Ideal for anyone thinking about becoming or hiring a coach Foreword written by Sir John Whitmore and preface written by Sir Richard Branson Assembles the best-known coaching models, such as EQ, GROW and EXACT, together with emerging models Contains worksheets, exercises and international case studies "The best coaching starter kit I have come across to date." Sir John Whitmore, Executive Chairman of Performance Consultants International Limited

"this is a useful resource for a reader who is new to the world of coaching. such a reader will get a clear picture of the process and the skills required to deliver coaching and will have a grasp of the potential applications of coaching in a variety of contexts." personal success "this excellent book offers insights, tools, strategies and practical exercises for all coaches. with an introduction by richard branson, the book contains some illuminating descriptions of coaching from carol's early days as a pioneering leader in virgin. full of examples of coaching conversations, that capture the essence of effective and resourceful coaching, this book is both accessible and informative." david e gray, professor of management learning, school of management, university of surrey, uk "a practical, accurate and thorough guide for anyone involved in coaching. with insights into the best coaching tools and techniques, there are plenty of coaching nuggets, too! a must read for professional coaches, internal coaches, or anyone entering this emerging profession." katherine tulpa, chair and co-founder association for coaching "the best coaching starter kit i have come across to date." sir john whitmore, executive chairman of performance consultants international "written by highly experienced coaches, this book gives the reader valuable insights in a straightforward and practical fashion. if only more coaching texts were as useful, unpretentious and jargon-free!" dr anthony grant phd, director, coaching psychology unit, university of sydney, australia "carol wilson has managed to capture much of the best of good practice in this excellent primer on coaching... the book's value is enhanced by case studies illustrating a variety of coaching approaches and by just enough detail on relevant techniques to whet the interest of the beginner coach and hint at the long but fascinating learning journey ahead of them." professor david clutterbuck, co-founder of the european mentoring & coaching council, visiting professor at sheffield hallam university, uk, and co-author of mentoring in action, also published by kogan page "anyone who knows carol knows she is a class act and this book will certainly re-enforce that opinion. ...this is a 'must read book' for those who prefer commonsense to the often rather pretentious over academic psychobabble that mark too many new contributions to the coaching professional literature." eric parsloe, otlg/oxford school of coaching and mentoring "i predict that it [the book] will quickly establish itself as a must-read." www.personneltoday.com "complete with worksheets and exercise, evaluations and international case studies this is a thorough guide to performance coaching. with insights into the best coaching tools and techniques, there are plenty of coaching nuggets." www.publicnet.co.uk "an invaluable point of reference for anyone seeking a clearer understanding of coaching and its associated benefits." "comprehensive guide and an invaluable handbook for anyone wishing to improve their knowledge of coaching." coaching at work, december 2007 "a comprehensive guide on coaching which sets out to appeal to all levels of understanding, from aspiration coach, line manager to established practitioner" "written by someone clearly passionate about coaching" october 2007, hr blog

carol wilson worked for richard branson during the early years of virgin and founded virgin music publishers. she's the first woman in the world to found her own chart topping record label (dindisc). carol is now honorary vice president and head of accreditation at the association for coaching, managing director of performance coach training, and on the executive committee of sir john whitmore's performance consultants international.

part one - fundamentals - the how, who, when and where of coaching for performance and good leadership. what is coaching?; coaching techniques; coaching models; structure; training as a coach; running a professional coaching practice; coaching in organizations part two - advanced coaching tools, models and international case histories appendix i:coaching tools appendix ii: case histories; appendix iii: awareness questions appendix iv: worksheets; appendix v: sample contracts appendix vi: coaching evaluation appendix vii: references