Peer Coaching Circle

Purpose

The Peer Coaching Circle creates a regular forum where one team member presents a real challenge and receives structured support from peers. Unlike advice-giving, the format emphasises powerful questions and collective intelligence, developing coaching skills across the group.

At a glance

How to run

1. Check-in (5 min): Each person shares one word about how they arrive. Sets presence.
2. Topic selection (5 min): One or two people briefly pitch a challenge (30 seconds each). The group selects one to work on.
3. Presenter shares (5 min): The selected person describes the challenge in detail. Others listen without interrupting.
4. Clarifying questions (5 min): The group asks factual, clarifying questions only — no advice or opinions yet.
5. Coaching round (20 min): The group asks open coaching questions and offers reflections. The presenter listens, takes notes, and responds selectively. The facilitator keeps the group in inquiry mode.
6. Presenter reflection (5 min): The presenter shares: What landed? What new perspective emerged? What will they try?
7. Process reflection (10 min): The group reflects on the coaching process itself. What question was most powerful? What could we improve?
8. Close (5 min): Each person shares one takeaway.

Materials needed

• Coaching questions handout
• Notebooks for the presenter
• Timer
• Agreed ground rules (confidentiality, no advice, questions first)

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Advice disguised as questions: "Have you considered doing X?" is advice. Coach participants to notice.
• Multiple topics: Resist the urge to address more than one challenge per session. Depth beats breadth.
• Same person always presents: Rotate systematically so everyone benefits.
• No follow-up: Check in on the presenter’s action at the next session.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Establish confidentiality norms before starting.
• Allow participants to write questions on cards if speaking in a group is intimidating.
• Ensure the presenting slot rotates fairly, including quieter members.
• In virtual settings, use a shared document for capturing insights.

Variations

• Consultancy protocol: Replace open coaching with a structured sequence: presenter silent while group discusses, then presenter responds.
• Dual presenter: Two people with related challenges present together, enriching cross-pollination.
• Ongoing series: Run biweekly, building a rhythm that embeds coaching into team culture.

When NOT to use this

• When the challenge requires expert advice (technical, legal) rather than coaching.
• When the group has not established trust — vulnerable sharing requires safety.
• When time pressure makes a 60-minute session feel like a luxury — address the time culture first.

Source & further reading

• Nancy Kline, *Time to Think* (Cassell, 2002)
• Robert Kegan & Lisa Lahey, *An Everyone Culture* (Harvard Business Review Press, 2016)
• Marilee Adams, *Change Your Questions, Change Your Life* (Berrett-Koehler, 2009)