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The Peer Bulletin is a monthly publication of the Peer Resources Network. NAVIGATION TIPS: Select "View" in the Table of Contents to access that article. Select "Return" at the end of each article to go back to the Table of Contents. Selecting underlined blue text will send you to an external website or initiate an email form. PDF VERSION: To download the PDF version, you will need to access the password protected area with your userid and password. If you have forgotten these details, email Rey Carr. FEEDBACK: Please feel free to provide your reactions or comments to the design, style or content of this newsletter as well as suggestions for articles and resources.

Rey Carr Editor-in-Chief The next issue delivery date: March 3, 2009

PROVEN LEARNING TOOL STRENGTHENS MENTORING PROGRESS

One of the best ways to maximize learning in a mentoring, coaching or peer assistance relationship is through the use of the experiential learning cycle (ELC). I'm convinced that my adherence to the principles of the ELC has helped me develop effective mentoring, coaching and peer assistance relationships with an exceptionally diverse group of people whom otherwise I would have thought: 'we have nothing in common to talk about.' In addition, another benefit of using the ELC is that it not only helps me feel less uncomfortable during that awkward rapport building phase at the beginning of a relationship, but also helps me be more supportive during the later phases of the relationship where challenge and limitation are more likely to occur.

Over the years my colleagues, David de Rosenroll and Greg Saunders, and I have worked on several ways of explaining or describing the ELC. Unfortunately, the results of our efforts often make the ELC appear more complicated than it actually is. In reality the ELC simply describes what most people say is the way they naturally learn something important, in the shortest time, and with maximum retention.

In this article we provide the details of how the ELC can be used to structure and maximize the outcomes desired in a mentoring, coaching or peer assistance relationship. We provide examples of conversations, illustrate how to emphasize the role of mentor, coach, or peer assistant as a catalyst for deeper learning, and reinforce the role of client as expert.

Almost everyone is familiar with the role of experience in learning, and our world is filled with aphorisms, truisms or witty sayings that reinforce the value of experience. Here are a few samples:

• Experience is the teacher of all things. (Julius Caesar)
• Experience is the best teacher. (Francis Whitcher)
• One learns best by doing.
• There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience, and that is not learning from experience. (Laurence J. Peter)
• Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment. (Rita Mae Brown)
• Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you. (Aldous Huxley)
• What I like best about experience is that it allows you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. (Grey Owl)
• Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.
• While we teach, we learn. (Seneca)
• Only so much do I know, as I have lived. (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
• One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning. (James Russell Lowell)

Many prominent educators have written extensively about experiential learning cycles. Kolb and Fry (1975) connected individual learning styles and needs to experiential learning. Hunt (1987) has discussed experiential learning from a more philosophical position of validating learners, while Carr (1988) has written about the experiential learning cycle in terms of debriefing work or practicum experiences, and Pfeiffer and Jones (1975) have discussed the relevance of experiential learning in communications-oriented workshops and in writing for publication.

Participants as Experts
The ELC is the vehicle by which we put into practice a perspective we call "participants-as-experts". Advocates of this concept (Carr, 1988; Hunt, 1987) suggest that from birth onwards, we are trained to look to authorities to tell us what to think, believe, do, feel and sense. We are gradually reduced to a situation where we no longer trust ourselves but rely on others to determine our thoughts in important areas.

A reliance on experts outside of ourselves is often part of the context of the initial interaction with a person who is seeking a mentor, a coach or peer support. They often seek us out in order to get answers, advice or expertise which they perceive we have and they do not. This is a legitmate concern for the person seeking our assistance, and can sometimes become a contentious issue in coaching when the theme of "getting my money's worth" enters into the discussion.

Through the ELC, the participants are challenged to be experts who create and enact their own theories about the world, rather than having the theories imposed by outside experts. As discussions ensue on a variety of topics and issues, the participants’ points of view are listened to and respected by the mentor, coach or peer assistant. And through the skillful use of questions that both acknowledge the participant's current status and move the participant toward another level, the mentor, coach or peer assistant helps the participant in the discussion move towards becoming a powerful and satisfied learner.

In the "process" diagram above we illustrate the four components of the ELC. While they are four distinct elements, in practice they often overlap. They represent the four things that effective learners do: they have an experience; they think about or react to it; they try to figure out what it means; then they devise some way of responding. This typically leads to a new experience and the cycle continues. Sometimes this process can take a few seconds or a few minutes; other times the process may take a much longer period of time.

In the "practice" diagram above we illustrate the key prompts that a mentor, coach or peer assistant might use at each stage of the ELC. We typically call these questions or prompts "anchors" since, like a boat anchor, they can both keep a partner stationed in a particular place or be used to move a participant to the next area.

The Exploration Focus This phase can last from a few minutes, if discussing a practical topic, to a few months if discussing a significant change. The topic here can be a concrete or recent experience, a remembered experience, or even the recall of something that was read such as a manual, assignment or "homework." As a mentor, at this stage I'm eager to implement the following strategies: demonstrate initiative by asking questions about the experience; attend to and develop the relationship; clarify the aims and objectives of our meeting together; encourage and coach; show acceptance, commitment and patience; and show understanding through paraphrasing and summarizing. During this phase I typically engage in three actions: listening deeply, asking open-ended questions, and refraining from giving advice. If this is the beginning or start of our meeting together, I will add two additional elements: contacting my partner to set-up the meeting, and establishing an agenda for our beginning time together. Here are some sample prompts I use at this phase:

The Understanding Focus The length of this phase is determined by the nature and complexity of the issue, the quality of the interaction, and the experience of the partners. It can last from hours to years. Some of my colleagues refer to this phase as the 'touchy-feely" stage because there is often a display of or discussion about emotional reactions. While feelings are essential to include, this phase also examines what my partners think, what they've noticed, observed, considered, critiqued, stewed about, procrastinated about, or chewed over. At this stage I'm primarily concerned about: supporting and coaching; providing feedback; demonstrating skills; encouraging and not rushing; staying positive; being sensitive to resistance and using it to develop alliance; and consolidating learnings from previous sessions. My actions typically include: listening and challenging, asking open-ended as well as closed-ended questions, recognizing strengths and challenges, establishing priorities, identifying developmental needs, providing information and advice, and sharing experiences and stories. Here are some of the sample prompts I use at this phase:

The Action Focus We've often referred to the beginning of this phase as the wisdom or "big picture" phase. The idea here to draw upon what was discussed in the understanding phase to begin to talk about what has been learned, possibly compare these "new" learnings to what was previously learned or known, and state a conclusion, theory or meaning about what has been learned through our discussion so far. During this phase I'm mostly concerned about: asking questions about connections with past learnings; stimulating thinking that integrates elements of our discussion; examining options for action and planning for their consequences; focusing on the relationship itself; providing feedback about progress; negotiating an action plan; ensuring ownership of the plan by the partner; accepting "no action" as a plan; recognizing that action isn't necessary as an outcome every time; and clarifying our roles with a focus on the relationship. My actions typically include encouraging new and creative ways of thinking, helping to make tough decisions and solve problems, and agreeing with confidence or expressing concerns about an action plan. Following this meeting I will often initiate inquiry as to partner progress and outcomes. The prompts I typically use during this action phase include:

Two Key Dilemmas Using the ELC
There are a number of factors that can interfere with the effective use of the ELC for mentoring, coaching and peer assistance. The first most common difficulty is expecting the phases to be orderly and sequential with a smooth flow. While many highly successful people naturally follow these steps in the order described here, many other highly successful people like to jump around and move in and out of each phase. This seemingly random order might be disconcerting to the mentor, particularly a novice mentor who just finished reading about putting these steps into practice.

If the mentor (coach or peer assistant) adheres to the phase sequence while the partner is jumping in and out of the phases in no particular order, then rapport is diminished, a disconnect between mentor and partner is likely to occur, and the partner is likely to characterize the mentoring process as too structured or formal to accomplish anything of value.

To effectively deal with this sequencing mismatch, the mentor (coach or peer assistant) must invoke one of the key principles of effective mentoring: acting as a follower, not a leader, of the partner. It's not the partner's job to learn how to fit into the mentor's system, although many partners will want to learn that system; instead it's the mentor's job to closely follow the path being paved by the partner.

