By Antje Bauer

A common question I get asked at events is, “What do you do?” Normally I would tell people that I am a professional coach or trainer. The word or label trainer/coach has some connotations which are more along the lines of conditioning (dogs), or sports people, etc.

So, of late I’ve changed my answer to something that I feel resonates with the approach I take to imparting my skills and knowledge as a “coach.”

But first, What is it that we coaches do?

We offer workshops (Some people would call them trainings) - where we act as teachers and as facilitators of conversations. We teach and share knowledge in a particular domain and then we facilitate immersing in the content through all sorts of different micro-skills. Participants are asked to reflect about themselves, to share with other participants, sometimes to exercise certain skills using examples etc.

As you can see, the term coach doesn’t really encompass all the finer nuances or the assumptions that come with the label. In my search for the right term for what I do, I finally landed on “Learning Guide”. I first heard the label used by my sister. She lives in an eco-village which runs its own, so-called democratic school. In this school, children are completely free to choose what they learn. There are adults (what people traditionally call teachers) who make offers, but these offers need not be taken up by the children. These adults are called Learning Guides. Their authority is limited, as it is the choice of the children whether to participate in their offers.

Leaning Guide - my new designation?

When it comes to adult education, I much prefer this term over trainer, teacher or even coach. Why? Because it positions what I do in a different way that is more in alignment with the way I view the “teacher and student” dynamic.

Personally, I do not enter a workshop or any space as someone who puts themself above the participants of the workshop. I offer a learning experience. Whether the participants immerse themselves in the workshop - is (to an extent) dependent on my skills and whether I can capture their attention and inspire them. However, it’s also mainly dependent on their own desire to learn and explore. They’re given a choice.

New Label but Same Person - What’s the difference?

I can hear some of you thinking “Well, so what?” For me, this label is an important distinction. Being a teacher comes with a lot of entitlement. Teachers are always right, teachers deserve respect, and teachers have authority - whether they manage to inspire their students or not. In many societies, they are never assessed by their clients or students - and they enjoy lifelong employment.

I much prefer to enter into a dialogue with the participants of my workshops. I literally want them to challenge me, to share their concerns, and their different views. That only shows me if they have truly absorbed the content I am passing along.

So for now, I much prefer the term Learning Guide. It's a much better representative of my approach to coaching and one that invites dialogue, reflection, constructive criticism, and learning.

What do you think?