Coach yourself to power up your marketing and PR team
Last week, I wrote a blog about how to boost your marketing and PR team from a support team to a strategic function. I put on my consultant and former marcomms director hat to suggest a framework you could use to transform your marketing and PR team into the best, most strategic team it can be. The three-part ABC framework I outlined covers audience, business and confidence.
In this follow-up post, I put on my coach hat to suggest some self-coaching questions to help you and your team become a strategic function rather than just a support team.
How to use self-coaching questions
These questions are designed for self-coaching, a practice where you ask yourself questions to inspire new thinking or action.
There are many ways to use these questions. Everyone has their own preferences for when they do their best thinking. You can print out these questions and write notes, similar to journaling. Alternatively, you can think about them during a walk or in a quiet room. There’s no need to tackle all the questions at once; you could focus on a different question each day. These questions can also guide a team discussion.
It is important to be free of distractions during any kind of coaching, so before you begin, switch off your mobile phones or any devices with notifications.
The questions are structured using John Whitmore’s GROW (goals, reality, options, will) model. GROW is a common foundational coaching framework. You might have come across this if you’ve had management training. Feel free to mix up the order if that works better for you. The questions are influenced by various coaching models.
Tips for Self-Coaching
If you have the time, pause after answering each question and notice what you’re feeling and thinking. Observe the thoughts, feelings and emotions that arise and what you feel in your body. How do these sensations inform your thinking? This technique can help you understand what’s going on beneath the surface of your immediate reactions.
Self-Coaching Questions
Are you ready to start thinking differently? Let’s begin.
1. Imagine it’s a year in the future. You email me to tell me that you and your team are operating much more strategically. What do you tell me in your email?
Tip: Try to imagine what you are seeing, hearing, doing and feeling a year from now. If you’re a visual thinker, draw a picture.
2. How might this inform a goal around operating as a strategic marketing and communications function?
Tip: Make your goal measurable and give it a deadline, try to articulate it goal in a short sentence
3. How far is the reality of the situation from your goal?
Tip: Some people find it useful to rate this out of ten, with ten representing having achieved your goal.
4. What’s currently getting in the way of progress?
Tip: Try to uncover the real challenge for you. This might be something below the surface.
5. What advice might a trusted colleague, mentor or friend give you?
Tip: Imagine someone specific whose advice you would welcome.
6. What are your options to operate more strategically?
Tip: Mind maps can be useful tools to visualise ideas and options.
7. And what else?
Tip: There’s always another option if you look for it. Repeat this question as many times as you like.
8. Which of these options will make the most impact on operating as a strategic marketing and PR function?
Tip: You can’t do everything. Filter down your options and select the most impactful ones.
9. Which of these options is a small thing you could do tomorrow?
Tip: Quick wins can help you to see immediate change.
10. What do you know now that you didn’t know before this self-coaching exercise?
Tip: Self-reflection at the end of a coaching session consolidates your learning.
Accountability
Self-coaching is a great way to stimulate your thinking. Sometimes being accountable to someone else can also be a helpful tool. As I offer all of my coaching clients, if accountability is useful to you feel free to email me when you’ve completed your first action on your journey to becoming the most strategic marketing and communications team you can be.
Free consultation
If you’re a marketing and communications professional looking for a coach, please get in touch to arrange a free 30-minute coaching consultation.
Thanks to Molly Sanders for reading an early draft of this blog and the helpful suggestions.
Image created with Dall-E