One way to accomplish this with the sequencing mismatch is for the mentor to keep track (mentally or with notes) partner comments or reactions and enter them into an imagined or actual representation of the phases. From time to time the mentor can then summarize the content of each phase and then determine from further prompts whether more details are needed in that phase, beside what has already been aired and noted. A simple example is "What I've learned about your experience is..." "What I've learned about your reflections about the experience is..." "What this appears to mean to you is..." "What you've considered doing about it is..." and "What's your reaction to what I've summarized so far?"

The second most common action that interferes with the effective use of the ELC is spending too little or too much time in any one phase. All too often this behaviour can be exhibited by both the mentor and the partner. Mentors (coaches or peer assistants) who have a background in counselling, for example, may like to dwell in the reflection or 'touchy-feely' phase, spending too much time and placing too much emphasis on the feeling or emotional content. This is often accompanied by too little time in action planning.

At the same time mentors (coaches or peer assistants) who come from the world of business may want to jump quickly to the action phase often bypassing or spending too little time in the exploration, understanding and meaning-making phases. Partners may also want to bypass a phase that brings up painful or unwanted emotional memory, ignore any deeper meaning, and get right to "what am I going to do about this?"

Academic-based mentors, coaches and peer assistants may want to spend too much time in the meaning-making phase and may gain great satisfaction from intellectual discussion, lecturing, and the imparting of wisdom, which might be cognitively satisfying and relevant to the partner and providing them some relief from going into much emotional depth. I've often heard partners describe these meetings as "having great depth and a fascinating discussion, but I haven't a clue as to what to do with any of this."

While there are several ways to reduce or prevent this too little or too much time in any one phase dilemma, the key for finding out if this happened is based on the partner's actions between meetings and the partner's assessment of the working relationship. By conducting a session review, checking in with the partner between meetings, and requesting feedback and review at the beginning of future meetings, the mentor (coach or peer assistant) will be able to determine whether they are both making worthy use of their time together.

The ELC is a powerful tool to help people make changes they want to make in their lives. It is also a way to maximize the person-to-person learning in a relationship. Let's begin the dialogue by letting me know your understanding of, reaction to, and familiarity with the principles, concepts and ideas detailed here. What meaning does this article have for you, and what are you going to do as a result?

References
Alred, G., Garvey, B., and Smith, R. (2006). The mentoring pocketbook. London, UK: Managment Pocketbooks. This book can be purchased through Amazon.ca (for Canadian orders), Amazon.com (for US orders), or Amazon.co.uk for international orders.

Carr, R. (1988). Work experience programs: Facilitating experiential learning. NATCON 14. Ottawa: Ontario College Counsellors' Association.

Hunt, D.E. (1987). Beginning with ourselves: In practice, theory, and human affairs. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Brookline.

Kolb, D.A. (1983). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Saddle River, New Jersey: FT Press. This book can be purchased through Amazon.ca (for Canadian orders), Amazon.com (for US orders), or Amazon.co.uk for international orders.

Kolb. D. A. and Fry, R. (1975). Toward an applied theory of experiential learning. In C. Cooper (Ed.), Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley.

Pfeiffer, W. and Jones, J.E. (1975). A handbook of structured sxperiences for human relations training Vols. 1-5. La Jolla, California: University Associates. This book can be purchased through Amazon.ca (for Canadian orders), Amazon.com (for US orders), or Amazon.co.uk for international orders.

Silberman, M.L. (2007). Handbook of experiential learning. San Diego: Pfeiffer. This book can be purchased through Amazon.ca (for Canadian orders), Amazon.com (for US orders), or Amazon.co.uk for international orders.

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"We cannot make it rain, but we can see to it that the rain falls on prepared soil." ~ Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) ~ Holland-born priest, author, professor Biography

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DOES TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE MENTORING OUTCOMES?
Rey Carr

Many enquiries to Peer Resources pertain to identifying an effective method for matching mentors with partners and managing the relationships. In the last five years a number of organizations have developed specialized software or technology solutions to aid in connecting mentors and partners, tracking the relationships, and reporting and assessing the outcomes.

The data about the effectiveness of technological systems is far from compelling. In fact, published research is relatively silent about software-based or system-based matching and management of mentoring. The individual companies responsible for their own technological innovations typically provide supportive anecdotal data or testimonials they have gathered, but at present there are no independent, objective assessments.

In 2006 Peer Resources initiated a project to counter the lack of data. We intended to identify and assess the value of each of the various technology-aided mentoring management systems. However, circumstances prevented us from completing the data gathering, interviews, and review process. We did identify the major providers, and we have postponed the more in-depth review to a later date.

Since so many of the enquirers about this method of mentoring management wanted to know the names and contact details of the companies that provide technological solutions for mentoring, we have decided to reproduce the list in this issue of the Peer Bulletin. We believe this list is inclusive. However, our list only includes companies that sell their technology or make their matching system part of a more comprehensive mentoring management system. Our list does not include organizations that use computerized matching exclusively to match the mentors and partners in their own in-house systems.

Many of the companies listed here provide demonstration versions of their systems. They all include an emphasis on the ability of their systems to be custom-designed to fit the needs of their clients. Only one organization provides any basic pricing information on their website. If any Peer Resources Network members have experience with these companies or if you know of companies that provide similar services that are not listed below, please let us know.

Company Name and Location	Name of Technology Developed	Website, Email, Phone
MediaPro (Bothell, WA)	"Mentoring Administrative Tool"	www.mediapro.com mentor@mediapro.com (425) 483-4700
Uncommon Individual Foundation (Villanova, PA)	"Mentorsphere"	www.mentorsphere.com info@uif.org
The Training Connection, Inc. (Prince William, VA)	"The Mentoring Connection (TMC) Web-Based Tool"	www.thetrainingconnection.com kdrahosz@thetrainingconnection.com (703) 551-0734
On-Line Learning Relationships Lab (Burnaby, BC)	"Telementoring Software"	www.telementoring.ca/ koneill@sfu.ca (604) 291-3476
The Coaching and Mentoring Network (Oxford, UK)	"Mentor Matching Software"	http://tinyurl.com/9s4j48 info@coachingnetwork.org.uk +44 (0)870 733 3313
Nobscot Corporation (Kaiula, HI)	"Mentor Scout"	www.mentorscout.com sales@nobscot.com (808) 263-3800
My Mentor.com.au Pty Ltd (Victoria, Australia)	"MyMentor"	www.mymentor.com.au info@mymentor.com.au 03 9461 4576
Management Mentors (Boston, MA)	"MentorQuest"	www.mentor-quest.com rpetrin@management-mentors.com (617) 789-4622
Triple Creek Associates (Greenwood Village, CO)	"Open Mentoring"	www.3creek.com randy.emelo@3creek.com (303) 707-0800 or (866) 470-1603
Innovative Technology Solutions (Buffalo, MN)	"Innovative Mentoring Software"	www.innovativetechsolutions.net info@innovativetechsolutions.net (612) 221-7019
Corporate Mentoring Solutions (Victoria, BC Canada)	"Colaboro Mentoring Management System"	www.mentoring-solutions.com wgray@mentoring-solutions.com (877) 955-0314 or (250) 652-0324
International Mentoring Professionals (Melbourne, Australia)	"Socrates Mentor Monitor"	www.imentor-pro.com mentors@imentor-pro.com 1300720190 or +61 (0) 407 600 939
MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership (Alexandria, VA)	"MentorPRO"	www.mentorpro.org MentorPRO@mentoring.org (703) 224-2200
Intrainfinity (Williamsville, NY and Toronto, ON)	"MentorMatch"	www.intrafinity.com Support@intrinfinity.com (866) 802-4447 or (416) 848-9722
iMentor (New York, New York)	"iMentor Interactive"	www.imentor.org info@imentor.org (212) 461-4330

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"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." ~ Albert Einstein (1879-1955) ~ German scientist, philosopher, and Nobel Prize winner Biography

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INCREASE THE POWER OF COACHING BY UNDERSTANDING ITS HISTORY
Bill Dueease

The rapid emergence of personal coaching has been accompanied by an influx of thousands of practitioners, almost 300 coach training organizations, and more than 60 different credentialing systems. Not surprisingly very few people associated with this flood of coaches know the history, origin or roots of the field. Yet without an understanding of the foundation upon which coaching stands, it is unlikely that practitioners will be able to respond to the changing client base, ensure the economic survival of their practices, or align themselves with the strengths that have contributed to the effectiveness of coaching.

