You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on setting goals during a coaching session.
You've probably heard that an important part of coaching is listening and showing empathy.
A good coach tries hard to understand the person he or she is trying to coach.
That helps build trust, which creates a constructive relationship.
But what is that relationship for?
What kind of work does that trust allow?
Once you build a good relationship as a coach, then you can start talking about improvements.
After all, coaches don't exist just to hear about people's problems.
Their whole purpose is to help people get better.
And a big part of getting better is setting goals, which is something a good coach can help with.
So how do you work with someone on their goals?
Well, that might start with asking about their motivation.
After all, goals have to be directed at something.
If someone's motivated by the idea of getting a promotion, then the goals have to relate to that.
And that underlines the fact that they are the other person's goals.
We don't set goals for them.
We ask them about their goals.
Then we can help them break their goals into smaller objectives.
Of course, another important role of a coach is to give encouragement.
So when we help someone set goals, we are in a good position to show confidence in their ability to meet them.
And finally, we might ask them about next steps.
That is, what are the concrete activities that the person will take as she tries to accomplish her goals.
In today's dialogue, we'll rejoin two lawyers, Marion and Rachel.
Marion has been coaching Rachel as she learns how to be a better lawyer.
In the previous lesson, we heard Marion trying to figure out Rachel's challenges.
Now we'll hear her help Rachel set some goals.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What is Marion asked Rachel about at the start of the conversation?
2.
What short-term objective does Rachel identify for herself?
3.
What does Marian say she is sure about and has no doubt about?
Okay, Rachel.
I think what you've been doing, how you're adapting your approach with the paralegals, is really fantastic.
Great.
I've worked pretty hard at it, so thanks.
But I'm curious.
What are you hoping to get out of this?
I mean, your team is starting to gel.
Things are running smoother.
So what?
What are you trying to achieve here?
Well, I guess I'd have to circle back to some of our earlier chats about the business side of things.
The business side?
Yes.
You know, we've talked about my billable hours, and I know they're not quite where they should be.
And I haven't been bringing in as much new business as well as some of my colleagues.
Okay.
So then, have you thought about setting some targets for yourself?
Actually laying out some goals on the business side?
Sure, I've thought about that.
You know, I look at what Grant is doing.
He hit 1750 in billable hours last year.
That's 200 over target.
I'd love to get there at some point.
1750?
Okay, that sounds good.
But how are you going to do that?
I mean, we talked before about you building your profile.
And Grant worked his butt off doing that before he had a hope of hitting 1750.
What I'm thinking about here are more short-term objectives.
You know, more like steps along the way to your ultimate goals.
Uh, yeah, I get the profile thing.
I know that's where my energy should be going.
I have to put myself out there more.
So I've told myself that I should attend one event each week.
Fundraisers, AmCham, that kind of thing.
Nice.
Those are good objectives.
Totally reachable.
And, I've said it before, but I'll say it again, relationships take time.
They don't bear fruit right away.
I'm sure that you can do this.
Focus on building your profile, and with your mind and work ethic, you'll get there.
I've no doubt about it.
Right.
Thanks.
And yeah, relationships take time.
Paralegals, clients, community, all of it.
For sure.
It's not all about writing legal opinions.
Relationships are a huge part of it.
But for now, let's talk next steps.
What does the next two weeks look like?
Busy, but that's just normal now.
But yeah, one thing that's been working something I'm going to keep going is these little afternoon meetings.
Standing meetings with the paralegals.
And I'll be at that fundraiser on Friday, the cancer thing.
I'm at a table with the folks from Scots Bank.
Oh, I'm so glad you're going.
I went last year and it was a blast.
And I bet Francois will be there too.
His wife is really cool.
I think she went to Columbia, same as you.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Marion uses as she coaches Rachel on goal setting.
If you remember from our previous lesson, Rachel mentioned some problems with the paralegals.
So this is a good place for Marion to start.
OK, Rachel.
I think what you've been doing, how you're adapting your approach with the paralegals, is really fantastic.
Great.
I've worked pretty hard at it, so thanks.
