Reflective practice is an essential part of the coaching process and should be done on a daily basis. There are various methods that can be used to implement reflective practice, such as reflective journals, reflective cards, videos, shared reflections, or technical assistance. To get the most out of your coaching sessions, it is important to focus on a specific leadership activity in which you played a role. This could be a coaching conversation, a sales call, or a meeting with your teenager.
Traditional practices may need to be rethought for the modern era in order to engage players. One such practice is reflective journaling. This involves providing players with relevant questions to investigate concepts of interest and expand their understanding. However, some players may find writing reflexively in journals to be time-consuming and boring.
Therefore, it is important to use innovative tools and educate the player on how reflection can help their performance. Reflection has been observed to consolidate the coach's understanding of the problem and help them to invent better or more general solutions (Furlong & Maynard, 199). Coaches should participate in the reflection process by answering questions at three levels: technical, practical, and critical. The technical level focuses on the coach's understanding of the problem and how they can improve certain aspects of performance.
The practical level involves recording deliberate ideas and analyzing training problems and critical incidents. The critical level focuses on the moral, ethical, and political meaning of the knowledge used and on the authority involved. The coach should go through a cyclical process of appreciation (problem statement), action (experimentation) and revaluation (problem statement). This process could be done in a group setting or on an individual basis.
When it comes to questions from a critical friend, the coach must have an open mind and answer honestly (Denison, 200). “Reflection on action” occurs after the event, in which the coach will reflect on skills or a situation with a view to improving in the future (Hatton & Smith, 199).To maximize your performance as a coach, it is important to take time for self-reflection after each session. Reflective practice can help you identify areas for improvement and develop strategies for success. By taking advantage of innovative tools such as reflective journals or videos, you can make self-reflection more engaging and effective.