In addition, ignorance of the foundation of coaching can reduce practitioner credibility, prompt dubious claims about the speed and ease of becoming an effective coach, decrease coach resourcefulness to clients, and create competitive rivalries that interfere with public understanding of the value and purpose of coaching.

I am not a historian nor am I trying to be one. I've been around coaching since what I thought was its beginning, and I've had some direct experience with what I had assumed were coaching's founders. However, now that I've read the 693-page doctoral dissertation by Vikki Brock entitled: “Grounded Theory of the Roots and Emergence of Coaching,” I've found a validation of some of my personal experience, a new understanding and appreciation of the breadth of the field, and a few surprises.

Thomas Leonard’s Influence on the Personal Coaching Process
Dr. Brock's work as well as my own direct knowledge and experience provide the basis for this article on the history of personal coaching. Her dissertation is recent, thorough, academic, and lengthy, and her purpose was to describe the roots and development of coaching. Her discoveries and my personal experiences and knowledge converge to show that Thomas Leonard was the principal architect and driving force behind “defining, documenting, codifying training, and popularizing” the coaching process and coaching industry as we know it today. The coaching process that I describe often in the Coach Connection blog and is used by The Coach Connection is a direct result of the work of Thomas Leonard (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Legacy of Thomas Leonard

From Vikki Brock's dissertation and reproduced in Peer Bulletin 173 with permission.

The Sports Coach Looks Inside
The term coach originated in the sports field somewhere in the late 1880s, and has been a well-known sports profession with many different forms for years. “Even today, the term coaching often produces a mental image of a football or basketball coach, and depending on what the coach actually does, this analogy may or may not be adequate because the head coach is usually a general manager or chief executive officer responsible for running an entire program. The image of the quarterback coach or the offensive line coach is somewhat more accurate by enabling others to play through teaching." (Brock, page 93)

When W.T. Gallwey wrote his seminal book in 1972 entitled The Inner Game of Tennis, it was, according to many people, the first major transition from the sports coaching model of control and teaching to what Werner Erhard and eventually Thomas Leonard developed and fine-tuned into personal coaching. Dr. Brock further shares that "Gallwey’s 1974 inner game approach to sports was based on humanistic and transpersonal psychological principles, where the concept is that the opponent within is more formidable than the one outside." Sir John Whitmore believed that "Gallwey was the first to demonstrate a simple and comprehensive method of coaching that could be readily applied to almost any situation."

Thomas Leonard came on the coaching scene in 1988 from the financial world. Leonard created a life-planning course entitled Life Creates Your Life. Dr. Brock emphasizes his contribution by noting that “Leonard is credited with codifying coaching into a curriculum to teach people how to be a coach and that could be taught globally, taught telephonically, in the early days of coaching.” (Brock pg. 313)

Dr. Brock's study provides additional testimony about Leonard from Dave Buck, the current leader of Coachville -- an organization created by Thomas Leonard. Mr. Buck "describes Leonard as a synthesizer working with hundreds, thousands of people to create. But while he was collaborating he also had in his vision, a vision of himself being highly impactful, being a leader, being competitive against other companies doing similar things. He was intensely competitive and intensely collaborative at the same time."

Other people that Dr. Brock interviewed also credit Leonard with popularizing coaching. In addition to codifying coaching, he launched Coach U in about 1993 and the International Coach Federation in 1994. Leonard also started Coachville in about 1999, and he was a behind-the-scenes developer of The Coach Training Institute in 1992. All of these organizations have had a profound affect on the development of coaching as Leonard saw it and even more on the entire coaching world.

Dr. Brock further reports that “Leonard’s contribution as a transmitter was codifying, popularizing, and globalizing the discipline of coaching. Leonard’s background was in business, specifically finance, where he was working for (Werner) Erhard and doing life planning on the side. Leonard, and others such as (Laura) Whitworth and (John) Whitmore, took some basic ideas and applied their business background to creating an industry that is called coaching.”

Thomas Leonard was often described as a "real character with strong beliefs." He wasn't interested in politics, turf, or ownership; he designed the personal coaching process in great detail and wrote about it for all to see. He was a strong believer in giving things away, and was continuously searching for ways to make coaching accessible to the general population.

From my understanding of what Thomas Leonard intended for the field of coaching, he would be disappointed by its exceptional commercial development and the practice of coaches receiving payment to "mentor" other coaches. Thomas saw the development of the coach as learning to maximize his or her own gifts, then passing that gift on to another who, in turn, passed the gifts to the next person.

His perspective was echoed in the book by Lewis Hyde called The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property. In this book the author details the evolution of the gift as a way of establishing an emotional bond between people compared to a gift being seen as a "commodity" with a monetary value. The focus in Hyde's study of other cultures and embodied in Leonard's principle was on giving not getting. Thomas Leonard wanted everyone to benefit from coaching.

Life Coaching Versus Personal Coaching
I believe the term "personal coaching" best describes the coaching process, because coaching is very personal. Thomas Leonard experienced this directly from his association with Werner Erhard. Mr. Erhard was the first person to create activities in a large group to specifically break through the barriers and fears that kept people from being personal with each other.

While his techniques were somewhat controversial, he and his colleagues provided an opportunity for his seminar participants to directly experience personal coaching. Erhard did not call this process "personal coaching," but he did intend for the outcome to be highly personal. This was the essential basis of Erhard Seminar Training (EST), and what Thomas Leonard meant by "personal coaching."

Figure 2: The Influence of Werner Erhard

From Vikki Brock's dissertation and reproduced in Peer Bulletin 173 with permission.

The term "life coaching" is a more recent concoction, and was popularized in early 2000 when Hollywood and TV-writers used it for their "reality" shows. Many coaches in their eagerness to gain public acceptance and credibility attached themselves to this media-created term and started calling themselves life coaches.

Thomas Leonard documented and popularized the new process he called personal coaching to assist people to improve their lives by focusing on the person within. In essence, Thomas and his partners designed, organized, documented, and developed this new process that would fulfill the one human void that none of the other nine major human improvement processes consider addressing and seem ill-designed to or capable of fulfilling.

Leonard's perspective was recently validated by a study conducted by the Harvard Business Review of 140 leading executive coaches. The analysis of the study results showed that while only three percent of the coaches were hired by companies to attend to issues in the personal lives of executives, over 75 percent of the coaches found themselves assisting executives with personal issues.

Others also recognized the inadequacy of psychology and the various treatment interventions based on psychology to assist people to improve their lives. The chart created by Vikki Brock and reproduced here in Figure 2 illustrates the pioneers in coaching who emerged from the field of psychology, and have contributed greatly to the growth of personal coaching.

Figure 3: The Influence of Psychology on Personal Coaching Pioneers

From Vikki Brock's dissertation and reproduced in Peer Bulletin 173 with permission.

Personal Coaching has Grown Rapidly
Thomas Leonard traveled extensively coaching, speaking, and training wherever he could. He captured the imagination of many people to persuade them to become joint pioneers in this new process. The personal coaching industry has grown exponentially in only sixteen short years because of Thomas Leonard’s vision, his energy, and more importantly because personal coaching works so well and so quickly to assist people to unravel the mysteries of themselves.

Personal coaching has evolved into a viable and recognized industry because people want to unravel the mysteries of themselves by discovering their own unique core components. Personal coaching accomplishes the exceptional goals it was designed to achieve. I do not believe that many people fully understood the universal ramifications and multiple uses of the personal coaching process. Maybe Thomas did, and that might be why he was such an outspoken advocate of personal coaching before he died in 2003 of natural causes.

One of the many extremely valuable coachable goals of the personal coaching process is to discover and attain your ideal income position. Thanks to Thomas’s personal coaching process, and his personally trained coach, Thom Politico, who was my personal coach, I discovered and have been enjoying going to play every day in my own ideal income position for the past eight years as the founder and owner of The Coach Connection.

The Coaching Industry Today
Estimates of the number of people calling themselves coaches range between 30,000 to almost 80,000. The upside is that the public has a vast number of coaches to pick from to find the right coach. The challenge is that there are so many different people calling themselves coaches offering different coaching methods, styles, philosophies, ethics, backgrounds, niches, and purposes, that the public has more, not less, difficulty in finding and selecting the best coach.

The number of coach training schools has grown tremendously. According to statistics compiled by Peer Resources there are about 298 coach training schools, the majority of which sprouted up since about 1992. Vikki Brock reports that there are over 17 coaching related associations. These were created since about 1994. Yet, the coaching industry is still in the growing stage. If you consider that each of these coaching schools will produce only 50 people a year who call themselves coaches, that means that over 14,900 new coaches appear on the scene each year.

