Start a conversation ↗

Description

HR Coaching Posture: Listening, Questioning and Advising

Support managers and employees without doing the work for them or drifting into a role that is not yours

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

HR is often called upon as a last resort. A manager who no longer knows how to address underperformance, an employee seeking a move, a team that has lost momentum. The temptation is to hand over the solution and then carry the problem on behalf of the person who raised it. The advice loses its effect and the workload builds up.

Two days in person to work on the support posture: clarifying the request, listening without interpreting, questioning to surface options and closing on a commitment. Interviews are role-played and then reviewed sequence by sequence.

Learning objectives

  • Clarify a manager's or employee's request before responding to it
  • Distinguish situations calling for advice from those calling for support or referral
  • Practise active listening and reformulation in interviews
  • Use questioning to surface the options available to the person supported
  • Close an interview on a commitment expressed by the other party
  • Identify the limits of your intervention and refer to the right resource

What makes this programme different

Each participant brings two live support situations that provide the material for the role-played interviews
Interviews are observed using an observation grid and then reviewed sequence by sequence
A personal bank of questions is built up over the two days

Programme

1Framing the request

Knowing what you are supporting

  • The stated request and the real request
  • The support agreement and the limits of the HR role
  • Identifying situations that call for another resource
  • Confidentiality conditions to be set from the outset

2Listening and reformulating

Understanding before proposing

  • Active listening and the use of silence
  • Reformulating both content and feelings
  • Identifying your own interpretations
  • Acknowledging emotions expressed during the interview

3Questioning to move forward

Surfacing the options

  • Open questions and clarifying questions
  • Exploring what has already been tried
  • Widening the range of possible options
  • Measured challenging of contradictions

4Closing and sustaining the posture over time

A commitment rather than a piece of advice

  • Having the person supported formulate a commitment
  • Follow-up point and success criteria
  • Record-keeping compatible with confidentiality
  • Managing your own support workload

Who is it for

HR managers and officers, HR business partners and learning and development managers already in post who support managers and employees.

Prerequisites

Hold an HR role and conduct support interviews on a regular basis.

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.