Are you doing training, consulting, or facilitation?

“Are you doing training, consulting, or facilitation?”
We often get this question from clients, and it’s fair. These roles frequently blend in practice, making it hard to tell where one ends and another begins.

The spectrum of modalities is broad – from highly directive approaches like training, where the content comes from an external expert, to minimally directive ones like team coaching, where the coach holds space for the team to access its own insights, creativity, and direction.

In between, we find methods that combine elements – such as facilitation, mentoring, or team building – all of which can be valuable. The key difference is this: how much control does the expert hold, and how much is the team trusted to generate its own way forward?

As team coaches, it’s essential that we can clearly articulate what we do and don’t do and choose the most effective modality for the team’s specific context. Distinguishing clearly between these approaches and using them intentionally is a key capability for any professional team coach.

The Spectrum of Modalities was developed by the inviteCHANGE team, based on over 25 years of working with teams in organisations and extensive research into group dynamics and design thinking applied to human systems.

To learn more about Generative Team Coaching Certification through inviteCHANGE, please talk to Janet M. Harvey. The company's website also provides details about the curriculum. The next cohort begins on September 15. 

 Article written by Adrian Hodoba and reviewed by Janet M. Harvey