Anyone today can call himself or herself a coach. There are no rules, regulations, laws, restrictions or enforced codes. Coaches come from all walks of life with many different paths to their coaching status. The coaching community itself is also confused about how to determine what the coaching process is. According to Vikki Brock: “Inside the field there is much divergent thinking of what coaching is and whose approach is best. Outside the field there is even more confusion among clients and the public about what makes up coaching.” There are countless different coaching processes, programs, structures, and philosophies, many of which stem from the disciplines illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 4: The Influence of Other Disciplines on the Coaching Field

From Vikki Brock's dissertation and reproduced in Peer Bulletin 173 with permission.

Dr. Brock further states: “There are many definitions of coaching, some of which contradict each other based on an influence by practitioner backgrounds, theories, and models.” And she further clarifies that “Most definitions assume an absence of serious mental health problems in the client and that coaching’s purpose is to affect some kind of change using similar knowledge, skills, and techniques.”

Personal coaching is not a process I invented, or take credit for. I would like to, but that would be wrong. Thomas Leonard and his many followers and compatriots deserve all of the credit. In fact, this coaching process found me. I was not even smart enough to seek it. There have been many different forms of coaching that grew out of this process, and there will undoubtedly be others. But I believe that since the coaching process described by Thomas has proven to me to work so well, and had worked so well for many others before I found it, that it is worth recommending.

The incredible thing about the coaching process popularized by Thomas is that it has historical roots and is widely accepted, but rarely described consistently, and even less widely understood from the client’s point of view. Yet, it is so powerful and so remarkable that it has fostered a whole new way of thinking and an ever-growing industry.

My purpose in writing this article is to educate anyone who will listen about this personal coaching process so that they too will understand what it is all about from their own perspective. I'm convinced that this will help people recognize, understand, and take advantage of this remarkable human improvement process to achieve their chosen remarkable coaching goals including but not limited to discovering and obtaining their ideal income position.

Vikki Brock Reacts to this Article
(Editor's Note: Bill Dueease's summary of Vikki Brock's doctoral dissertation, prompted us to ask Vikki for her reaction. Here is what she had to say:

What a great history of personal coaching. Thank you, Bill, for the reference to my dissertation, which encompassed three years of research and over 170 interviews of global coaching influencers. When looking at the roots of coaching, what I found is that coaching was developing globally during the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the key roots being sports, leadership, psychology, and the personal development movement. The first coaching books were written about coaching by managers in business to improve employee performance.

The Werner Erhard link is very strong among the first coaches - Jinny Ditzler, on staff with est from 1974 to 1980, started the first life coach training in 1981 in the U.K. Sir John Whitmore brought Werner Erhard to the U.K. in 1974 and Tim Gallwey's Inner Game process to the U.K. in 1979. Tim Gallwey was actually Werner Erhard's tennis coach for a time. Ken Blanchard and Peter Senge were personal friends with Werner Erhard. And Thomas Leonard worked in the accounting department for Werner Erhard Associates, and hired Laura Whitworth to work there also.

As for Thomas Leonard having a hand in the development of The Coaches Training Institute (CTI), while it is true that Laura Whitworth attended his life planning courses and Thomas gave his materials to Laura and Henry Kimsey House, they did not use them for the co-active coaching model that is the basis for CTI's programs. I was fortunate to be able to interveiw Laura several times before she died in February 2007. What is fact is that Werner Erhard popularized personal growth and Thomas Leonard popularized coaching - both were masterful synthesizers.

If the size of the dissertation is daunting, my very readable book on the history of coaching will be published by mid-2009. Till then, the 693-page document (including appendices and references), is available at The Foundation of Coaching's Research Repository.

(Vikki G. Brock, Ph.D., EMBA is a Master Certified Coach, Certified Executive Coach, and Professional Mentor Coach. She can be contacted by phone: +1 805-676-4200 or by email: coach@vikkibrock.com or through her website: www.vikkibrock.com.)

About the Author
Bill Dueease is the co-founder of The Coach Connection, the number one rated service for matching coaches with clients, and ranked by Google as the top information source for life coaching for the last two years. Previously, Bill was a chairperson with the International Coach Federation, and a highly successful petroleum industry engineer and entrepreneur. Bill provides a newsletter, Connecting for Results, and a blog on coaching. The Coach Connection provides a number of free coaching articles. Bill can be reached toll-free in the US or Canada at (800) 887-7214 or from other locations (239) 415-1777 or by email at bill@findyourcoach.com. This article has been adapted from the Coach Connection blog, and is reproduced here with permission of the author.

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"We cannot escape history." ~ Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) ~ 16th President of the United States Biography

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FAMOUS MENTOR PAIRINGS

In accepting the Cecil B. DeMille award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the 66th Golden Globe Award ceremony in Los Angeles on January 11, 2009, Steven Spielberg devoted much of his speech delivered to more than 14.6 million TV-viewers to the role that mentoring has played in his life and the life of his competitors. Here is what Mr. Spielberg had to say:

"One of my first most vivid childhood memories was the first time I ever saw a movie -- The Greatest Show on Earth -- it was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me. When my dad took me to that movie I remember that it was bright daylight, but when the movie was over and we left, it was dark outside. To a six year old kid, it was as if the power and the size of those Cecil B. DeMille images had made the night fall.

"I think my fate was probably sealed that day in 1952 because after seeing that movie the one thing that stood out in that film was a sequence of maybe the biggest train wreck that had possibly ever been put on film. And it terrified me because in those days that's how my family and I travelled; we travelled by rail.

"But instead of CB DeMille inspiring me to tell stories, he got me into model railroading with my first electric train set. And what I used to do was to try to recreate that epic sequence from The Greatest Show on Earth by running my train at full speed into any obstacle that I could put on the track in front of it. Until my dad finally warned me that if I did it again there would be no train set to wreck.

"My parents had this little Kodak 8mm movie camera in the house and so when no one was looking I took the camera and I filmed the last big train wreck. This is crazy but it actually brought about the same feeling of gratification watching that little movie again and again. I have to thank CB DeMille for inspiring me to make my first home movie.

"I think what was on my mind when I was risking losing my Lionel train set was me thinking 'Am I going to get away with this?' And that anxiety has been haunting me throughout my entire movie career. Whenever I've tried to tell a risky story, whether it's about sharks or dinosaurs, or about aliens or history, I'll always be thinking: 'am I going to get away with this?'

"None of the movies I've made throughout my whole life would have been possible though without someone believing in me. And I really believe that being a mentor to talented newcomers is a time-honored tradition. Most famously Noël Coward mentored David Lean. And then Roger Corman mentored Marty Scorsese and Francis Coppola. Francis turned around and mentored George Lucas who then mentored Ron Howard.

"So this is a creative renewal that our business cannot ever exist without. My mentor and supporter when I was 22 was the former head of Universal Studios, Sid Scheinberg, who said something that I've never forgotten. He said, "I will always be there for you in success, but I will also always be there for you during the tough times." [This process has been a highlight in my career and thanks to that kind of loyalty and some of the success that some of the films have achieved over my nearly four decades of movie making.]

"An opportunity was given to me to be an enabler to writers and producers, cinematographers, production designers, editors, composers, and those are honors that I value above all else.

"And I'm feeling my history tonight, because along with Kate and my family, there are some many people in this room who are my friends and colleagues, so many of the nominees this evening; and I think in a way way there's a feeling floating around in these hard economic times that the impulse in the future might be to make more movies for broader audiences.

"I just want to say we can't ever forget that we are also an audience of individuals and without the kinds of movies that are nominated tonight we could be in danger of losing that very thing that none of us can live without, we can't work without it, we give to each other every day though the work we do, and that is inspiration. So congratulations to all of you who inspire me. Thank you for my colleagues, my friends, my future colleagues, and especially to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, thank you very much for this thrilling honor. Thank you."

'Creative Renewal' Mentoring in Hollywood or an 'Old Boys Club'?
Cecil B. DeMille	Steven Spielberg	Noël Coward	David Lean	Roger Corman	Martin Scorsese	Francis Coppola	George Lucas	Ron Howard

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"I'd like to be remembered as a guy who tried - - tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being. Someone who isn't complacent, who doesn't cop out." ~ Paul Newman (1925-2008) ~ Actor Biography

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THE PEER BULLETIN QUIZ

Last month’s quiz:
In the "What's New" section of the Peer Bulletin a coach training course created by a Peer Resources Network member was mentioned. How many credits were associated with that course?

