessary to say that the trainer should be well-versed in the subject matter technically, knowledge, and skill-wise. It is better that she or he be certified by several bodies in order to be up to the trainees’ specializations as well as the subject matter he delivers. Meanwhile, it is not necessary that a coach be well-versed in his clients’ specializations: for he helps them set goals, discover problems, and devise solutions through a codified module and professional tools. Thus, a trainer is morally and professionally responsible for his trainees’ success or failure. On the other hand, a coachee is still responsible for his vision and values he adopts, goals he sets, gaps he bridges, steps he follows, decisions he makes, and results he achieves. That is why the coaching process can take weeks, or even months and years. In the “mentoring” process, both mentor and mentee are responsible for the outcomes of the process, for they are colleagues and professionals in the same field. They aim at solving workplace problems.

I believe that this subject is of great importance; the Arabic dictionary needs to be enriched with clear and agreed upon concepts and Jargons. So, I why don’t we share opinions and suggestions?

Nasim Smadi

Founder, www.BestBookBriefings.com and www.edara.com