What are you not saying? A deeper look at active listening

As we wrap up 2024, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the coaching trends that have defined this year. At the beginning of the year, we shared our predictions and discussed the themes we expected to emerge in coaching. Now, after a busy year we’re excited to revisit these trends and look at how they’ve played out in real time. Join us for the final Coaching Café of the year! We'll reflect on how coaching has influenced workplaces in 2024, share insights from our work, and discuss emerging themes that may shape coaching in the year to come. Let’s celebrate the progress made and prepare to embrace new opportunities in 2025.Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

As the end of the year approaches, now is the ideal time to reflect, reset, and set meaningful goals. But it’s not just about making resolutions; it’s about creating sustainable plans that align with our values and drive us forward. Join us for this Coaching Café, where we’ll explore effective goal-setting strategies that go beyond typical New Year’s resolutions. Together, we’ll discuss tools for gaining clarity, setting actionable intentions, and building the momentum you need to make real progress in 2025. Let’s start the year with purpose and set ourselves up for success!"Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

With the end of the year approaching momentum and motivation seem harder to maintain. With fatigue setting in, it can be tough to stay focused. But it’s not all doom and gloom. As we approach the final stretch of the year, we can take simple, intentional actions to reignite our energy and keep ourselves—and our teams—moving forward. In this Coaching Café, we’ll explore practical tips and strategies to keep the momentum alive, even when things feel tough. Together, we'll discuss how we can motivate ourselves and support others to stay on track as we head into the next quarter, with a strong finish in mind. Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

"Have you ever felt like you’re not getting it ‘perfectly’ right as a coach?" The truth is, no one ever does. Perfection isn’t the goal. Instead, it’s about showing up consistently—being present for your coachees, staying engaged in the process, and continuously growing as a coach. It’s not about having all the answers, but about creating a space where growth happens, even through imperfection. In past Coaching Café sessions, we’ve explored real coaching scenarios, from working with clients under stress to coaching when it feels easier to just give advice. We’ve discussed how to apply ICF competencies, use effective coaching questions, and hold space for our coachees in a way that supports their growth. In this upcoming session, we’ll dive into why consistency in your coaching approach matters more than perfection. We’ll explore how staying present, open, and engaged in every coaching moment helps both you and your clients evolve. Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

‘I’m not sure it’s my role’, was a comment we received recently during a presentation on mental health conversations in the workplace.   We may notice that a work colleague or client is not their normal self. Perhaps their behaviour has changed or the language they are using and their demeanour is different. But the person in the workshop was worried that they didn’t really ‘feel it was their place’ to approach the person. It's not uncommon to wonder whether it’s your job to start a mental health conversation or actually how to do that.  Alternatively, whether you should get others involved, for example HR.  In addition, as a manager or coach, when do you take off your coaching hat, and focus on a mental health conversation? Thursday 10th October marked World Mental Health Day (WMHD) 2024 in Australia and the WHO states that World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to ‘raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in the support of mental health.’ And the official theme of WMHD is: It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace Therefore, we thought we’d use the Coaching Café to focus mental health conversations in the workplace. So join Natalie and Paula as they focus on mental health in the workplace and talk about the role we can play, including what to say, what not to say and overcoming barriers to the conversation.Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

Breaking down the barriers to mental health conversations in the workplace Thursday 10th October marks World Mental Health Day (WMHD) 2024 in Australia and the WHO states that World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to ‘raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in the support of mental health.’ And the official theme of WMHD is: It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace At Open Door we are obviously super happy to hear this theme; given as an Alumni it is something we have all focussed on for many years. In our Coaching Café we have heard from people with lived experience, talked about a coaching approach and the boundaries between coaching and other support services and trained 100’s of people in mental health conversations.  We have also supported Organisations who advocate and support people in mental health, through our fitness and fundraising efforts like the Push Up Challenge and The Black Dog Institute’s One Step Forward. We can all be proud of these efforts as an Alumni. And, we can continue the work and the advocacy. Therefore, we thought we’d use the Coaching Café for the next couple of weeks to focus mental health conversations in the workplace. In particular, raising awareness around the barriers to mental health conversations.  And importantly, how to overcome the barriers.   Join Natalie and Andrew Figtree (former Group Captain for the Air Force) for the Coaching Café and in particular, Figgy will bring his experience as a Mental Health First Aid practitioner, Air Force coach and veterans affairs advocate, to give us some ideas about how to break down barriers to mental health conversations.Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

‘Have you ever had anyone cry in the coaching session?’  The answer is yes, it does happen.   Not too often.  But whether it is disappointment, frustration, anger or alternatively joy, relief or enthusiasm, in our coaching practice in the workplace, we need to be aware of how to manage strong emotions, in our coachees and in ourselves. We have covered a number of topics over the past weeks to explore real workplace coaching scenarios, including: coaching when people have too much on their plates, coaching when you know the answers and coaching ‘when it is easier to do it myself’ and when is it ‘not the right time for coaching?’ and coaching upwards.  Throughout these conversations we have explored the role of coaching, coaching principles and ICF competencies and great coaching questions.   With this in mind, join us for this Coaching Café where wrap up the series on exploring very real workplace coaching scenarios. We will focus on an important topic – managing strong emotions in coaching and reflect on how to hold the space for the coachee and for ourselves.Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

‘These tools are really great, but can you use the tools to coach someone who is under-performing?’It’s another question that we often get asked during our coaching programs and we have a very strong opinion on the answer, which is:YES. In fact, coaching could be the ‘make or break’ difference between an increase or further decline in a person’s performance.With this in mind, join us for this Coaching Café where we continue our theme of Coaching Cafes: exploring very real workplace coaching scenarios; and we focus on Shifting under-performance through coachingWatch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

‘These tools are really great, but can you use the tools to coach upwards?’ It’s a question that we get asked often during our coaching programs. And it always comes with a sense of hesitation or concern.Of course, we say that you can coach upwards, downwards and sidewards, but how feasible is that? Should I coach upwards? Can I coach upwards? Do these tools work upwards? And what if you are in a hierarchical organisation? With this in mind, join us for this Coaching Café where we continue our theme of Coaching Cafes: exploring very real workplace coaching scenarios; and we focus on What about coaching upwards?Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

We have covered a number of topics over the past weeks to explore real workplace coaching scenarios, including: coaching when people have too much on their plates, coaching when you know the answers and coaching ‘when it is easier to do it myself’.  Throughout these conversations we have explored the role of coaching, coaching principles and ICF competencies and great coaching questions.   Following on from this, another scenario we often get asked about is: when is it not the right time for coaching? The question often comes when people who are new to coaching are thinking ‘coaching is great…but…’. The ‘but’ is questioning when is coaching most appropriate, and when should the manager be doing something else, for example telling, directing, mentoring, advising or intervening. This tension about ‘what is my role’ and ‘what is appropriate’ is not just a simple matter of understanding the difference between coaching, directing, mentoring and other techniques.  We can think about the scenarios from a number of perspectives including risk versus reward and ethics or values.   With this in mind, join us for this Coaching Café where we continue our theme of Coaching Cafes: exploring very real workplace coaching scenarios; and we focus on when is it not the right time for coaching?Watch the webinar of this episode or read the blog by visiting our website. Contact The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials @Opendoorcoaching Tweet at us @theopendoorcoach Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!