The correct answer was "six," and all submissions received an extra month of membership, and are included in a bonus draw for a Mentors - Peer Resources golf shirt or a Peer Resources Cycling Jersey (see photo in Table of Contents). (Percentage of PRN members who responded to this quiz: five percent; percentage of correct answers: 100.)

This month’s quiz:
Who are Allen Ivey and Carl Thoresen and why aren't they mentioned in Dr. Vikki Brock's dissertation on the history of influence in coaching?

All submissions will receive an extra month of membership, and will be included in a bonus draw for a Mentors - Peer Resources golf shirt or a Peer Resources Cycling Jersey (see photo in Table of Contents). Send your answer by February 28, 2009 to rcarr@peer.ca

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"The most important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative, and the second disastrous." ~ Margaret Fontey ~ Brazilian princess

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EXCLUSIVE OFFERS FOR PRN MEMBERS

1. Discount Available on Marlena Field's BodyMindWisdom Trainings
Marlena Field, a Professional Certified Coach and member of the Peer Resources Network has announced her latest schedule of tele-training and in-person training sessions. Marlena's sessions focus on body-centered skills and how to use the techniques with clients and learn how your current mindset determines your level of abundance. For example, when learning the specific body-centered technique for working with limiting beliefs, participants in the training will also be learning and journaling about their personal disempowering beliefs related to abundance and joyfully moving beyond them.

A tele-training program on Body-Centered Coach Training begins on March 10 and continues to April 28, and an in-person three-day session will be held in Austin, Texas May 1-3, 2009.

Marlena is offering a 15 percent discount on the fees for Peer Resources Network members for any of the trainings. Similar to last year, she is also providing a draw for a no-cost seat in the tele-training. To learn more about either of these events go to www.BodyMindSpiritCoaching.com or call (250) 851-0145. To receive the discount use the word "Peer" on the coupon available on the site. To enter the draw for the complimentary set in the tele-training, simply send an email to Marlena at marlena@bodymindspiritcoaching.com.

2. Emotional Impact Training Program Available at No Cost
Difficult economic times have led to an increased amount of organizational friction. IOPT, a company that has developed a unique and fully validated survey that measures a person's information needs and preferences, is making its fully scripted Powerpoint Emotional Impact Training Program available to members of the Peer Resources Network at no cost. Using this presentation can help viewers improve personal understanding, increase team success, more fully develop leadership, improve communication particularly with regards to stressful issues, and improve relationships.

This 66-slide program includes the full text that can be used to present the program or to modify it. Optional text is also included so that the presentation can be tailored for a specific audience such as executives, scientists/engineers, professionals, or other operational levels.

A short video explaining the program and providing a sample from the program is available for viewing on YouTube. To order your own no cost copy call or email Dr. Gary Salton, Chief of Research and Development at Professional Communications, Inc; Tel: (734) 662-0250; email: gary@iopt.com

3. Submit an Article for the Peer Bulletin
We are eager to obtain articles written by Peer Resources Network members that would be suitable for upcoming issues of the Peer Bulletin. Any member that submits a feature article that is published in a future issue of the Peer Bulletin will receive an extra three months added to his or her membership. To prepare and submit an article, review our style guide at http://www.peer.ca/pscgwriters.html and contact Rey Carr at rcarr@peer.ca

4. Two-Year Renewal Offer
Any Peer Resources Network individual or institutional rate member who renews for a two-year period, will receive a 15% discount on the fee for the second year. Renew at http://www.peer.ca/PRN.html

5. Refer a Member
Current Peer Resources Network members who refer another person for membership, and the person becomes a member, will have three months added to their own membership for each person referred. A place is available on the Peer Resources Network application form where a new member can include the name of the referring member.

6. The Ten-Year Emeritus Member
Any Peer Resources Network member who has 10 years of continuous membership will now be granted “Emeritus” membership status. This means no more yearly dues, no more fee notices, no fee increases, and a continuation of all services and benefits. No other organization provides this benefit. (Thirty-four members now receive this benefit.)

7. Make Your Dreams Come True E-Books Available at No-Cost
Marcia Wieder, the founder of Dream University, is making available to Peer Resources Network members and their friends 10 easy to read, content-rich e-books at no cost. The books are designed to help clarify your life purpose, create dreams that are aligned with who you are, overcome issues around time and money, remove obstacles including fear and doubt, provide shortcuts to accomplish dreams with greater ease, and offer tools, resources and practices to help success occur faster. To download this valuable set of books, go to: www.dreamcoach.com/gift/refer.html

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"If you accept your limitations, you go beyond them." ~ Brendan Francis Behan (1923-1964) ~ Irish author, pub visitor and sometime prisoner Biography

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FUNDING FOR PEER, COACH AND MENTOR RESEARCH PROJECTS

This month a variety of funding opportunities are listed that have the potential to support peer, mentoring and coaching projects. Writing a proposal for any of these grants and awards can be a daunting task.

(1) The Foundation of Coaching is a nonprofit, noncommercial, independent resource for coaching research, education, practice, and communication. The Foundation provides research grants around the world to pay for research expenses, including travel (but not research time or living expenses). Proposals are accepted twice a year (June 1 for consideration in July and December 1 for consideration in January). To be considered for a research grant, the proposal must meet five criteria: align with the mission of the Foundation; make an important contribution to the coaching field; be independent of any particular coaching organization; exhibit qualifications to act ethically; and be co-sponsored with in-kind of matching funds provided by another source. The review process typically takes several weeks, and researchers do not have to be affiliated with an academic institution. More information about the Foundation, its mission, and a research grant application are available online.

(2) Public Health Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants are available from Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Up to $35,000 per dissertation is available for doctoral candidates’ research costs. Research that scientifically examines the roles that mentoring, coaching or peer assistance can have in health promotion, disease prevention, injury and disability prevention, and health protection will be eligible for funding. Applicants must be citizens of the United States, and applications are due in August of any year. More information is available online.

(3) The Reader's Digest Foundation Make It Matter Grants is a program that honors individuals from around the world who are taking action and giving back to their communities in a significant way. Each month Reader's Digest magazine will profile an individual who has made a significant contribution to his or her community, through peer assistance, peer mentoring or other informal ways on helping, and provide a financial contribution. A form for making an application is available online.

(4) The Tiger Woods Foundation provides grants that focus on under-served youth ages 5-17 in the USA. The grants are in the average range of $2,500-$25,000. Year-round mentoring and peer tutoring are approved program areas they fund. Deadlines for applications are four-times per year. More information is available online.

(5) Ethnic Community Self-Help Program of The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) invites the submission of applications for funding, on a competitive basis, to connect newcomer refugees and their communities with community resources. The objective of this program is to strengthen organized ethnic communities comprised and representative of refugee populations to ensure ongoing support (including mentoring and peer support) and services to refugees after initial resettlement. US faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply. Applications are due March 24, 2009. Eight awards totaling $600,000 will be distributed. For more information contact Thomas Giossi by email: Thomas.Giossi@acf.hhs.gov. The full announcement is available online.

(6) Reducing Risk Behaviors by Promoting Positive Youth Development small research project grants are available to institutions and organizations that propose to enhance understanding about effective positive youth development programs (such as mentoring and peer assistance) and the mechanisms for positive health and developmental outcomes. Non-profit organizations in the USA are eligible to apply. Applications can only be submitted electronically, and details are available online. For more information contact: Mario Martinez by email: mm207@nih.gov

(7) National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) in Gainesville, Virginia has teamed up again with The Allstate Foundation to announce Act Out Loud: Raising Voices for Safe Teen Driving, a national teen-and school-led activism competition to help spread the word about safe teen driving. The competition includes a grand prize of $10,000 to the program identified as the USA's best teen-led, school-based safe driving project. High schools nationwide are invited to enter the contest by submitting their project proposals at www.ActOutLoud.org. From the school nominations, the 20 best projects (based on creativity, communication of the issue and contest theme, and ability to reach the largest number of teens) will be selected. The 20 selected school teams will each be awarded $1,000 to carry out their project; receive a video camera to document their project; receive toolkits with suggestions for executing the project and engaging local opinion leaders; and document their project through blog, photo, and video postings at www.ActOutLoud.org. The public will be invited to vote for their favorites, and the winning project, based on total online votes, will be announced on May 27, 2009.

