Share something that you are grateful for...

• Giving
• Receiving
• Creating
• Having
• Feeling
• Doing
• Loving
• Being

Awaken your senses by noticing...

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can touch
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

Everyone stands in a circle and breathes together (box-breathing).

• Inhaling for a count of four
• Holding for a count of four
• Exhaling for a count of four
• Waiting for a count of four

For a few minutes let your body release all of it's nervous tension through deep breathing (with a long sigh) and "shaking it out". 

Active listening is a fundamental skill in peer-coaching that helps build trust and fosters meaningful connections. By giving your full attention to your partner, you create a supportive space where they feel heard and valued. This level of engagement allows for deeper insights and more effective coaching outcomes, as both parties are fully present and attuned to each other’s needs.

To practice active listening during a peer-coaching walk, it’s important to minimise distractions and focus entirely on the speaker. Avoid interrupting and instead allow the other person to fully express their thoughts before responding. Reflecting back what you hear and acknowledging emotions can help clarify understanding and demonstrate empathy. Using non-verbal cues, such as nodding or affirming phrases like “I see,” further reinforces your attentiveness and encourages the flow of conversation.

Tips for Active Listening in Peer-Coaching Walks:

• Give Your Full Attention: Stay present and put away distractions to focus on the speaker.
• Avoid Interrupting: Let the speaker complete their thoughts before responding.
• Reflect Back What You Hear: Paraphrase or summarise to confirm understanding.
• Acknowledge Emotions: Recognise and validate the speaker’s feelings with empathy.
• Use Non-Verbal Cues: Nod, maintain eye contact, or use affirming phrases to show engagement.

Incorporating these practices into peer-coaching walks enhances the quality of the dialogue and ensures both participants feel supported and understood. This builds a foundation for meaningful growth and effective collaboration.

Asking thoughtful questions is at the heart of effective peer-coaching. By using open-ended and reflective inquiries, you can help your partner explore their thoughts, challenge their assumptions, and gain clarity about their goals. This approach fosters self-awareness and empowers the coachee to find their own solutions, rather than relying on advice or directives.

During a peer-coaching walk, open-ended questions encourage deeper reflection and meaningful conversations. For instance, instead of asking, “Are you happy with your current situation?” you might ask, “What would success look like for you in this situation?” This invites the coachee to reflect more deeply and articulate their desires. Additionally, exploring values and priorities can help uncover what truly matters, guiding them to decisions aligned with their core beliefs. By ending with questions that invite action and accountability, you help the coachee translate insights into concrete steps for growth.

Key Question Strategies for Peer-Coaching Walks:

• Ask Open-Ended Questions:Encourage exploration with questions like, “What possibilities do you see in this situation?”
• Focus on Possibilities: Prompt solutions with inquiries such as, “What steps could you take to move forward?”
• Challenge Limiting Beliefs: Address mental blocks with questions like, “What’s stopping you from trying this?”
• Explore Values and Priorities: Deepen self-awareness with, “How does this choice reflect your core values?”
• Invite Action and Accountability: Encourage commitment with, “What’s the first step you’ll take, and when will you do it?”

By incorporating these techniques, peer-coaching walks become a space for transformational conversations, where both participants leave feeling inspired and empowered to take meaningful action.

Being authentic in peer-coaching is essential for building trust and creating an open environment. When sharing personal experiences, it’s important to be genuine and transparent. Avoid trying to appear perfect or embellishing details, as authenticity helps others relate to you and feel more comfortable sharing their own thoughts. By sharing your true experiences, you can create a safe space for vulnerability and connection.

When offering insights, it’s crucial to keep your stories relevant to the conversation. Share experiences that directly support or provide context for the topic at hand, enriching the coachee’s understanding. Using “I” statements helps make the sharing personal and avoids it sounding like unsolicited advice. Focus on the lessons learned from your experiences, rather than just recounting events, as this encourages reflection. Lastly, be mindful of timing—ensure that your story fits the flow of the conversation and adds value without overshadowing the coachee’s voice.

• Be authentic and transparent when sharing your experiences.
• Keep your stories relevant to the topic being discussed.
• Use “I” statements to make your sharing personal and relatable.
• Focus on the lessons learned rather than the details of your experience.
• Be mindful of timing, ensuring you share at the right moment in the conversation.

