lwv state coach orientation. a-ha moment… the camera flashed to his coach, and the obvious struck...
TRANSCRIPT
LWV STATE COACH ORIENTATION
A-ha moment…
The camera flashed to his coach, and the obvious struck me as interesting… Professional athletes use coaches to make sure they are as good as they can be. But doctors [and others] don’t…why did I find it inconceivable to [have] someone to come into my operating room and coach me on my surgical technique?
Personal Best: Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you? by Atul Gawande The New Yorker, October 3, 2011
The big picture...
League of Women Voters
National Level: Ruth S. Shur Fellows
State Level: Coaching Team
Local Level: Local Leadership Team
Confident, Energized League LeadersEngaged and Growing League Membership
Healthier Civic Communities Stronger Democracy
It’s all about communication and relationship building!
How does this work?
Two Links Coaches Help Make
Bonding—the links that tie a group together
Bridging—the links that connect a group to others outside of its organization or network
** Shirley Sagawa, co-author of The Charismatic Organization: Eight Ways to Grow a Nonprofit That Builds Buzz, Delights Donors, and Energizes Employees
Partnership
State Board
State Coordinator
State Coaches
LWVUS Board
Shur Fellows
LWVUS Staff
LWVUS State Local
League Board
Coordinator
Committee
Membership/Leadership Program: Roles
Local Leagues Create an MLD team to implement the best practices Work with state coach
State League Appoint state coaching team Work with national coach Model/support best practices
LWVUS Supports national coaching team (and state
coaches) Provides regular and updated content
Your STATE Role
You are stepping up to represent the state League!
You can bring experiences from your local League, but do not represent them.
You will NOT be coaching your own local League.
You will focus on membership and leadership development; not other aspects of League.
As a coach, YOU will be a:
oMentor
oCheerleader
oAccountability Coach
oCommunicator
For 2 local Leagues in your state
As a coach, you’ll focus on:
Helping local Leagues Grow membership Become visible in the community Engage current members Develop new leaders Be intentional in all planning
Don’t worry- LWVUS will help you focus your calls!
What a State Coach isn’t
Not a miracle worker Not a problem solver;
you’re a problem manager
Not negative Not close-minded
Remember to stay focused on growing the League!
Questions?
Communication with local Leagues
You will: •Establish monthly call time with each local League you coach
•Call will last about 30-45 minutes each
Monthly, regularized communication is key to building trusting, supportive relationships.
Effective Calls with your Leagues
Regularized time Send out call-reminders with:
Time and date of call Agenda (with a request for suggestions of
topics) Take Notes Wrap up with next steps/to dos
Your national coach will provide you with training lessons to share with your local
Leagues each month!
Other Tips for an Effective Call Stick to agenda Start on time and end on time If working with a team, make sure
everyone’s voice is heard. Be enthusiastic Set some ground rules Use the mute button Share back notes with your local
Leagues
Setting Up Your Calls
Monthly Timeline: First 2 weeks: State coaches call local Leagues 3rd week: Conference call with your national coach
(aka Ruth S. Shur Fellow) and all state coaches 4th week: Ruth S. Shur Fellow team call with LWVUS
Who are the national coaches?
National coaching team (Ruth S. Shur Fellows) support state coaching teams via monthly coaching team calls.
They are direct link to LWVUS for ideas,
resources and support.
Communication with National
Your national coach and state coaching team: Will establish a monthly call time for this
team to talk. Call will last about 60 minutes.
You will complete monthly surveys about each local League before this call. Usually take about 5-10 minutes each to
complete.
What do you mean Monthly Survey?
Help you focus your calls Help you assess your local Leagues Better communicate with LWVUS Keep a record of progress Only 5-10 minutes to complete
How does the survey work?
Receive a new link from national each month
Easily completed online
National coaches and support staff will read online
Confidential
How can I be effective?
oBuild relationshipsoBe a partneroShare ideas
o LWVUS will help provide!oBe flexible oBe an active listener
This is a process – not always “linear”
Qualities of a coach
Patient Supportive Enthusiastic Good verbal communication Non-judgmental Flexible, open to change Responsive Sense of humor Good listening skills
How can YOU be an Active Listener?
•Tend to spend “listening” time formulating our responses based on preconceived notions
•We retain approximately 30% of what we hear and remember half of that
"If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.“
– Mark Twain
How can YOU be an Active Listener?
•Focus on the Person Speaking
•Eliminate Distractions
•Empathy – Listen for Feeling
•Content – Listen for Details
•Ask Questions for Clarification
•Rephrasing – repeat without parroting (“Did I hear you say”)
Ask Open-Ended Questions
WhoWhatWhere When Why How
Let local Leagues find their own solutions and
come to their own conclusions.
Positive Psychology
In reviewing over 30 years of psychological
research, found there were 45,000 studies on
depression and only 300 studies on joy
M. Seligman, President APAUniversity of Pennsylvania
Ap-pre’ci-ate (verb)
To value… To recognize the best in people or the world around
us; To affirm past and present strengths, successes, and
potentials; To perceive those things that give life (health, vitality,
excellence) to living systems To increase in value, e.g. the economy has
appreciated in value
In-quire’ (kwir) (verb)
To explore and discover To ask questions To be open to seeing new potentials and
possibilities
Synonyms: discover, search, study
Change begins the moment we ask a question!
The words we use, and the words we pay attention to create our experience of the world!
We choose how we look at things and how we talk about them
The Art of Asking Questions!DEFICIT APPROACH
What’s the biggest problem here?
What do you have to do to correct what’s not working?
Why do you miss the mark so often?
AFFIRMATIVE APPROACH
What possibilities exist that we have not thought about yet?
What’s the smallest change that could make the biggest impact?
What solutions would have us all win?
Let’s Practice
Ask an open-ended question to your “coachees” in this scenario:
“The local League coaches tell you in one of the monthly calls that it is difficult for them to get the other board members
(like the program chair) to see the value in adopting the membership and
leadership growth best practices while planning events/activities.”
Set the Tone of the Call
Be Positive Focus on what IS possible
Provide and lead Leagues to consider their options
Setting the Right Tone
Create opportunities for equal voice Focus on the affirmative Help people speak from the inside out Give away the power Be sure they succeed
Excerpted from The Power of Appreciative Inquiry by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom
Setting the Right Tone
Yes, but. . . vs
Yes, and. . .
What are you coaching to?
Membership and leadership development best practices
Found in the MLD binder Include a range of ideas, techniques, and
tools local Leagues can utilize to strengthen and grow the League
Media
Allied
Direct
Membership Recruitment:
3 Types of Outreach
Quick Overview of Best Practices
Making the League Stand Out!
Say it consistently
Say it constantly
Speak to your audience
Find the right message for the right audience and then --
Quick Overview of Best Practices
Invite/Ask - Interests
Engage inActivities
Support/Mentor & Train
Membership Engagement and
Leadership Development
Leadership as a Ladder
Leaders Board members, committee chairs/members
New/Emerging Leaders Participate regularly in activities, start taking on responsibilities
Active Members Attend events, participate in activities
Members Pay membership dues
#1: Event/Activity Planning Checklist
Resources
BinderMLD Coaches Forum
Monthly Guidance
Does everyone have a binder?
What’s Next?
1. Work with your state coordinator
2. Work with your National Coach
3.Get coaching assignment
4. Build relationship with your mentee Leagues