But I'm curious.
What are you hoping to get out of this?
I mean, your team is starting to gel.
Things are running smoother.
So what?
What are you trying to achieve here?
It certainly sounds like Rachel has made some positive changes in her relationships with the paralegals.
But Mariam wants to take it a step further.
She wants to know what the ultimate purpose is, or what Rachel wants to get out of an improved relationship.
She's worried to build a better team, but why?
Asking about motivation or purpose is a necessary step in helping someone set goals.
So let's run through some more ways to ask about motivation.
Is money the most important thing for you or is it something else?
What was your motivation for coming to work in Germany?
What really makes you want to get up in the morning and go to work?
Well, I guess I'd have to circle back to some of our earlier chats about the business side of things.
The business side?
Yes.
You know, we've talked about my billable hours, and I know they're not quite where they should be.
And I haven't been bringing in as much new business as well as some of my colleagues.
In discussing her motivation, Rachel wants to circle back to or return to an earlier topic of conversation.
Previous to the conversations we are hearing, they discuss Rachel's billable hours.
This is the time a lawyer works that is charged to the client at the lawyer's hourly rate.
And the issue they discussed was that Rachel's billable hours aren't really high enough or not as high as her colleagues.
So, improving her billable hours is clearly a motivation for Rachel.
Now Marion can ask about her goals.
Okay.
So then, have you thought about setting some targets for yourself, actually laying out some goals on the business side?
At this point, Marian wants Rachel to focus on clear goals or targets.
It's not enough to say I want to improve X.
You need to be more specific and say something like I want to improve X by 10.
And although Marian is asking about setting targets, she really means you should set some targets.
This is an example of soft or diplomatic language.
This is not the time for Marian to be forceful or strong.
She's just trying to gently suggest setting some targets.
And she does this by asking Rachel if she's thought about doing that.
What are some other ways we can ask someone about their specific goals?
Let's try some more examples.
Thinking about the future, what are your long term goals?
Do you have specific things you're trying to achieve in the next year?
Professionally speaking, what are you hoping to do here?
Have you set any targets for the next quarter?
Now let's hear what Rachel is thinking about in terms of targets for billable hours.
Sure, I've thought about that.
You know, I look at what Grant is doing.
He hit $17.50 in billable hours last year.
That's $200 over target.
I'd love to get there at some point.
When Rachel says $200 over target, she's talking about the company's expectations of its lawyers.
Most law offices set clear targets for their lawyers and Rachel wants to reach 200 over the company target.
But determining that target is still not enough.
Marion wants to push for even more.
1750?
Okay, that sounds good.
But how are you going to do that?
I mean, we talked before about you building your profile.
And Grant worked his butt off doing that before he had a hope of hitting 1750.
What I'm thinking about here are more short-term objectives.
You know, more like steps along the way to your ultimate goal.
It's great to pick a number as your goal, but the next question is what are you going to do to reach that number?
For example, Marian mentions that Rachel could build her profile.
That means building her reputation and making herself more widely known to more people.
That's an example of a short-term objective or a step along the way to the goal of 1750 billable hours.
Asking about objectives on the road to larger goals is an important responsibility in coaching.
Let's practice some more ways of doing this.
What's one thing you can do now to move you toward your goal?
Looking ahead to the coming week, is there one change you can make?
Are there any quarterly targets that you're hoping to reach?
In the short term, what objectives will take you where you want to go?
Now let's hear Rachel talk about her short-term objectives as she tries to hit 1750 billable hours.
Uh, yeah, I get the profile thing.
I know that's where my energy should be going.
I have to put myself out there more.
So I've told myself that I should attend one event each week.
Fundraisers, AmCham, that kind of thing.
Rachel has clearly done some thinking about short-term objectives and how to put herself out there or make herself known and available.
She's done the kind of thinking and objective setting that Marion is encouraging.
So what does Marion do next?
Nice.
Those are good objectives.
Totally reachable.
And, I've said it before, but I'll say it again, relationships take time.
They don't bear fruit right away.
I'm sure that you can do this.