The top three school student organizations will receive cash awards to continue their traffic safety efforts, $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place, and $3,000 for third place. A $5,000 grant will also be awarded to the non-profit national youth organization nominated by the First place team. Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on February 17, 2009. (Last year, Richmond (Indiana) High School's Peer Information Center for Teens, Inc. (PICT) was one of the ten Act Out Loud contest finalists. PICT was the NAPP Peer Program of the Year in 2002 and NAPP's first Certified Peer Program, also in 2002. A blood drive was part of Richmond's effort in the activism contest "Act Out Loud: Rising Voices for Safe Teen Driving" with the blood drive theme: "No Red Asphalt at RHS: Give Your Blood to the Community Blood Center Instead of Making a Mess on the Pavement.")

(8) The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), has announced that it is seeking applications from national organizations, including faith-based and community nonprofit organizations for funding under its OJJDP FY 09 National Mentoring Programs. This program furthers the Department’s mission by supporting mentoring programs that have a national scope and impact on combating juvenile delinquency, reducing the victimization of children, and improving the juvenile justice system. Mentoring programs are defined as involving a structured relationship between an adult or trained peer, compensated or voluntary, and one or more youth, with one-on-one mentoring or group-mentoring being the preferred models. This program will fund multiple awards for a period of up to three years, but will not support indirect costs for management and administrative expenses in excess of 10 percent. Applications are due February 25, 2009. For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Eric Stansbury, Program Manager, at 202-305-1826 or Eric.Stansbury@usdoj.gov or Bernard Williams, Program Manager, at 202-616-9509 or Bernard.Williams2@usdoj.gov. A full PDF copy of the solicitation is available online.

(9) Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems are available in the USA to provide funds to increase student access to high-quality mental health care by developing innovative approaches that link school systems with the local mental health system. This is an ideal opportunity for school-based peer assistance to obtain support. The four primary areas of focus are: (1) enhancing, improving, or developing collaborative efforts between school-based service systems (including peer assistance) and mental health service systems to provide, enhance, or improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services to students; (2) enhancing the availability of crisis intervention services, appropriate referrals for students potentially in need of mental health services (including referrals from peers), and ongoing mental health services; (3) providing training for the school personnel and mental health professionals who will participate in the program and (4) providing technical assistance and consultation to school systems and mental health agencies and families participating in the program.

The estimated size of each of 15 awards is expected to be $150,000-$400,000. State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law, and Indian tribes are all eligible to apply. The deadline for submissions is February 23, 2009. More details are available online.

(10) Drug Free Communities Funding for Peer, Mentor and Coach Projects is available through the US Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. The purpose of these grants is to strengthen collaboration among communities, private non-profit agencies, and various levels of government in the USA to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth. Proposals are expected to address the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promote the factors such as peer support, coaching and mentoring that minimize the risk of substance abuse. Approximately 130 grants of $125,000 are to be awarded, and applications are due March 20, 2009. Additional information is available online, and the contact person is Barbara Orlando at (240) 276-1422 or email: barbara.orlando@samhsa.hhs.gov

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"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." ~ Agatha Christie (1890-1976) ~ British author and Dame of the British Empire Biography

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STUDIES AND RESOURCES TO GUIDE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Peer Resources continually scans the professional and popular literature for articles, books, videos and other useful reference materials. Brief synopses of the work as well as citation details and summaries are available in a searchable format at http://www.peer.ca/articles. (Note that resources listed here and purchased through the links to Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk typically yield a commission to Peer Resources. The entire commission amount is donated to a local charity for homeless youth.)

Bauldry, S., Djakovic, D.K., McClanahan, W.S., McMaken, J., and Kotloff, J. (2009). Mentoring formerly incarcerated adults: Insights from the Ready4Work Reentry Initiative. Philadelphia: Publc/Private Ventures. This report examines the implementation and impact of mentoring as a component of comprehensive social services, along with housing assistance, drug rehabilitation, and job placement and training, in assisting released prisoners' successful reentry into society. For the most part mentoring was a less than satisfactory way to assist the target population, and the report identifies the factors from successful and less successful matches. (The full report is available to Peer Resources Network members online.)

Coutu, D. and Kauffman, C. (January, 2009). What can coaches do for you? Harvard Business Review. (Retrieved January 20, 2009 from http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2009/01/what-can-coaches-do-for-you/ar/1). A study of 140 coaches, primarily from the USA and the UK revealed that the coaching field is filled with contradictions over why they are hired, what they do, and how success is measured. The participants did appear to agree that while 10 years ago coaches were hired to fix toxic behaviour, today they are hired to maximize capabilities of high potential peformers. Some of the "executive coaches" included in this study claimed that they earn up to $3,500 an hour, while the median fee appeared to be $500 an hour. The authors of the study also note that the coaching industry is fraught with conflicts of interest, blurry lines about mental health issues, and weak mechanisms for assessing effectiveness.(Editor's Note: this study makes no distinctions regarding whether the practitioners involved received any coach specific training or were really psychologists and management consultants who now call themselves "executive coaches." This has been a problem with previous articles on coaching appearing in this publication.)

Grant, B. (January 14, 2009). The mentorship market: New organizations want to help you succeed in biotech - for free. TheScientist.com, 23, 1, 58. (Retrieved January 14, 2009 from http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/55308/). This article describes several companies (Propel in Chicago (http://ibiopropel.org/index.html), BioAdvance in Philadelphia (http://www.bioadvance.com/), Jumpstart in Ohio (http://www.jumpstartinc.org/index.aspx), CONNECT in San Diego (http://www.connect.org/springboard/), that provide mentoring and coaching to start-ups or newer companies associated with biomedical or bioscience products and services. Their goals is to provide free support until the other company becomes self-sufficient and successful. Mentors review business plans and financial presentations, assess plans for team-building, hone commercialization strategies, and provide expertise about intellectual property and licensing. The article also provides eight tips from mentors to help partners thrive during tough economic periods.

Herrera, C., Kauh, T.J., Cooney, S.M., Baldwin Grossman, J., and McMaken, J. (2008). High school students and mentors: Findings from the Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring impact study. Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private Ventures. School-based mentoring is increasing rapidly in the US, and this study examines the effectiveness of using high school students as mentors. Youth matched with high school mentors benefited less than those matched with adults, but the findings varied across programs. High school mentors typically received little training, but those that had the most training and those that they mentored reported higher quality and closer relationships. Higher quality training also led to an increased number of mentoring sessions and longer lasting matches. High school mentors who received course credit for their involvement were less likely to continue with their mentoring activities. The authors provide a number of recommendations. Access this document. (Available to Peer Resources Network members and requires userid and password.)

Nicholas, J. and Twaddell, K. (2009). Group executive coaching: 2008 global survey. Singapore: Air Institute. A 2008 survey completed by 171 respondents online (63 percent female) primarily from North America, Asia and the UK revealed the following about group executive coaching (1) a growing global interest with Europe outpacing the USA almost 3 to 1; (2) typically conducted by more experienced coaches; (3) mostly undertaken on a regular basis as part of leadership development initiatives; (4) typically occurs with intact teams; (5) size matters with most groups in the range of two to six and 7-12 participants; (6) usually takes place over three to six months with only seven percent over one year; (7) building trust and rapport was the top unsolicited critical success factor; and (8) other success factors were related to the coach, the coachees and the coaching process itself. (This study is available to Peer Resources Network members at www.theairinstitute.com)

Tindall, J.A. and Black, D.R. (2009). Peer programs: An in-depth look at peer programs: Planning, implementation, and administration, Second Edition. New York: Routledge, NY. ISBN: 978-0-415-96236-0. (Review by Peer Resources Network member Michael Ciambella). This is a book that is much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Readers will be left wondering how the authors fit so much into such a small package! This 332-page book is a powerhouse of information and useful tools, and is part of the Peer Power series. The book consists of 12 well-organized chapters, two appendices, and both a subject and author index. And, there’s even a practical CD on the back flap that has just over 45 (12 Word and 30+ PDF) tools you can use with your laptop, LCD projector or your printer. The authors provide a logical progression for all phases of planning, implementing and administering peer programs. They also share great illustrations and sample tools.

This book provides information for a wide range of topics and really is a great reference guide. Some parts of the book are generic providing justifications for peer programs or making predictions about the future of them. In contrast, other parts address specific, tactical concerns by offering descriptions of various training techniques and models useful for developing professionals.

