What aspects of our interactions, so uniquely human, are unlikely to be replaced by AI?
That was the question Alex Haitoglou and Bryan Watson were left with after attending an artificial intelligence (AI) conference in San Francisco, USA, in 2019.
As business leaders and past CEOs, they had already experienced the profound power of coaching. They knew there was a direct link between helping people grow and business outcomes, and they were interested in learning how to use AI to develop better leaders.
Seeking the answer to this question led them to develop Ovida, an AI-powered platform to help leaders master their communication skills. They wanted to build a product that would allow anyone within an organization to get insights for improving their coaching skills, such as asking better questions or active listening.
According to the Ovida website, they are deeply optimistic about the potential of AI to positively impact humans. Instead of avoiding AI, Alex suggests getting to know it and using it to help you double down on what makes us human.
4 Steps to Leverage AI as a Coach
Below, Alex, who is also a part of ICF’s Technology and AI Task Force, shares four strategies for coaches who want to become irreplaceable with AI.
Embrace AI and Emerging Technology
When you try an AI product and don’t think it’s that good, Alex encourages you to remain open-minded and not to discount how disruptive this technology will be to their industry based on its current performance.
“The AI train is not stopping,” Alex says. “AI is currently the worst it’ll ever be. It will get exponentially better from here.”
As a coach, you can use AI tools to complement your work.
With an AI-assisted tool like Alex’s company, Ovida, more leaders can have access to data to improve their performance.
“Working with a coach is essential. No one likes data thrown at them,” Alex warns.
The analytics may help leaders identify areas for improvement, but the information alone is not enough. As a coach, you can work with a client to review the analytics and identify areas for improvement. That data will help you and your client create a development plan. As your clients deliberately practice the skills they want to improve, you can continue to work together and monitor their progress.
Be Smart about Your Privacy and Data Security
Many conversations surrounding AI involve privacy concerns. Alex agrees that these are essential considerations. He suggests asking “a lot of questions about how you and your client’s data will be handled.”
Be conscious of the implications of all the tools you use. It’s not just about AI.
“If you’re saving Zoom recordings locally on your machine, do you have proper security protocols?”
You should read the privacy policy of every website and platform you use. That means asking things like how data is being stored and where. Understand which geography houses your data, as every region has regulatory differences. What are the security protocols of the platform you’re using? Can you delete your data? Can you take away your consent?
“All of us must become informed consumers of the technology we use,” Alex says.
Experiment with AI Tools
Alex believes the best way to understand what AI tools and coaching bots are good at and what areas need work is to test-drive them.
“There are really cool tools out there. Experiment and have fun!”
He acknowledges that some coaches may be afraid to experiment because it might feel vulnerable. Still, he argues that it’s important to remember that fear, discomfort, and vulnerability are necessary for growth.
Alex suggests that you try one tool per month. Most of them have a free trial period. At the end of the year, you will have tried 12 different tools and better understand what’s available in the market.
Get Very Specific about the Things You Do that Make You Uniquely Human
Through testing coaching bots and other emerging technology, you will learn what AI is good at doing and what it’s not.
AI tools can nudge clients automatically and follow up at the right time. They can even facilitate a GROW model session.
“There are parts of the coaching discussion that are very repetitive,” says Alex. “And [AI coaching bots] can follow the GROW model perfectly.”
As it turns out, AI knows exactly what to ask, knows the sequence of questions, will ask additional questions to fill in the gaps, and will never forget what a client told it. That’s why Alex suggests focusing on the parts of coaching interactions that you can do better than a machine.
“Focus on the things that make you uniquely human and get really, really good at doing those things.”
To improve your human connection skills, Alex suggests taking inspiration from the world of sports. Athletes who want to improve their performance record themselves playing, see what they’re doing well, and create improvement plans with their coaches.
That’s where AI tools like Alex’s app, Ovida, come in. They allow you to record your meetings and watch yourself while giving you data on things like interruptions, talk time, and types of questions asked. Armed with the analytics of your recorded sessions, you can practice self-reflection, make an improvement plan, and deliberately work on the skills you want to enhance.
With the right tools and support, you can improve the parts of your interactions that AI won’t be able to replicate.
Staying Ahead: Continuous Learning and Adaptation of AI In Professional Coaching
With these four steps, you can harness AI to make yourself irreplaceable. In doing so, you are fostering a mindset of continuous learning, which is essential for personal and professional growth in our rapidly changing world. AI and other emerging technologies can simplify your processes and provide innovative solutions for how you work. Plus, they can support you in providing better experiences and outcomes for your clients.
