With the successful transition of Erickson's on-site programs into highly effective online versions, Erickson’s online coach training model stands out at producing exceptional coaches.
The Erickson online coach training experience includes three key features:
- We apply the powerful “flipped classroom” model within the online environment. The flipped classroom is a learner-centred approach ensuring the best use of the learner’s attention. Learners are initially introduced to new topics outside of the classroom, while the live class time is used to explore these topics deeply, creating strong personal engagement.
- We use a Solution-Focused coach approach to facilitation and training which, by itself, expands experiential learning significantly.
- We apply the most recent insights from neuroscience to the online learning process in a focused, integrative way.
The Erickson Online Academy and the Flipped Classroom Model
Because coaching is a skillset involving a collection of core competencies and proficiencies our live online classes are devoted to ensuring the development and demonstration of these skills with various participatory learning activities. With the flipped classroom, learners are guided to move beyond concepts and engage in actively applying the work. This is preceded weekly by a period of asynchronous self-paced exploration where learners listen to lectures and watch videos of demonstrations. During this period, they can take their own time to study these coaching session demonstrations designed to prepare them for the next upcoming live class. This gives the learner to decide the time and pace of much of their learning.
Would that bring joy to learning for you? Picture yourself listening to key examples and exploring model coach sessions while driving, cooking, or relaxing. Later, within the online class, you will be able to use your time to focus on higher-order levels of experiencing the acquired insights: analyzing, assessing, and integrating. Then, you are ready to go to practice at your best. You will integrate skills and knowledge so you can focus on unique ways of applying the skills in your own coaching sessions. This means that participants, over time, are able to maximize their abilities to integrate what they learn in the online class.
Experience Erickson's unique online training model firsthand in one of our complimentary webinars.
How does this work on a class by class basis? We at Erickson make sure the ‘between class learning’ can be done (and is done) by the participants in their own way, in their own time. By working step by step, individually and together, the learners acquire the insight, knowledge, and understanding of the key program elements to be practiced before the start of each class. They are able to access multiple needed learning videos, manuals, teaching presentations, and detailed example worksheets, all available from the library of learnings in the online learning platform. This rich learning library of videos and practical tools is available to learners throughout the entire course and for an extended period after completing the course.
Our Solution-Focused Coach Approach to Facilitation
When learners arrive together in our online environment for their classes, they work with very skilled online facilitators who are also successful coaches who use Erickson’s own unique brand of Solution-Focused coaching to support integrative learning. With powerful coaching questions and an appreciation for the structures of thinking, our facilitators support the learners to acquire and intensify their learning experience as well as their developing coaching practice. Based on concrete experience in the online class, our learners develop and expand their insights and skills on all thinking levels; active experimentation, reflective observation, and abstract conceptualization.
Our online facilitators are highly skilled at leveraging the many features of the online platform we use, including the whiteboards, chats, breakout systems, and other features of the system in alignment with the power of generating coaching conversations throughout. Classes are structured for insights and experiences created by the learners themselves, so that they embody the skills, step by step, and easily move into becoming relaxed, innovative coaches on their own terms. People leap to their next integration level, far beyond performing the expected skills.
Moreover, the online platform enables learners to practice coaching conversations in flexibly organized breakout rooms. Learners learn by moving between various roles of being a coach, a client, or a professional observer with a checklist. They also experience how they can use a coaching-style approach to teaching others.
Applying Insights from Neuroscience
Research shows that engaging learners in the practical steps of teaching others, demonstrating to others, and giving examples is the most robust way to activate the multiple brain regions involved in creative thinking and knowledge processing. This is the reason why we at Erickson pay the utmost attention to engaging our participants throughout the entire process of online learning. Based on scientific evidence, learners in our online classes quickly expand their higher levels of listening skills which assists them to open the door to the deepest insights and creativity.
The trend towards virtual or telephone coaching is quickly on the rise, especially given the post COVID-19 era now emerging. We have found that our online learners are “online-ready”, having practiced a high amount of their coaching this way. These are coaches who can easily use technology for their sessions, being highly capable of generating results while maintaining rapport, warmth and connection as they do so.
Applying these key features of Erickson’s online coach training develops multiple essential skills for a successful future coaching practice:
- enhancing coaching competencies
- controlling learning and working pace
- improving self-learning and self-coaching abilities
- providing immediate solution-focused feedback
- improving teamwork skills
- stimulating motivation
- envisioning a thriving coaching practice
Erickson’s Online Academy provides leading best practice, adult learning methodologies to give students increased flexibility and engagement with their online learning. Our online training is not like other distance learning programs, we have designed our program to be live, interactive and most importantly, fun! Combining the cutting-edge technology with our world-renowned ICF-certified coach training curriculum, Erickson puts you ahead as a future coach.