By following these guidelines, you can contribute to a peer-coaching walk that is both insightful and supportive, helping both participants learn from one another in an open and trusting way.

In peer-coaching, creating a focused and respectful environment is essential to foster meaningful conversations. Minimising distractions allows you to fully engage with your peer, so putting away phones and other potential distractions can make a significant difference. By doing so, you create a space where both parties can be present, enhancing the effectiveness of the exchange. Active listening plays a central role in this, as it shows your peer that you value what they are saying. Non-verbal cues such as nodding, maintaining eye contact, and leaning forward signal your attentiveness, helping you stay engaged in the conversation.

Another crucial aspect is avoiding the temptation to plan your response while the other person is speaking. By staying in the moment, you can better absorb their thoughts and feelings, which allows you to respond in a more thoughtful and meaningful way. Reflecting on what they’ve shared by paraphrasing or acknowledging their emotions helps to ensure that you’ve understood their perspective correctly. Additionally, your body language can reinforce your presence—keeping an open posture and avoiding distractions like looking around the room shows respect and attentiveness.

• Minimise distractions by putting away phones and other items.
• Use active listening techniques, like nodding and maintaining eye contact.
• Avoid planning your response while the speaker is talking.
• Acknowledge what your peer says by reflecting or paraphrasing.
• Be mindful of body language, keeping an open and engaged posture.

By implementing these strategies, peer-coaching sessions can become more productive, supportive, and focused, allowing both individuals to fully engage with one another and deepen their understanding.

In peer-coaching, creating a supportive and compassionate environment is essential for fostering trust and openness. Listening without judgment allows your peer to express themselves freely, knowing they won’t be criticised or dismissed. It’s important to avoid rushing in with solutions or advice unless explicitly asked, instead focusing on listening with empathy and understanding. By offering a space where the speaker feels heard and valued, you help them feel safe enough to share their feelings and challenges.

Validating their emotions plays a key role in this process. Even if you don’t fully understand or agree with what they’re going through, acknowledging their experience can make them feel supported. Using supportive body language, such as nodding, leaning slightly forward, or maintaining soft eye contact, reinforces your empathy and helps the speaker feel safe. Offering reassurance, without downplaying their feelings, can also provide comfort, letting them know they are not alone. Finally, staying present and patient, giving them the time to express their thoughts without rushing, ensures they feel fully heard and understood.

• Listen without judgment, focusing on being present and empathetic.
• Validate your peer’s feelings, even if you don’t agree or fully understand.
• Use supportive body language to show you’re engaged and compassionate.
• Offer reassurance, helping them feel that their emotions are normal and accepted.
• Stay present and patient, allowing your peer to express themselves at their own pace.

By employing these techniques, peer-coaching becomes a powerful tool for offering emotional support and fostering personal growth.

In peer-coaching, setting clear and achievable goals is crucial for helping individuals make progress. When the person you’re coaching has specific, measurable, and time-bound goals, it becomes easier for them to track their achievements and feel a sense of ownership over their journey. Breaking down large goals into smaller, manageable steps helps prevent overwhelm and keeps motivation high. For example, instead of setting a vague goal like “Finish the project,” encourage them to focus on smaller milestones, such as “Complete the research phase by Friday.”

Regular check-ins are an important part of the process, as they provide an opportunity to review progress, discuss any challenges, and celebrate successes. These follow-ups can also offer a chance to adjust goals if necessary, ensuring they remain realistic and relevant. Encouraging self-reflection is equally vital; asking questions like “What’s been working well for you?” helps the coachee assess their own progress and learn from their experiences. Finally, while it’s important to offer support, peer-coaches should avoid giving direct solutions, instead encouraging the individual to find their own answers, which fosters greater independence and confidence.

• Help set clear, specific, and time-bound goals that promote ownership.
• Break large goals into smaller, manageable tasks to maintain motivation.
• Schedule regular check-ins to review progress and adjust goals.
• Ask reflective questions to encourage self-assessment and learning.
• Offer support and encouragement while allowing the person to find their own solutions.

By incorporating these strategies, peer-coaching helps individuals develop a clearer path forward, fostering growth and self-reliance.

