Core Coaching Skills and Effective Conversational Practice (PLC512)

This course develops the core behavioural competencies and communication capacities required to conduct effective coaching conversations. It shifts learners from conceptual understanding into observable coaching practice by focusing on presence, listening, questioning, emotional self-regulation, and ethical conversational conduct. Learners are introduced to a structured coaching competency model as a practical reference for practice, feedback, and assessment, reinforcing the principle that coaching competence must be behaviourally demonstrated and observable. Through guided practice, learners learn to hold psychologically safe yet appropriately stretching conversations using a principled conversational stance that balances safety, challenge, ownership, and support, while strengthening Purpose and Identity through dialogue rather than advice or problem-solving. This course builds the behavioural and relational capacities required for later outcome design. By the end of the course, learners demonstrate conversational readiness: the ability to remain present, regulate themselves, listen beyond surface content, and facilitate insight-generating coaching conversations that are ethically grounded, developmentally attuned, and learner-centred.

• Behavioural Competence in Professional Coaching
• The SussLCM: Structure and Logic
• Self-Assessment and Development Using Competency Frameworks
• Deep Listening as a Developmental Skill
• Accurate Reflection and Non-Directive Questioning
• Non-Verbal Attunement and Conversational Presence
• Transformational Communication and Perspective Shift
• Structuring Coaching Conversations with PSOS
• Stretching Reflection Without Overreach
• Emotional Self-Regulation as Ethical Practice
• Strengthening Purpose and Identity Through Dialogue
• Experiential Coaching Practice, Feedback, and Reflective Integration

• Analyse the SUSS Life Coaching Model (SussLCM) as a behavioural model of coaching practice, evaluating how observable competencies function as mechanisms for feedback, assessment, and professional development.
• Critically examine the principles of transformational communication, including deep listening, non-directive questioning, and perspective-shifting language, to explain how insight and learning are facilitated without advice-giving or problem-solving.
• Evaluate the PSOS conversational framework as a developmental structure for coaching conversations, justifying its role in establishing psychological safety, client ownership, and appropriately stretching reflective depth.
• Apply and integrate foundational coaching micro-skills—including deep listening, accurate reflection, non-leading questioning, and non-verbal attunement – to facilitate insight-generating, learner-centred coaching conversations.
• Demonstrate and regulate emotional awareness in live coaching interactions, maintaining presence, neutrality, and ethical boundaries through effective emotional self-regulation.
• Facilitate and reflect upon coaching conversations that strengthen clients’ sense of Purpose and Identity through dialogue, while synthesising feedback and reflective journaling to inform ongoing competency development.