Table of Contents
Abstract
The paper will highly rely on the coaching, mentoring and teaching fields which will include responsibilities of each. Also, there will be the discussion on qualities of a good coach and mentor to be able to understand and complete the assigned task. It is important to know the coaching model, strategies, justification of the strategies, and the areas to improve as a coach which will be discussed in details. Moreover, an introduction to the concepts of coaching and mentoring accompanied by their differences will be highlighted. In the end, the duties of each of the concepts will be highlighted, and a statement regarding the need for a relationship in all concepts will be stated.
Introduction
The concepts of mentoring, coaching, and teaching have proved to be difficult to differentiate and understand their respective roles. Therefore, it is important to distinguish each from one another to facilitate a smooth learning process. Mentoring is an indefinite, relationship that is usually based on several as well as ranging goals and objectives. However, it necessarily does not have to be a formal process. In this case, a mentor refers to a facilitator working with either an individual or a group of people over an extended duration to help the individual(s) achieve their particular objectives. The mentoring process tries to enhance the building of wisdom that is enhancing the application of skills, knowledge, and experience to new encounters and processes (Michael, 2008).
A mentor and a mentee have particular responsibilities which have to be fulfilled to achieve the set objectives. Some of the responsibilities of a mentor comprise of the following:
The responsibilities of a Mentor
Being a friend
Here, the mentor is supposed to create a good relationship with his or her mentee which will then enhance accomplishment of specific activities together. The two are supposed to support one another in good and bad moments, teach each other of different relevant things, be honest, and to ask each other questions related to life. It is crucial to take note that a mentor should be a good listener and engage in authentic conversations with the mentee to help the mentee develop crucial life skills.
Being a Role Model
A mentor should set a good example to the mentee regarding the best way to live a good, peaceful and a happy life. However, this does not mean that the mentor should be perfect, under the contrary it requires the mentor to show the best way of life to the mentee fully. Mainly, it involves acknowledging personal imperfections and sharing personal strengths, and advocating for the mentee when there is a threat to his or her physical and emotional well-being.
Being a Confidant
After the mentor creates a good relationship with the mentee, the mentee can mold a better relationship with other individuals within reach. Therefore, the mentee is in a position to inform the mentor of things that are secret and which may be embarrassing if told to other parties. Here the mentor should offer full support to ensure that the mentee overcomes whatever circumstance in life.
Being a Nurturer of Possibilities
The major responsibility of a mentor is to see the gifts and strengths of the mentee and help him or her to flourish. Therefore, the mentee should be encouraged to undertake any major interests that are beneficial to him and the public, for instance being encouraged to pursue the God-given talent.
On the other hand, a coach refers to an individual tasked with the duty of giving steps, instruction and training of the operations of a given task. The purpose of, coaching is to meet specific objectives within a given period. Coaching mainly involves performance and the development of particular skill set. In many instances, coaching takes place on a one-to-one basis, and it contains a planned programme containing a shorter time frame than mentoring (Olympics, 2008). A coach has particular duties which include:
- The provision of proper planning for every step of training and competition
- Providing and maintaining a safe as well as a secure physical surrounding for the learner
- Making use of safe and recommended equipment for training
- Undertaking and ensuring appropriate sport skills instructions and risk-free competition
- Completing continued assessment to the learner for fitness test
- Providing appropriate support concerning medical facilities at all time
- Maintaining proper records for the learner
However, there are qualities that a good coach should have to ensure more positive productivity to the learners. Some of the qualities of a good coach comprise of:
Qualities of a good Coach
Having adverse knowledge in the respective field
To be able to teach effectively, a coach should have the in-depth understanding of the particular sport starting with the fundamental skills to the advanced skill set of tactics and strategy. In many cases, coaches have the experience of participating in the respective sport or activity. However, he should plan for the session, know the progressive nature of training adaptation, understand the rules and provide simple, structured environment for the practice.
Be a profound Thinker
Due to the evolution of technology and practices in the various field set, a good coach should have the capacity to come up with more compatible and advanced techniques for his or her learner. He or she should stay up-to-date and be informed of the new researching, training, and everything concerning the activity.
We can do it today.
Shares Knowledge/Educating others
Currently in the world obtaining knowledge has become common but the art and confidence of sharing the knowledge is a problem. Every coaching staff should be able to seek knowledge from other staff members and have the confidence of sharing and questioning the views of others as well. However, a coach should be happy to implement new ideas in the quest to improve the performance of his learners (Becker, 2010).
Other qualities that a coach should have include, he should be a motivator, he should be an effective communicator and teacher, must have the knowledge of the specific activity, and should respect the rules of the sport. It is, however, necessary to note he differences between coaching and mentoring and the differences are as follows;
Differences between Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching is task oriented while mentoring is relationship oriented
Expounding on this difference coaching seeks to bring the learner to a different capacity of competence regarding learning the new skill set and or knowledge. The particular focus is on concrete issues comprising of managing more efficiently and effectively, speaking more articulately, and or learning ways of thinking strategically. It requires a coach with the capacity of equipping the learner with was of developing the skills. Developing a relationship between the coach and the learner is not an ultimatum for acquiring success.
On the other hand, mentoring involves providing a conducive surrounding where the mentored can open up to critical issues affecting his or her professional and personal success. Although particular learning objectives can be implemented by the mentor to create a good relationship with the mentee, the process of mentoring goes beyond life balance, self-confidence and self-perception. The mentor, therefore, plays the role of being a facilitator instead of a coach.