In peer-coaching, guiding individuals to reconnect with their bodies through mindfulness techniques can enhance self-awareness and emotional regulation. Encouraging mindful breathing is a simple yet powerful tool, as it helps the person focus on the sensation of their breath, grounding them in the present moment. By guiding them to take deep, slow breaths, you can help them shift their attention away from any distractions and foster a sense of calm. Promoting body scanning can further deepen this connection, as it encourages the person to check in with their body, noticing areas of tension or relaxation. This practice not only fosters physical awareness but also provides insight into emotional states.

In addition to breathing and body scanning, peer-coaching can incorporate physical movement and sensory awareness to further enhance the present-moment experience. Encouraging simple stretches or walks can help shift attention from the mind to the body, promoting a sense of grounding. Guiding the coachee to focus on their environment through sensory awareness exercises, such as noticing the texture of the ground or the temperature of the air, encourages mindfulness in a way that reconnects them to their surroundings. Grounding techniques, such as the “5-4-3-2-1” method, can also be helpful, as they provide a structured way to focus on the present moment through sensory experiences.

• Encourage mindful breathing to help shift focus to the present moment.
• Suggest body scanning to increase awareness of physical sensations and areas of tension.
• Recommend physical movements, like stretching or walking, to help the coachee feel more grounded.
• Promote sensory awareness by guiding them to notice what they can feel, hear, and see.
• Introduce grounding techniques, such as the “5-4-3-2-1” method, to help reconnect with the body and environment.

These mindfulness techniques, when used in peer-coaching, support individuals in becoming more present, increasing self-awareness, and fostering emotional balance.

In peer-coaching, creating an environment that encourages deep reflection is essential for personal growth. One effective way to promote this is by asking open-ended questions that invite exploration. Questions like “What did you learn from that experience?” or “How did that situation make you feel, and why?” encourage the coachee to dig deeper into their thoughts and emotions, leading to greater self-awareness. It’s also important to create a safe space where honesty is welcomed. Reassuring the person that there are no right or wrong answers helps them feel comfortable sharing openly, knowing they won’t be judged.

Additionally, incorporating tools like journaling can support the reflection process. Suggesting that the coachee write down their thoughts can help them clarify their emotions and gain further insights. Silence can also be a powerful tool during peer-coaching. Allowing space after asking a question or prompt gives the person time to process their thoughts and come up with more meaningful responses. Finally, reflection should be tied to action. Encouraging the person to reflect on how they can apply their insights to create change can help them transition from thinking to doing, ultimately leading to personal growth.

• Ask open-ended questions to encourage deep reflection and exploration.
• Create a safe space by emphasizing that there are no right or wrong answers.
• Encourage journaling as a tool for processing and clarifying emotions.
• Use silence strategically to give the person time to reflect before responding.
• Connect reflection to action by prompting the person to think about how to apply insights for change.

These techniques can help foster a reflective mindset during peer-coaching, empowering individuals to gain greater self-awareness and take actionable steps toward their personal development.

In peer-coaching, it’s essential to be mindful of the boundaries and comfort levels of your coachee. Paying attention to non-verbal cues such as body language and tone of voice helps to identify when someone may be feeling uncomfortable or in need of space. Adjusting your approach based on these cues can create a supportive environment. Clear and honest communication is also key. If someone expresses a boundary, acknowledging it and ensuring you understand their needs reinforces trust and shows respect. For example, if a coachee indicates that they need space, recognizing and respecting that request is crucial for maintaining a positive coaching dynamic.

It’s also important to ask for consent before offering help. By asking if they would like assistance, you empower them to make decisions about what kind of support they need. This approach shows respect for their autonomy. Additionally, respecting both physical and emotional limits ensures that the coachee doesn’t feel pressured to share more than they are comfortable with or engage in activities they are not ready for. Being mindful of time and energy is another vital aspect of peer-coaching. Recognizing when someone may need rest or time to themselves helps to create an environment of safety and trust, ensuring the coachee feels comfortable at all stages of the process.

• Pay attention to non-verbal cues and adjust your approach if necessary.
• Communicate clearly about boundaries and respect the coachee’s needs.
• Ask for consent before offering help to ensure the coachee feels in control.
• Honour both physical and emotional boundaries to avoid pushing them beyond their comfort zone.
• Be mindful of time and energy, offering flexibility to support the coachee’s well-being.

These principles create an environment of trust and respect, fostering effective and compassionate peer-coaching.