Coaching is an important, but small part of the overall process in which people learn.

There is a lot of research to support what's referred to as the 70:20:10 Model of Learning as follows:

• 10% of learning comes from the actual formal learning event such as workshops, courses, seminars, tutorials and even reading books and articles and watching videos.
• 20% of learning is informal and comes from conversations about the learning content, including sharing ideas, experiences, engaging in coaching and mentoring about the topic.
• 70% of the learning is also informal and specifically comes from the actual application and practice of the learning information in a real and practical sense, such as on the job usage.

Where does coaching fit in? A couple of places actually.

The most direct way coaching fits in is within the 20% section where coach and client discuss what's been learned, needs to be learned, how the information can be applied and getting the client to commit to putting the information into practice.

Then after the client has put the information into practice, coach and client can then discuss again what has been learned and gained from the practical application. This is taking it back to the 20%.

Sometimes coaches also "teach" information (the 10%) but then discuss with the client how they might use the new information (the 20%) and gain a commitment from the client to apply the information (the 70%).

This is such an effective model that my own team of coaches and I have made a policy in our business that we will never sell "training" alone as it is ineffective, only possibly having a 10% effectiveness rate. We require that there is also a coaching component to ensure practical application of the learning material. This provides a 100% solution to our clients, with coaching being the part of the process that is far more likely to achieve the client's overall strategic objectives.

We've even created branding around this (seventy20ten^TM), dedicated a page to it on our website and provided links to further research if you'd like to check it out.

Here's the link: http://www.askacoach.com/default.asp?section_id=78

So imagine that as you're working with your clients, you can explain the 70:20:10 model to them as a way of inspiring them to take greater action (the 70) so that the coaching is more effective (the 20), and where necessary provide them with more information, skills, training (the 10)...and repeat!

A very simple recipe!

The next issue of "Coach the Coach" will look at examples of how a multi-media resource library can be a valuable asset for coaching professionals when working with clients.

If there are any topics you'd like me to cover in this column, please feel invited to email me directly with your requests through my website (see link in bio).

Noel Posus is a master coach with 20+ years experience as a professional educator, coach and author. He won the prestigious inaugural "Coach of the Year" award (2008/2009), Finalist in the Coaching Business of the Year (2010) and is an ambassador/leader for the coaching industry. www.noelposus.com