Coaching is short term while mentoring is concerned with long-term basis
Here, a coach can successfully be involved with the learner for a specified short period after the set objective is achieved. The process of mentoring requires a longer duration for it to be successful for both individuals to fully bond. At the beginning of a mentoring relationship, both parties discuss general issues until they create a solid relationship which requires a longer duration of trust to be gained. After the trust is established, the mentorship process begins, and it mainly takes between 9-12 months.
Coaching is performance driven while mentoring is development driven
The main purpose of having a coach is to improve individual performance in the specific sport or activity. It mainly comprises of enhancing of the current skills or acquiring new skills, and when the necessary skills are obtained, then there is no need of the coach. Mentoring focuses on improving individual performance for the future whereby, a mentor provides ways of encountering certain obstacles for a better existence.
Coaching doesn’t require design while mentoring requires a design phase
It simply means that coaching can take place immediately on any given topic where the contents are vital for performance improvement. However, if a large group is involved, there might be some planning of how the coaching will take place. Considering the mentoring process, the designing phase helps to determine the mentoring objective, the relationship’s focus, and the particular models of mentoring (Mentors, 2013).
Responsibilities of being a Coach and its effectiveness
Having mastered the roles of a coach, differences between a coach and a mentor, and the qualities of a good coach, I effectively and efficiently took part in coaching a student in the sport of table tennis. It is a sport comprising of two or four players where each side has two players against two others and or a single player on each side. My purpose was to ensure that the student effectively exploited his capabilities and achieved his goal. In my coaching programme, I did make use of the GROW coaching model which stands for Goals, reality, options, and wrap up. The model has four stages which are Establish goals, Explore reality, Generate options, and Agree on the action (Becker, 2010). The model facilitated in ensuring that the student’s and my objectives were similar.
The Coaching Strategies and resources utilized
There were specific coaching principles which I used for efficient sessions with the students which included having a coaching philosophy, having coaching asset self-evaluation, and assessing of the objectives. By the end of the coaching period, the student achieved speed, new winning and striking techniques, controlling techniques of the game, and having the sole aim of winning even when lagging in the game. Some of the strategies that I used includes side-by-side verbal strategy, observation, problem-solving interaction, and reflective strategy. The side-by-side strategy was fully effective during the practical sessions where I would remind the student to use various techniques during the game. Different symbols that we agreed on with the learner were used to ensure quicker flexibility and understanding. However, observation technique was useful as I took notes on the strengths and weaknesses of the student and later used the discussion problem method to brief him on his progress. These strategies were the most convenient for faster and effective training session, but other minor techniques were also utilized. Some of the resources that were used comprise of the jump ropes, agility training gadget, functional gear for fitness, cardio machine and the gym and strength training equipment.
Consultation/Coaching Organizations during the Coaching session
During the session, we were almost getting to work with various coaching agencies which would address particular issues that I was not in a position to provide to the student. However, the agencies had both material and human support that was available to clients who worked with the companies. Some of the coaching or consultant institutions comprised of the Personnel Decisions International organization, the Hay Group company, and the AON Corporation. These organizations offer both material and human support which other organizations do not offer. However, they enjoy the economies of scale, offer risk measurement and management services, offer assessment services and executive training services. As a coach SWOT analysis was important and among my strengths was a good motivator, instructor, and a profound thinker. The particular areas that I needed or I need to improve is maintaining a good relationship with the student and the coaching staff, and training more to master the sport techniques. The following five blueprints can summarize areas of improvement (K., 2008):
- Learning to learn via observation
- Increasing personal training duration for fitness and mastering of the game techniques for higher performance
- Participating in coaching contest to gain confidence as a coach
- Consultation of better and experienced coaches
- Carrying out more research on current trends and practices in coaching duty
When working with individual students, a coach should have the following responsibilities
- Maintaining proper records for the student
- Offer guidance and training services appropriate as per the student
Provide a training guide for the learner
- Expose the student to different training environments and competition
On the other hand, the duties of a mentor include
- Be friendly to the student
- Guide the student on matters affecting his/her self-confidence and esteem
- As the student on how to improve his performance
Finally, the teacher should do the following
- Track the performance of the student
- Provide duties to the student for accountability purposes
- Guide and correct the student in areas of difficulty mainly in tough subjects
Summary
The paper has widely discussed matters concerning coaching, mentoring, and teaching duties as well as their differences. However, the similarity between all these terminologies or activities is that they are concerned with the welfare of a person. Coaching and mentoring are different and some of the differences that have been discussed in the paper include; coaching is task oriented while mentoring is relationship based, coaching is short term while mentoring is long term, coaching doesn’t need design phase as the mentoring does, and coaching is performance driven while mentoring is development driven. However, the paper gives the model used in the coaching of the table tennis student which is the GROW model. The GROW model has four stages which are the Establish goals, Explore reality, Generate options, and Agree action stages.
Also, the strategies that were used in coaching the individual student included the observation strategy, side-by-side verbal strategy, problem-solving interaction, and reflective strategy. The training resources comprised of the jump ropes, agility training gadget, functional gear for fitness, cardio machine and the gym and strength training resources. By the end of the coaching period, the student achieved speed, new winning and striking techniques, controlling techniques of the game, and having the sole aim of winning even when lagging in the game. Some of the coaching or consultant institutions comprised of the Personnel Decisions International organization, the Hay Group company, and the AON Corporation. Finally, some of the qualities of a good coach that have been highlighted in the paper include, being a profound thinker, having the desire to research and consulting, and have adequate skills in the particular area of coaching. It is important to have a good relationship with the individual student as a coach irrespective of the fact that coaching is not bound by relationship.
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