Which One Do You Need Among These - Coaching, Training, or Consulting?

13th July 2022

Learning and development are one of the biggest aspects of every department because constant upskilling of employees is a real matter of concern for every organization. A mentor always looks after the development of the mentee on both personal and professional grounds. Learning and development require a lot of training sessions, coaching skills, counseling, and consulting skills where coaches and mentors analysis the upskilling required and deliver accordingly.

However, there is a huge difference between coaching and training. Similarly, the difference between consultation and coaching is also quite significant. Mentorship vs coaching is another vertical that often determines relationships between mentors and mentees. Mentoring roles with new colleagues is a new segment that organizations are focusing on so that any newly joined does not feel left out.

Since the training, coaching, mentoring, or consulting are different requirements based on different scenarios, the person catering to such developmental needs of employees must be aware of it. A certificate in coaching & mentoring will help designated people to take care of employees in terms of their professional development.

There are fundamental differences between coaches, trainers, and consultants.

Each of them has many sets of skills and specific goals for the career development of members of the organization. Not every employee requires the same skill. Workplace mentoring refers to the process where employees can learn specific skills that will uplift their level of performance down the line.

To cut it short, the basic difference between coaching, training, and consulting can be easily explained like this:
 

• Consulting advises people by saying what are the certain things they should do, i.e., what skills should they acquire.
   
• Coaching depicts an ideal leadership format to create an environment where people want to do.
   
• Training involves inculcating a new skill in people so that they can do the job soundly.
   

Consulting is a very formal procedure of providing solutions to certain problems in an organization. Whenever clients come across any hindrance a consultant analyzes the problem, creates a report, and provides solutions having numerous criteria to follow. The consultant interacts with a lot of people from the organization.

A consultant always focuses on the problem and provides solutions as required.

While talking about coaching, many people can relate to this, a picture that comes right in front of our eyes is of Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary footballer who coached the Manchester United Football team, and the rest is history. Coaching helps people to do a perfect SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, and threat) analysis thereby, evaluating what is required to be done to witness an ultimate level of productivity.

That is exactly what Fergie did to Cristiano Ronaldo who is now one of the greatest footballers of all time on the entire planet. A coach helps people create their own IDPs (Individual Development Plans). A coach must have these two qualities in a gigantic format:
 

• Listening skills
   
• Asking questions skills

Professional coaching involves a lot of chemistry between the person being coached and the coach herself/himself. Unless there is firm chemistry and transparency between these two people, a coaching session will be totally unproductive. A coach helps to build relationships and facilitates growth and development in employees.

During any lateral growth or promotion, employees require to learn a lot of skills that will help them to execute new job roles empowered to them. It involves several things like learning new tools, new strategies, team management, project management, people management, and so on.

There comes the effectiveness of training. A trainer helps employees to learn new skills and have knowledge of things that are going to help them a better version of themselves. Training is effective when there is a new joiner or someone who is a fresher is joining the organization. There can be On-the-Job training, video training, etc. Training helps to fill in skill gaps that often create barriers to achieving success and also improves the company culture.
 

Thus the contribution of a consultant, a coach, and a trainer toward the learning and development of employees is absolutely incredible. There have been many times when employees feel unmotivated to play the role they have been assigned to. It may be because of a lack of proper knowledge of skills, lack of support from the manager, or anything else. Coaching, training, and consulting come to the rescue like superheroes!

Coaches, trainers, and consultants are also leaders who pass on the attributes to employees that they must have to proliferate. That is why a certificate in coaching and mentoring is often required them to get an exact model of how to exercise such procedures using accurate methodologies. To know more about coaching and mentoring, call the toll-free number: 1800-212-6400.

Written By : Ruchi Mehta