A complete workshop on the principles and practice of solutions-focused coaching, showing how to help clients to achieve their goals by building on their strengths and successes, will be held in London on 13-14 November 2008 by The Solutions Focus.
Called Coaching with a Solutions Focus, the two-day workshop will embrace an innovative coaching framework called OSKAR, which helps those being coached to enhance their performance and effectiveness.
Aimed at coaches, consultants and managers, the workshop will be delivered by Paul Z Jackson and Janine Waldman, Directors of The Solutions Focus, the UK’s leading provider of solutions-focused coaching and consultancy.
Since 2002, Paul and Janine have trained over 1,500 coaches in the solutions-focused approach.
“Solutions-focused coaching is a fresh yet proven approach which concentrates on solutions not problems, strengths not weaknesses and on what’s going well, rather than what’s gone wrong,” said Paul Z Jackson.
“With instantly-usable tools and techniques, this practical and beneficial workshop will help anyone involved in coaching to enhance their skills and improve the way they work with clients.”
While conventional approaches to coaching often involve an analysis of ‘the problem’, the solutions-focused approach allows a coach to sidestep the causes of trouble and head straight for the solution.
The guiding principles involve helping a client to envisage their desired future and moving swiftly towards it by identifying what is working and using this to engender more of what’s wanted.
The solutions-focused philosophy has its roots in 1970s family therapy in the United States, when leading-edge therapists realised that you don’t have to analyse a person’s problems in order to help them improve their life.
Using this fundamental insight, the therapists asked individuals to describe their preferred future and helped them to take steps towards it.
Paul Z Jackson helped to bring the solutions-focused methodology to the attention of the corporate world via a 2002 book, co-authored with Mark McKergow, called The Solutions Focus – Making Coaching and Change Simple.
Together with Janine Waldman, he co-founded The Solutions Focus which has pioneered the provision of solutions-focused coaching, training and consultancy in the workplace.
“Solutions-focused coaching is an enjoyable and empowering approach which stimulates positive energy, enthusiasm and cooperation,” said Janine Waldman. “It engages and motivates clients to achieve demonstrable and sustainable changes in their lives.
