Seite - 47 - in Coaching im digitalen Wandel

Digital coaching: A conceptually distinct form of coaching? 47 of digital media differs based on whether technology is embodied, or used as a means to interpret information, or as an interaction with the technological »other« (note that different human-technology relations may co-exist). The relation between coach/client and technology is not only shaped by the fixed capabilities of digital media but quite likely also by experiential factors. Carl- son and Zmud (1999) and subsequent empirical studies (a.o. D’Urso & Rains, 2008; Timmermann & Madhavapeddi, 2007) demonstrated that user experience with a medium can affect their perception of the medium’s richness. As users accumulate experiences with a medium, with the topic and with an interlocu- tor, they develop knowledge bases that allow them to encode and decode rich messages and communicate effectively (Carlson & Zmud, 1999). This suggests that it is possible to adapt to the media in use and to develop strong relation- ships, despite limited sensory cues (Walther, 1992). Adapting to mediated coaching practice means not only becoming famil- iar with media and developing an understanding of their capabilities and their boundaries but potentially also developing enhanced coaching skills, both lis- tening skills and language skills (Kanatouri, 2018, 2020). Whilst these core skills are common to any form of coaching, the digital coach compensates for the limited sensory cues by developing, for instance, a heightened awareness for the clients’ tone of voice, speed of speaking, silent moments, choice of words, or by developing strong reading, writing or verbal language skills, and using clear and descriptive language. Even though the technical quality of digital media and their design can play a role in making them more »transparent« and a seamless means to the coaching experience, it is also up to the coach’s skill to overcome some of the challenges added by technology, such as the limited sensory infor- mation and lack of physical proximity. A coaching practice that is adapted to new media makes methodologically structured use of coaching contents (Geißler, in Vorb.). This is achieved by the coach’s expertise and skill, whether the medium involves pre-defined coaching contents, thus, it incorporates coaching exper- tise and methods, or it is content free but requires the coach’s method and skill in order to effectively guide the client’s reflection and problem-solving process. In both cases, the coaching methodology and skill are used to shape the media in use and to structure the coaching process. The differences in digital coaching experiences that result from the coach- ing pair’s relation to the medium, from the challenges and complexity added by technology and from the need to adapt core coaching skills in order to over- come challenges, point us towards re-thinking the meaning of digital coaching as a conceptually distinct form of coaching practice compared to traditional, face-to-face coaching; a form of practice where the mediated experience alters Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY-NC-ND 4.0