What are the differences between coaching and training?

When you are training someone, the implication is that you know something that they don’t. It is either some information that they don’t yet know about, have access to or understand, or it can be about helping them make the links between different strands of information or complexities that when pulled together can be described as being learned.

This acquisition of knowledge or the understanding of the links between different data sources or concepts can then be described as learning a skill or an approach that can then be applied successfully to future questions, scenarios, issues or activities. This is often the work that a teacher in education or a trainer in organisations is embarked upon.

Training differs from coaching in these ways:-
* It has a high knowledge content.
* The teacher or trainer is the expert who already possesses the necessary knowledge, approach or skill.
* This knowledge, approach or skill then passes from the teacher or trainer across to the student, trainee or learner.
* This new knowledge or skill which has been passed across can usually be tested in the student to assess whether or not it has been learned and understood and whether or not it can be applied by them.
* It is therefore judged and assessed externally.
* The teacher is the “master”, the student is subservient, where as the coach and coachee are equals.
* The teacher tells the student what and how to do.
* The coach does not tell the coachee what to do.
* The coachee decides for themselves what is important and what and how to do about it.


Training is similar to coaching in these respects:-
* The successful transfer of this learning depends largely on the attitude and motivation of the subject – the student or coachee – as well as on the skill and approach of the teacher or coach.
* It is the student or coachee’s responsibility to make use of the learning and to ultimately decide what to do with it.
* The quality of the relationship between the coach and coachee and teacher and student can have a big impact on their success.
* The teaching or coaching environment is also a key factor.

In summary, non-directive coaching is quite different from teaching or training and it is helpful to both the coach and coachee to recognise these differences so that the coachee can take the maximum advantage of the coaching opportunity. The starting point to understanding this is available right at the start of the coaching process and it is best achieved by the coach explaining this different approach up front as part of the initial coaching session briefing.