Supervision & CPD
First, let’s start off with a couple of definitions:
“CPD is the holistic commitment of professionals towards the enhancement of personal skills and proficiency throughout their careers.” (www.cpduk.co.uk)
Coaching supervision is “The process by which a Coach with the help of a Supervisor, can attend to understanding better both the Client system and themselves as part of the Client / Coach system, and by so doing transform their work and develop their craft.” (Hawkins & Smith, 2006. Coaching, Mentoring & Organizational Consultancy: Supervision, Skills & Development)
What most coaches fail to appreciate is that supervision can also constitute CPD. “CPD is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. It enables learning to become conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive.” (www.cpduk.co.uk).
Hawkins & Smith (2007) developed the Coaching Continuum model, see below:
Using the supervision session to reflect on your own coaching practice, focusing on your skills and performance can be useful in identifying CPD activities to enhance those skills or to identify additional skills, resulting in the development of your own skills and performance as a coach and the development of your practice. In time, once embedded, these developments become the foundation for your personal and practice transformation.
My own approach to using supervision to focus on my CPD activities is to consider the following themes and then use the headings as thought catalysts:
• Professional- Strengths? Gaps? Areas for improvement? Skills? Tools/Models? Knowledge?
• Coaching Practice/Business Needs- Strengths? Market Gaps? Areas for improvement? Areas that Add Value?
• Personal- Beliefs? Assumptions/Presumptions? Skills? Behaviours? Skills? Areas for Improvement? Tools/Models? Knowledge?
Discussing these with my supervisor provides an opportunity to have my own thoughts and ideas challenged, but also ensures that I am left with actions that are part of a focused and structured CPD plan – including expected outcomes and what will be different as a result.
How do you plan CPD? How does that interlink with your supervision?
Contact amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com to book 1to1 supervision session or for group supervision (next session Saturday 23rd September, UK) click here to book.
