Will
your suggestion stick or slide away? The 7 “Be’s” for recommending make them stickier!
As
coaches using the GIR model, we recognize that making a recommendation is sometimes
the right coaching move. To stay on track, I like to remind myself of 7 “Be’s”—practices
that make feedback both meaningful and well received.
Be
timely. The
closer to the observed event, the better. Teachers are prepared for and
expecting feedback soon after sharing a lesson plan or being observed. They’re
more likely to be primed for and open to ideas. It takes no more time to
respond sooner rather than later. Remind yourself of that as you prioritize
your busy schedule.
Be discrete. If your
intended feedback might be perceived as criticism, be sure to find an
opportunity to speak with the teacher individually. Praising publicly and
recommending privately builds trust.
Be
collegial. Invite
partnership by sitting side-by-side. Give consideration to body language: Nod.
Make eye contact (when making positive or neutral remarks). Have positive
assumptions and aim for collaboration.
Be clear. Describe what
it is you think could happen in concrete, actionable terms. What will it look
like when the suggestion has been implemented? It’s helpful to target something
that can make a short-term, noticeable difference.
Be specific. When your
feedback is specific, there is less room for confusion and more likelihood of
acceptance. Be clear and accurate. Don’t exaggerate to make a point. Avoid
superlatives like “never,” “all,” and “always.”
Be concise. Connected with being specific is the need to be concise. If you keep
talking after making a recommendation, it’s likely that the recommendation will
not linger. Additionally,
it helps to limit your focus, prioritizing one area for improvement.
Be
prepared. It’s
the Boy Scout motto, and it holds true here. Recommendations will bounce like
rubber balls off the blacktop unless you’re prepared. After an observation,
schedule time for your own reflection so that you can consider recommendations
that could be included in a follow-up conversation, if needed. If you are
responding to lesson plans, use the “touch it once” rule. Unless it’s a tough
situation that you need to ponder, jotting down notes as you initially review
the plan is an efficient way to offer feedback. Even with a busy schedule, we
can be prepared to give effective feedback.
Keep
these “Be’s” in mind when offering feedback. Chances are, your message will
land more smoothly and be more likely to support growth.
Instructional coaches make recommendations
to share insights, offer options, and help teachers think through next steps in
their instruction. One way to increase uptake of coaching recommendations is to make the recommendation
part of a dialogue in an extended conversation. The recommendation is
not the first sentence in the conversation or the last. Offering time for
teacher reflection gets us off to a good start, giving the teacher control of
the conversation early on. When it’s my turn to talk, I can lead with positive
comments, offer a suggestion, and follow up by asking the teacher’s thoughts
about the idea,
That’s what happened in my conversation
with Ariana, an early-career teacher who walked into my room full of
frustration about how the day had gone. After she vented for a moment, I asked
her to tell me about some things that had gone well. That question gave her
pause, but then she shared a few celebrations, which seemed to steady her a
bit. She took a breath. Then she circled back to her initial concern:
“It was still so frustrating that kids
weren’t paying attention during the game!” she said.
“Why do you think that happened?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” she said, and paused
thoughtfully. “Maybe they didn’t understand the procedures. I just shouldn’t
have tried that game so early in the year, before procedures were in place.
I didn’t want her to give up on the game so
easily! I said, “I’ve noticed that when teachers are clear in giving
directions, students are more engaged.”
“Yes, I definitely could have been more
clear with the directions,” she answered.
“Modeling could help,” I suggested, and
added, “I noticed when you were clear in describing the purpose at the
beginning of the lesson, students seemed very focused. I wonder if they didn’t
see how the game connected to that purpose?
Ariana sat up straight and seemed
reenergized. “Yes,” she said, “that makes sense.”
“So, being clear with directions and tying
each part of the lesson back to the purpose might help,” I said.
“Yes! I can do that!” she confidently
responded. We then talked about what that might look and sound like in an
upcoming lesson. When
I’m careful not to dominate the dialogue, an exchange of ideas solidifies the
recommendation.
The ongoing conversation that comes after a
recommendation allows for meaning-making and encourages ownership of ideas.
After making a recommendation (or offering a couple of recommendations as
options), we can let the thoughts simmer for a few long seconds. Then we can
find out how the recommendation is sitting by giving the teacher a chance to
respond, asking the teacher to give her perspective. With a thoughtful look and
openness in my voice, I’ll often ask, “What are you thinking about how those
ideas might work with your kids?”
What the teacher says is ultimately more
important than what I might say as a coach, so I’m prepared to prompt,
encourage, and listen. Making suggestions as part of a collegial conversation
with back-and-forth dialogue increases the likelihood that recommendations will
be used. When we make space for teachers to process and respond to
recommendations, they can take the lead in their learning.
This week, you might want to take a look at:
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Happy listening!
This
week I had the chance to chat with a room full of experienced coaches, and we
talked about the characteristics of effective recommendations. After we each thought
of a time when we either made a recommendation or when someone made an
effective recommendation to us, we silently pondered, “What made the recommendation
effective?” Then we whipped around the room with each person quickly sharing a
phrase that described why the recommendation worked.
Maybe
you want to pause for a moment, remember a recommendation, and consider the
same question, “What made it effective?”
Characteristics
of Effective Recommendations
I wish
I had a recording of the wisdom that was shared in that room full of coaches! Here are a few of the comments I remember: “I
trusted them,” “I felt heard,” “It came when I needed it.” “It felt true.” “It
was clear.” “It was specific.” “I included an example.” “I gave choices.” “It
was student-focused.”
Although
making a recommendation isn’t always the best coaching choice (even when one is
asked for!), there are times when a recommendation is just the right touch.
This is especially true when a teacher is feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, or
when they just don’t have the knowledge or experience to solve the problem. A
novice teacher said, “I need help! They can ask me questions
all day long, but I only have so much knowledge.”
If making a recommendation feels like a
good choice, keep in mind the characteristics described above (and the one you
thought of!) about what makes a recommendation effective.
Recommendations in Action
When Callie was working with a teacher
as she planned an upcoming lesson, she felt the lesson would be more successful if the
teacher showed students examples of what their final products might look like.
She decided that having a few student samples to show the teacher would make
this recommendation concrete. Making recommendations concrete ensures that our
idea will mean the same thing to the teacher that it does to us.
Marjorie
felt that the teacher she was coaching should tie her assessment more closely to
the objectives she had determined for a lesson. She felt an explanation of why
this was important would make the recommendation more meaningful. Discussing
the rationale increased the effectiveness of Monica’s recommendation by
employing higher-level thinking. As she engaged the teacher in dialogue, the purpose
became clear. And engaging in higher-level thinking about an idea makes it more
memorable. Providing a rationale for recommendations makes the suggestions more
appealing and more likely to be remembered and used.
By being
concrete and providing rationale for their recommendations, these coaches
improved the chances that their recommendations would stick.
Making
Recommendations “Sticky”
Chip
and Dan Heath, in their book Made to
Stick explain why the
characteristics described above make recommendations “sticky.” The Heaths
remind us that ideas are most likely to endure when they help people notice and
understand. This week, my coaching friends uncovered some of those
characteristics. In your upcoming coaching conversations, if recommendations are
warranted, think about how these characteristics can make those recommendations
stick.
