Training of Trainers on Coaching Skills to Enhance AGBU’s Programmes with Women Entrepreneurs in Armenia

8 March 2022

As part of the AGBU-EUDiF (European Union Global Diaspora Facility) Action “Harnessing diaspora expertise for women entrepreneurship in Armenia”, such as AGBU Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Program and other female empowerment initiatives, six staff members of the AGBU offices in Armenia and Europe participated in a 2-week online training on coaching skills and coaching in entrepreneurship. Facilitated by Geneva-based Nune Magoyan, sociologist and executive & leadership coach at MCoNexus, the training aimed at exposing participants to modern coaching techniques to benefit women entrepreneurs of AGBU’s programmes in Armenia.

EUDiFthumbnailThe intensive and interactive course involved blended learning based on a flipped classroom approach, including readings at home and problem-solving during class time. The coaching method used for the training was inspired by the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) developed by Sir John Whitmore in the late 1980’s. Comprised of four modules, the training included plenary sessions, guided self-study, individual coaching sessions as well as individual and group assignments, exercises and presentations.

Diaspora-Armenia Mentorship Programs Coordinator for AGBU, Astine Badeyan described how the training transformed her coaching approach in a very inspiring way: “The course brought a dramatic change into my life. It significantly enhanced my skills and knowledge in coaching. I became familiar with innovative tools of goal setting, coaching methods, as well as techniques for effective self-evaluation and case analysis. Overall, the coaching course helped me take two steps forward and take my emotional intelligence to a whole new level. Now I feel more motivated, full of knowledge, and it seems to me that a person with basic coaching skills can solve any problem at work or in personal life.”

As a result of the training, the participants learned how to apply the GROW model in their work with women entrepreneurs in Armenia and with diaspora mentors. They acquired new techniques to enhance their listening and communication skills as well as their feedback giving patterns. The training also equipped them with tools for prioritizing tasks and using the nonviolent communication model in challenging work situations to improve their work performance. Lastly, the role of coaching in entrepreneurship was also discussed.

AGBU Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Program Manager Tatevik Manukyan explained how the training helped her become a better head for her staff: “I was able to share with them my skills, to give them my time, but above all, I was able to leave my comfort zone of being just a manager who does the job right, controls, eliminates the problems, and make my first steps in becoming a leader who empowers the teammates, by motivating and inspiring them, helping them understand their boundless capacity.”

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