Some noteworthy areas are Chapter 7 which explains an 18-step progression for a successful peer program and Chapter 12 which offers an excellent presentation of program standards and codes of ethics. Readers will want to examine the “Peer Helping Program Rubric” available from the CD which offers a four-point rating scale covering 11 standards that absolutely help one map and rate both existing and new peer programs. The standards are comprehensively covered for areas including; short-term planning, commitment, staffing, organizational structure, screening and selection, training, service delivery, supervision, evaluation, public relations and long-range planning. The “Rubric” is a must-see item in this book and a valuable, reusable tool.

As if the tools and samples were not enough, the authors even provide 25 pages of possible funding resources by federal locations and state-specific foundations or corporate sponsors of peer programs.

If there is a shortcoming to this book, it would have to be that it doesn’t come with a pop-out person to help you get started on your work—but at least the authors give you a short chapter on how to work with your team after assembling it.

This neat resource guide is a must-have for serous developers of peer programs. There are lots of resources, tips, standards, sample tools and strategies that are useful in a variety of situations. The CD is an added bonus! You can expect this to be one of those rag tagged, marked-up and scribbled-over books in your library. It’s the kind of book (and CD) you will revisit for a burst of new energy.

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"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm." ~ Willa Cather (1873-1947) ~ American author and teacher Biography

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PEER TRAINING SEMINAR CONNECTS AFRICAN AND NORTH AMERICAN INDIGENOUS CULTURES
Nomalungelo Ntlokwana

I journeyed from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa with my mentor, Marina deJager, to participate in the July 2008 Advanced Peer Helping Seminar in Victoria, British Columbia along with my Swedish colleagues from the Peer Help Project Team of Gothenburg University, Sweden. Two days were scheduled with Level III National Certified Peer Trainer/Consultant Ron Jorgenson for the training workshop and one day with Level III National Certified Peer Trainer/Consultant Rey Carr for consultation on monitoring and evaluation of peer help programmes.

My six objectives for the Advanced Training were to: 1) participate in group leadership and coaching activities with supervised feedback and coaching; 2) explore the issues, skills and practices associated with training peer helper trainers; 3) master experiential training; 4) improve my training abilities; 5) strengthen my program development skills; and 6) examine a variety of peer program models.

As a result of the seminar and consultation I was also able to reflect on my expectations and the primary issues that brought me to the training; explore my relationship with our peer programme and to reflect on unfulfilled feelings; and put the ideas together and visualize the programme and a plan of action for future implementation with regard to the peer programme.

We spent considerable time discussing the Peer Resources Experiential Learning Cycle and learning how it could be used with the Aboriginal "Medicine Wheel." These two conceptual models challenged me to review my own strengths and passion in relation to our peer program at Nelson Mandela University.

We also focused on the use of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) through guided reflection. This discussion provided an opportunity to reflect on the entire experience of the peer programme reflecting on when I felt alive, most fulfilled or most excited about being involved in the respective peer programmes.

I gained a number of insights all of which had relevance for our peer programme including:

1. Gifts of the Creator - The use of symbols (as they speak to the mind): the appreciation of beauty, nature and the interconnectedness of the universe are key aspects of the indigenous North American-Indian culture. This reminded me of the same appreciation that is upheld by the African culture.

The peer helping programme provides a model from which individuals involved are allowed to recognize what they already have in terms of understanding in their culture and self and to empower them to access that information as well as information from other society in which they share.

2. The Indigenous Culture or “First Nations Model” - This informed discussion on peer helping in the “native communities” which forms the basis to the First Nations Model of Peer Helping.

First Nation's spiritual, cultural and traditional practice, informs Peer program design, content and methods. This model seeks to make conscious what has already been there and is virtually identical to our African concept of Ubuntu, which means “we are humans through the humanity of other human beings.”

This has encouraged me to think of the role that can be played by the application of Ubuntu culture in our programme to enhance this interdependence as a way of enabling individuals, institutions and communities to respect and understand each other better in order to work together more effectively.

Peer Helpers can be one of the main contributors to the establishment of a caring climate associated with Ubuntu: “Umntu ngumntu ngabantu”

3. Open Space (Set the setting) - This was about preparing the environment for learning to take place. During our trainings we usually sat in chairs in a circle to create an atmosphere conducive for learning to take place. What I found interesting and helpful with this training is how we were welcomed and introduced to the Open Space. The demonstration of the design principles of Open Space, use of symbols coupled with the introduction of the space's theme gave me some ideas on skills and material to use when training and facilitating peer programme.

Visiting our programmes through the open space that was created was emphasized. This has created interest in and encouraged me to open my mind and be focused to new learning. Moreover, we were encouraged to trust the process and to dig deeper into our current programmes, taking into account our strengths.

4. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) - My goals in learning more about AI were to strengthen basic skills and explore their possibilities in applying them to our personal and working lives. We looked at how we expand personal domains and how we expand organizational domains.

The use of AI facilitated an increased understanding and awareness of the positive aspects of myself in relation to our programmes. This was achieved by listing ten things I enjoy doing around work, self, and family. This reflection allowed me to focus on things that are of interest to me as an individual and helped me to recognize my capabilities. It made me really think about what I am doing and enabled me to track my progress.

The writing of a vision statement regarding future plans for the peer programme gave me some insights on strengths and capabilities that would help sustain the peer work. The structured way of reflection made me realize that good practice provides structure, provides safety and provides reputation.

5. Consultation Model - This approach challenged me to think of ways to infuse peer helping, as a student-to-student support system, into the core business of the university. I was encouraged to create conditions from which peer helpers can recognize the degree to which their interventions are recognized and acknowledged by stake holders. I gained new ideas on ways of encouraging peer helpers to think of their peers (students) as consumers in terms of needs assessment and consumer orientation This will inform better evaluation models.

6. Ubuntu' in Canada - Very notable was the appreciation for 'peer counselling' as a way of life for native people long before it was rediscovered as a training curriculum by Peer Resources. This was based on the indigenous people's (North American Indians) belief that “The well-being of one is fundamental to the well-being of all”. This I found to be related directly to the holistic African world view characterised by the interdependent values of Ubuntu: I am because you are; I can only be a person through others”. Ubuntu is a particularly important notion in the world today since the world is becoming connected and interdependent.

Observations on the Workshop Processes
Overall, the training responded to what I needed for designing and developing programme materials suited to the needs of the peer programme at Nelson Mandela University. This was achieved with an expectation about the setting before we arrived, at the start of the programme, and also at the end of every day during 'reflection time'.

Previous learning was reinforced such as my knowledge of the reasons and rationale for starting peer help programmes. We reviewed the origins of peer helping (originally called "peer counselling"), and the research that students typically rank making and keeping friends as a primary concern.

Given the need to belong and the importance of friends, a peer helping programme in an institution increases the likelihood that friends could
o be taught the skills needed for informal helping (or their existing skills could be refined);
o be available at the time and place when needed;
o provide needed social connection;
o reach out to others;
o care about each other; and
o demonstrate that caring is more likely to be beneficial to both the 'clients', helpers and the institution.

Insights Gained and Next Steps
1. In the light of Ubuntu - We should encourage regular needs assessment surveys (including all stake holders) concerning perceptions of the issues that a peer helping programme could address. The needs could be stated as goals so that everyone in the institution can be made aware of the purpose of the Peer Help Programme.

Trainings should be in line with the cultural and societal values and must reflect student needs. We also need to encourage regular supervision by enthusiastic, experienced adults assisted by senior Peer Helpers.

2. Open Space - Throughout the programme, during trainings and in connecting with other stake holders we should strive to create an environment (open space) that invites everyone to bring their best self to the circle for learning to take place also as a way of sustaining the programme. Invest in the attractive pieces of art in order to deliver our services in the spirit of harmony and beauty.

3. Appreciative Inquiry - Since Peer Helpers themselves are the keys to the success and the sustainability of the programme, they should be involved from the design phase onward in order to address their concerns, needs and priorities and instill a sense of ownership of the programme. Also we need to ensure involvement of the intended audience and stake holders in the peer programme to create a sense of ownership.

4. Evaluation - We will embrace a method of evaluating the success of the peer education projects, programmes and services from a worldview that is culturally aligned with the types of services we provide.