Focus on building your profile, and with your mind and work ethic, you'll get there.
I've no doubt about it.
Now that Rachel has set some goals for herself, it's time for Marion to be encouraging.
She tells Rachel that her goals are reachable or realistic and she says in several different ways that she is sure Rachel can achieve her objectives.
She even mentioned Rachel's work ethic, which is the ability and desire to work hard.
As a coach, it's very important to show confidence in the people you're coaching.
If they're working hard and they've set goals, then your next job is encouraging them.
After all, if you as a coach don't encourage them, then who will?
Let's run through some more ways to show confidence in someone.
I'm sure you've got what it takes to do this.
I have no doubt you'll make it if you keep persisting like this.
If anyone can bring this team together, you can.
This target is definitely within your reach.
There's one more thing that Marion wants to ask Rachel about before they finish their conversation.
Right.
Thanks.
And yeah, relationships take time.
Paralegals, clients, community, all of it.
For sure.
It's not all about writing legal opinions.
Relationships are a huge part of it.
But for now, let's talk next steps.
What does the next two weeks look like?
Marion wants to finish by talking about next steps.
That just means, what are you actually going to do now?
As you've heard, Marion has really been trying to get Rachel to be clear about her goals, her objectives and now her actual work activities.
In this way.
Coaching is a delicate balance of pushing for clarity and action and being encouraging and inspiring.
What are some other ways to talk about next steps?
Let's try some more examples.
Let's talk about what has to happen this week to support these changes.
Given everything we've talked about, what's your next move?
Alright then, so what's your plan for the rest of the week?
Let's hear Rachel talk about what she plans to do next as she works toward her objectives.
Busy, but that's just normal now.
But yeah, one thing that's been working something I'm going to keep going is these little afternoon meetings.
Standing meetings with the paralegals.
And I'll be at that fundraiser on Friday, the cancer thing.
I'm at a table with the folks from Scots Bank.
Oh, I'm so glad you're going.
I went last year and it was a blast.
And I bet Francois will be there too.
His wife is really cool.
I think she went to Columbia, same as you.
So, as you've heard, Rachel certainly has some specific activities in mind as next steps.
The first standing meetings or regularly scheduled meetings with the paralegals will help her nurture those relationships.
And attending a fundraiser will help her build her profile.
It's clear how Marian's questions have helped Rachel plan her activities to achieve her goals.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work as a sales manager for a large company.
You've been coaching one of your new salespeople and you now want to help them with goal setting.
You'll hear a cue from your employee.
Then, I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Yeah, so I guess I need some help figuring out what I'm going to do.
Start by asking what makes her excited to come to work every day.
Well, what really makes you excited to come to work every day?
For me, I love talking to people and the thrill of making a sale.
Now ask if this excitement has led to any major professional goals.
And has all this excitement led to any major professional goals?
Maybe this is too much, but I'd love to be the top salesperson in the region.
Next, say that's great and ask if there's a smaller goal she can aim for in the next quarter.
Answer.
That's great, but is there a smaller goal you can aim at in the next quarter?
Well, I'd like to aim for $200,000 in sales, but I'm not sure about that.
Now say that if she works hard, you're sure she'll be able to make it.
Answer.
You know, I'm sure that if you work hard, you'll be able to make it.
Thanks for the support.
I'm feeling pretty good about this.
Finally, ask what her next steps are toward this target.
Answer.
Great.
And what are your next steps toward this target?
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... I think that at some... we'll have to redo our website.
You can say... I think that at some point we'll have to redo our website.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Answer.
After a lot of hard work, our partnership is finally bearing fruit.
I've been going to lots of events to try to build my Answer.
I've been going to lots of events to try to build my profile.
You deserve a holiday after working your... off all year.
Answer.
You deserve a holiday after working your butt off all year.
Okay, we have a great goal, but what are our next... Answer.
Okay, we have a great goal, but what are our next steps...
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series on coaching.
We've learned how to ask about motivation, goals, and objectives.
And we've covered how to show confidence in someone and talk about next steps.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
