𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁.

35 Community Coaches - The final 2026 cohort.

I'm currently working with the final Sport Coaching cohort for 2026 at the Waikato Institute for Leadership and Sport Studies, with 35 community coaches coming together every week.

From all sports and all walks of life.

It's been a good reminder of something I'm continuing to learn about coach development.

𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁!

It's actually to create an environment:

• That people enjoy joining
• Feel comfortable contributing in
• Are willing to share experiences
• Learn from one another

It's easy to feel that a good session means covering more content, sharing more resources and making sure every important point is covered.

𝗕𝘂𝘁... more data doesn't = more learning.

Adult learners bring their own experiences, knowledge, and challenges.
The real opportunity is helping them connect new ideas to their own coaching.

T̲h̲e̲ ̲S̲u̲c̲c̲e̲s̲s̲ ̲F̲o̲r̲m̲u̲l̲a̲ ̲?̲

• 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Build an environment where people feel comfortable participating.

• 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀. Give coaches something meaningful to think about, supported by useful resources and best-practice guidance.

• 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲. Encourage reflection, discussion and experimentation in their own context.

I don't 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 to have every answer or fill every moment with information.

I provide enough direction to get people thinking, then give them the space to make sense of it, learn from each other, and try things for themselves.

The real test is what coaches take away from a session, what they do with it, and how that influences their environment.

𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁.