Advice-giving is counter-productive when it does not produce energy for change.
When we give people advice it can come from a good place e.g. wanting to avoid the pain of getting to the heart of the issue with the other person. It can also make us feel wise and helpful - even when we are neither. Wanting to give advice can happen for good and bad reasons. The positive reason is that we want to support the other person. The less worthy reason is that we want to control them through the mechanism of giving advice. Whatever your motivation, the hard truth is that in a large number of scenarios your client or colleague already knows what they ‘should’ do already – the real issue is often about what is stopping them doing what they know they should do.
This session will help you to spot 'Advice Traps' before you fall head-first into them.
We will demonstrate the sometimes stark but often subtle differences between advice-giving and taking a non-directive. coaching approach. You'll hear some fun yet insightful conversations. You'll leave knowing more about the dangers of providing 'advice in disguise', and we think you might even be a bit more discerning about when and where you hand-out your own advice.
Leading coaching organisation Management Futures want to share the fruits of over 30 years experience at the forefront of the coaching industry. To that end, they have developed two OU Short Courses:
Anyone with any level of curiosity about the value of a coaching approach, the mindset and the skills that lie behind it.
Whatever your experience of advising or being advised; whatever you'd like to get from, or do within, a coaching or mentoring role - do come along and explore with us.
Phil Hayes is Founder of Management Futures. He combines deep expertise and knowledge with a brilliant ability to distil the essence of what’s important. Clients who work with Phil value his calm presence, his wisdom and his sense of humour. Phil is former Head of Management Training at the BBC, Operations Manager of an outdoor training centre, and a published author. There are many in the coaching industry who purport to Mastery. Phil isn’t one of them. Clients and colleagues would argue otherwise!
Hugh Reynolds is Head of Digital Learning at Management Futures. He holds a lifelong interest in making advanced learning accessible to wider audiences. He brings huge enthusiasm, expertise and creativity to the delivery of learning and how it is made to stick. With a background in teaching and project management - including several halcyon years at The Open University - Hugh relishes his role enabling leaders, teams and organisations through coaching, cultural exploration, and inclusive conversation.
This free event is being held as part of our Learning at Work Week activities. Learning at Work Week aims to put a spotlight on the importance and benefits of continual learning and development. Find out more.