Keith Webb wrote in “Coaching Tip: A 3 Questions Debrief”, that “the true value of coaching comes through reflecting and learning from what we do”.  As missions coaches, we may make transitions from culture to culture all day with each missionary we coach.  Its easy to misstep with the client, especially when coaching over skype without visual cues.  One of the tools I use to stay on track with clients is to debrief at the end of the coaching session.  This gives me a window into how my client experienced the session and what was particularly meaningful or helpful to them.  This is a “win” for both myself and the client:  I learn more specifically how to connect and minister to this missionary; the missionary gains additional learning by reflecting on and naming what was most important to them, and often gets in touch with greater inner motivation and conviction as a result.

So, how can you use debriefing as a cross cultural coaching tool?  At the end of a session ask one or all of these “what” questions:

• What is your biggest “takeaway” for today?
• What was most helpful about our session?
• What “road not taken” during our conversation would you like to explore?

And don’t forget to ask yourself as a coach afterword: “so what?” (what can I learn from this information?) and “now what?” (how can apply this information to better serving my client?)

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