Efforts to identify the means of impact assessment are needed because most achievements had been difficult to measure. Many of the Peer Helping projects had not conducted sufficient systematic analysis nor do they have Peer Helping measurement and evaluation systems in place.

5. Further Training - I plan to attend further training with Peer Resources in Canada in order to learn more about the First Nations Model and to be able to develop further training materials that will be suitable for the South African context, particularly the NMMU population. I hope to consolidate and extend the knowledge and skills to colleagues within the institution and community, and to develop our own First Nations Model which is culturally sensitive to meet the needs of our student and community population.

Outcomes of the Workshop
• I gained excellent experience in the techniques used by the facilitators in the workshop and through networking with other experienced workshop participants.
• I received very useful additional reading materials and handouts.
• The reflections and feedback provided by the facilitators and some participants could not be over-estimated.
• I established networks and increased links with First Nations trainers.
• I learned new training techniques and principles in designing/using new materials especially when it comes to an awareness of cultural aspects.
• I learned about the importance of creating space, to hold the space and trust the process so that effective learning can take place.

It is important to recognize that we are interrelated as part of a NMMU community. We have to develop a sense of connectedness, a sense of working together as part of a system, where each part of the system is affecting and being affected by the others, and where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

(Editor's Note: This article was prepared as part of the certification requirements associated with Level II National Peer Trainer Certification. Since completing the training the author added the following: "It has been quite a long time since I attended the training, however the insight, new ideas and inspiration cannot be over estimated. Some of these ideas have already been implemented on our NMMU Peer Helper Programme, e.g. the notion of emphasizing the ‘Ubuntu-ethos’ (idea emanating from the First Nations Model) more explicitly in all our peer helper trainings and interventions. We have, for instance, already included the Ubuntu concept in our most recently updated ‘Peer Wellness Mentoring’ training.")

About the Author
Nomalungelo "Lungsi" Ntlokwana is a Registered Counselling Psychologist and Student Counsellor and Coordinator for Peer Help Programmes in the Student Counselling, Career and Development Centre at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She is also a member of the Peer Resources Network and was recently granted certification as a National Level II Certified Peer Helper Trainer.

Lungsi holds a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology, and coordinates peer help supervision across NNMU campuses. Lungsi can be reached by telephone on campus at +27 41 504 3854 or by email: Nomalungelo.ntlokwana@nmmu.ac.za

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"We are humans through the humanity of other human beings." ~ Nelson Mandela ~ Former President of South Africa and Nobel Prize recipient Biography

WHAT'S NEW IN COACHING, MENTORING AND PEER ASSISTANCE

University of the Rockies is an accredited university that offers online specializations in executive coaching in their 39-credit Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology and 62-68 credits Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) graduate programs. Their programs are restricted to US residents. The tuition is approximately $47,000 for the doctoral degree plus application fees, exam fees, assessment and materials fees, and a graduation fee. The tuition for the masters program is approximately $25,935 plus other fees. Contact: Dean of the School of Professional Psychology, University of the Rockies, 555 East Plaza Peak Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-3612; Toll-Free: (866) 621-0124; email: david.solly@rockies.edu

Forum for Women Entrepreneurs in Vancouver, British Columbia was launched in 2004, and matches women entrepreneurs of high growth businesses with volunteer men and women mentors. Matches typically occur each September. Women who join this group have established businesses that have been in operation for at least one year, are focusing all their energy and attention on this business, are seeking improvement and growth for their enterprise, and know specifically what they would like to learn from a mentor. A small fee is required that provides for a "meet and greet," an orientation session for working successfully with a mentor, a "thank-the-mentor" event, and an educational, topic-focused workshop. Participants are required to email monthly progress reports to the Mentoring Coordinator and meet with their mentors at least once a month. Additional contact information: The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs BC, c/o Kim Appleton, Suite 850 - 1095 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 2M6; Tel: (604) 682-8115; email: kim@fwe.ca

BioBridge is a program that trains high school peer leaders to act as co-teachers for science classes. Teachers also receive training through workshops to develop the lab component of their science classes. The peer mentors help students in labs and receive training in lab planning and leadership skills. Originally developed as a community partnership between the University of California, San Diego, school districts and industry in the San Diego area. The program has been adopted by other school districts and after three years in operation about 200 teachers and about 1,000 students have been trained. Contact: Jeremy Babendure, Director of BioBridge, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0370, La Jolla, California 92093; Tel: (858) 334-5606; email: jbabendure@ucsd.edu

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"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" ~ Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) ~ Nobel Peace Prize laureate, mentor, and civil rights leader Biography

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CHAMPIONS FOR PEER ASSISTANCE, COACHING & MENTORING

National Association of Peer Programs' Certified Trainers and Consultants Dr. Roselind Bogner and Dr. Judy Tindall are assisting Cecil County Public Schools set up a Peer Tutoring Program according to NAPP Programmatic Standards in two pilot high schools. The school district received a grant from the Maryland Department of Education to help set up a collaborative connection between special education teachers and regular teachers to help special education students and at risk regular education students who have passed the course but failed other courses or tests. NAPP is helping to set up an adult team in each high school to design, implement, and evaluate peer tutoring. There are a variety of other adult interventions also being utilized. During the month of August, two adult teams were trained in setting up a peer tutoring program, and the high schools have received technical assistance throughout the fall. Students from both high schools have been trained as tutors and one high school has started the tutoring process. Data collection is a part of the current support that NAPP has offered and the results will likely be available at the end of summer 2009. (Source: NAPP Members Update, January 2009)

The Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, has identified youth as a major priority for her mandate. During her official visits to each Canadian province and territory, Her Excellency consulted with young Canadians to understand how the institution of the governor general can be more accessible and meaningful to young Canadians, providing them with unprecedented opportunities to reach decision makers and citizens alike. Through these exchanges, Her Excellency put forward the following objectives: (1) provide a national space in which youth perspectives can be taken seriously and youth initiatives can be supported; (2) increase opportunities for young Canadians and youth overseas to collaborate and network around common aims; and (3) encourage youth to improve their efforts to foster social change through mentorship opportunities with experts in a variety of fields.

In June 2008, the Governor General launched The Order of Canada Mentorship Program, presented in collaboration with Youth In Motion’s Top 20 Under 20 program. The mentorship program is a pilot project that matched 25 members of the Order of Canada with 25 extraordinary Canadian youth, including the 2008 recipients of Youth In Motion’s Top 20 Under 20 awards.

In addition to in-person encounters, the mentorship program takes place primarily online, where participants share their experiences and thoughts with the public using blogs and online forums. Members of the public can follow along as the 50 participants go through this experience and learn how the program enriches both sides of the mentoring relationship.

The results of the 2009 Sherpa Executive Coaching Survey are now available, according to Karl Corbett, Managing Partner of Sherpa Coaching in Cincinnati, Ohio and member of the Peer Resources Network. Some of the findings in this fourth annual study generated surprising findings and trends including:

• Executive coaching is an equal opportunity profession. Men and women work in equal numbers, with roughly the same earning power.
• More coaching is taking place in person. Ninety-five percent of those who hire coaches now favor in-person meetings versus over the telephone.
• University executive education programs are now seen as ‘most qualified to certify a training program’ by HR professionals and business people in general.
• Coaches with classroom training and certification win employer-paid engagements more often than other coaches, and they make more money.
  

The report is available as a free download at www.sherpacoaching.com/survey.html. Sherpa Coaching is a leading educator of executive coaches, with certification programs at Texas Christian University, Penn State and the University of Georgia. Course information, including video, is also available on their website.

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"To me, success means effectiveness in the world, that I am able to carry my ideas and values into the world, that I am able to change it in positive ways." ~ Maxine Hong Kingston ~ American award-winning novelist Biography

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ATTEND A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENT

For a list of all 12 mentoring events go to: http://www.peer.ca/mentorwks.html
For a list of all 43 coaching events go to: http://www.peer.ca/coachevents.html
For a list of all 12 peer assistance events go to: http://www.peer.ca/peerevents.html

Highlighted Events
Peer Assistance	Coaching	Mentoring
Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance Peer Specialist Training February 23-27, 2009 St. Louis, Missouri View Detials Online	Core Essentials Fast Track Coach Training Program February 16-21, 2009 Hong Kong View Details Online	International Mentoring Association Annual Conference March 4-6, 2009 Las Vegas, Nevada View Details Online

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"The person who does not make any mistakes does not usually make anything." ~ Grey Owl ~ Tribal leader and former baseball player Biography

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