Evidence-Based Practice: A Potential Approach for Effective Coaching

As coaching develops as an emerging profession, it is vital for coaches to begin integrating evidence from both coaching-specific research and related disciplines, their own expertise, and an understanding of the uniqueness of each client. Evidence-based practice (EBP) encompasses these three endeavors in designing interventions aimed at positive growth and change for their recipients. While coaching does not have an extensive body of specific knowledge, there is a wealth of evidence from fields such as psychology, adult learning, communication, and others which has a bearing on coaches’ knowledge and practice. An EBP approach has the potential to raise the standards of practice and training, increase the credibility of coaching as an intervention, and stretch the individual coach’s thinking and practice, if undertaken in its broadest form. However, we suggest there are a number of questions raised by the application of EBP to coaching.