How are tech and AI shaping coaching and how can coaches play more of a role? Carol Braddick and Rebecca Rutschmann report on the Association for Coaching’s Tech Fest on this theme held last November.
We need to prepare coaches for a tech-enhanced future so that they become credible influencers of how tech is used in and developed for coaching”, says Woody Woodward, clinical assistant professor and program lead, MS in the Executive Coaching & Organizational Consulting program at New York University.
Woodward was speaking as a panellist at the Association for Coaching (AC) Tech Fest, 9-10 November 2023. Over two days, participants boosted their readiness to decide how they will show up now, and in this future. Session recordings, case studies, slides and panellist bios are available from the AC site.
DAY 1
Value of hybrid coaching
Personal and management coach Croía Loughnane encouraged coaches to explore the different hybrid communication modes in coaching in partnership with their clients. On their quest to find the best fit for their client, coaches need to be “fluent” in using and mixing video calls, audio calls, voice notes, text-based communications, in-session digital tools such as whiteboards and sharing data from clients’ wearable devices. Each of these modes of communication, and the language used in them, have different impacts on clients such as their sense of safety without judgement, readiness to disclose and cognitive load. Coaches also grow as they apply different modes, eg, by slowing down before responding in text, they see more of how they question and respond to clients.
As a model for how coaches can influence tech-enabled coaching, Loughnane shared how she updates tech providers on her experiences using hybrid approaches so they can improve the design and efficacy of their tools. Working closely with tech providers is also key to keeping clients informed about what data are shared with providers.
Using tech to leverage visuals in coaching
From chemistry sessions to closing coaching engagements, coach Dr Nicky Terblanche, of AI Coaching and creator of chatbot Coach Vici and coaching psychologist Yaron Prywes, prompted discussion of this question: why can pictures influence people in ways that words alone cannot?
In contrast to text, visuals resonate on a deeper, more intuitive level. They capture clients’ attention and evoke emotions. Even the choice of virtual backgrounds for video sessions catalyses and influences conversations.
As coaches, we need to notice – starting with chemistry sessions – what visuals clients are drawn to and what pulls them into that. Terblanche and Prywes shared an example of “gold for coaches”: achieving a higher selection rate using visuals compared to other coaches using “only” words.
When compared with using text-only chatbots, chatbots with visuals significantly boost user engagement and aid in achieving goals. Whether it’s through simple images in emails and WhatsApp messages or coaching platforms and AI chatbots, visuals continue to have their place as an integral part of the technology-enriched coaching toolkit.
Using technology for exercises between coaching sessions
Claudia Day, co-founder of The Growing Coaches, and Rebecca Rutschmann, co-founder of Evoach, explored what coaches should call the work clients do in between sessions. Does calling it ‘homework’ evoke images of stern head teachers? To foster client engagement and progress in between coaching sessions, who suggests and designs this work?
Using these themes Day facilitated discussion of methods for developing these inter-session activities such as: client-initiated, coach-suggested and a collaborative approach. With agreement on the activities, digital tools like email, WhatsApp and specialised coaching platforms facilitate the sharing of work being done by the client.
But how can clients experience coaching in between sessions? The session then turned to the burgeoning role of AI chatbots as the in-between coach that can amplify coaching effectiveness. The rapid progression of AI in this domain opens up unprecedented possibilities.
In addition to covering how clients can use ChatGPT as a text-based coach, Rutschmann brought participants up to date on GPTs – publicly available conversational digital agents. These make digital coaching agents available for coaches to create custom versions of ChatGPT, instructed to offer clients different ways to continue their self-reflection in between sessions.
Partnering with the client on whether and how to use these digital tools and GPTs can enrich, rather than dilute, the human coach-client partnership.
DAY 2
Reflective practice using AI-enhanced video
Co-founder of Ovida, Alex Haitoglou, executive coach James Bridgeman and University of East London MSc programme director Andrea Giraldez-Hayes shifted the focus to using AI for coach training and development. AI analysis of recorded coaching sessions is re-shaping how coaches learn, practise and upskill.
Platforms such as Ovida provide objective data and relevant coaching metrics such as talk-listen ratios, types of questions asked, and interaction patterns between client and coach. Coaches can access a level of analysis and insights previously unattainable and gain coaching mastery faster.
These metrics can be highly valuable for the coach’s reflective practice. This experience goes beyond identifying areas for improvement and blind spots. As Haitoglou says, “It is a fascinating journey of self-awareness and growth that initially requires coaches to step into vulnerability. We see coaches become curious and confident to explore and practise new behaviours. Isn’t this what we ask our clients to do?”
The role of AI analysis of video-recorded coaching sessions is also expected to play a growing role in how professional bodies track the achievement of coaching competencies for accreditations.
Coaching in the metaverse
In the session about AR and VR, Sam Isaacson, founder of Coachtech Collective shared his insights on how the metaverse offers great opportunities to accelerate client development through impactful experiences.
In addition to providing practical guidance on headsets, Isaacson offered three entry points for coaches. As a first step, consider engaging your client in a facilitated mindfulness exercise to experience the richness of the VR environment. Taking a further step, offer a learning experience that isn’t feasible in real life: practise presenting to an audience of hundreds. His third entry point was a call to get ready for a client-led change, eg, asking to meet via his or her personal VR link.
Amid this impressive digital landscape, it’s crucial to remember the importance of the human connection in coaching. As coaches, we must find that delicate balance between engaging clients in using tech and aiding them in exploring their learnings and how to apply them. There’s clearly a role for the human coach to support clients as they embrace the metaverse.
AI avatars in coaching
John Hill, commercial director, Academy of Executive Coaching and coach and entrepreneur, Olivier Malafronte, sparked excitement about the opportunity to redefine coaching and democratise access to it. In a live demo of a coaching conversation with an AI coach avatar, participants observed the avatar facilitating users’ critical thinking and understanding of themselves and their challenges.
Malafronte acknowledged the avatar’s limited ability to replicate the depth and nuance of human interactions. Although users can access an AI coaching avatar 24/7, the challenge of developing users’ habits of reaching out for this support at busy times remains. As these limitations and user adoption challenges are addressed, we can expect AI coaching avatars to play a bigger role in augmenting human coaching in the future.
Conclusion: Navigating the future
The speed of current developments in technology is faster than we can anticipate. The day before the Tech Fest, Open AI released its custom GPTs, introducing a new method for individuals to customise ChatGPT according to their needs, whether it’s to enhance effectiveness in everyday life, accomplish specific tasks, or excel at work. Already users have created and published more than 3 million GPTs in the new GPT store including a vast number of GPT-enabled AI ‘coaches’.
This will greatly impact the coaching and learning industry, which is still being redefined. But while AI is slowly unfolding its potential, it also mirrors the importance of our human potential to create true connections with clients through our presence and mastery in combining different approaches, models and tools to offer a unique experience to each client.
As Tech Fest organiser, Claudia Day, shared, participants “displayed a range of emotions: excitement, intrigue, concern, and uncertainty”. Instead of worrying on the sidelines, practising radical acceptance and actively learning about the potential uses of technology and AI in coaching will be key to any coach navigating this space successfully. And keep this at the fore: for AI to truly augment human coaching, it must be developed with input from human coaches and, as with all digital tools, ethical and practical considerations, including privacy, data security and bias, are critical.
MORE INFO
- Passmore, J., Diller, S. D., Isaacson, S., & Brantl, M. (Eds.). (2024). The Digital and AI Coaches’ Handbook. Routledge.
About the authors
- Carol Braddick is co-leader of the Future of Coaching Collaboration.
- Rebecca Rutschmann is co-founderof Evoach.