Seite - 82 - in Coaching im digitalen Wandel

82 Through the eye of the camera: Experiences of video-mediated coaching1 Claudia Deniers Against the backdrop of the growing integration of technology into coach- ing, this qualitative study investigates the coachees’ perceptions of being coached via the video-conferencing platform Skype. Accounts of eleven interviewees are analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings show that the existence of a camera in the coaching encounter impacts the self-image of the coachee, the perception of the coach and the coaching space. The video-mediated set-up makes coachees acutely aware of their appearance on the screen. The perception of the coach is influenced by the limitation of visual information imposed by the position and angle of the camera. The coaches’ locations generally are reported as having little influence on the perception of the coaching encounter. Overall, coachees narrate their experience in Skype coaching in terms of choice and control, indicating a strong sense of agency, attributing the coach a smaller presence compared to a face-to-face encounter. Findings will enable coaching pro- fessionals using video technology to enhance the impact of their sessions by aligning their contracting, the set-up of their sessions and the coaching encounter accordingly. Since coaching evolved as an industry in the 1990s, its target groups and appli- cation fields have multiplied (Kanatouri & Geißler, 2017, p. 715). At the same time, technology has affected the coach-client interaction (Sherpa Executive Coaching Survey, 2017). Penetration and usage of the Internet are high, with, for example, 89 % of households in the UK having Internet access and 82 % using the Internet daily (Office for National Statistics, 2016). Coaching practitioners increasingly make use of technological media and the dyadic face-to-face meet- ing in real time is no longer the standard mode for a coaching session to take place. To enhance convenience, location independence and cost effectiveness, Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY-NC-ND 4.0