Hi Cheryl,
Some basic things to start with. One: make sure you have good connection. Two: make sure people are on video–with cameras on, really important–so you can have a life-like conversation.
Make sure that everybody understands what you’re coaching about. What would they like to get out of the session? What would you like to get out of it?
Next, keep it short. I like my coaching/mentoring sessions to be no more than 20 minutes. Everything virtual these days is fast-paced, I find people have difficulty if you go over the 20 minute mark. It gets too long and there’s too much information.
I also ask that the person I am coaching writes the notes, and at the end they send them to me: what we talked about, what the agreements are, and by when. That’s a really important thing.
A structure for coaching I sometimes use, before the session we each write down: What’s working well? What needs improvement? If I’m the mentor/coach, what can I do that will help you become better at what you do? Finally, what you might do as the coachee to improve yourself.
Just imagine it's like you’re face-to-face, that’s a good mindset to come into it with. Good luck!
– Dr. Jim
*names have been changed
