Integrating Coaching into eLearning

Julie Stelter
April 14, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

In this issue…

Integrating Coaching into eLearning - from Julie Stelter
Extra Insights- 5 Steps for Tackling Difficult Conversations as a Leader
Weekly Motivation Boost - Conquer the Day from Marcus Elevation Taylor (YouTube)
Action for the Week - 3 Quick Actions to Nurture Your Network
Together with 1440 - Something for the Intellectually Curious Reader

🎯 EXPERT OF THE WEEK

📰 Integrating Coaching into eLearning

From Julie Stelter

Digital learning courses effectively lay the foundation for understanding concepts and applying them into daily work. E-learning, however, frequently falls short in providing the needed practice, repetition and spaced learning required to grasp a new skill and apply it in the workplace. Unfortunately, it is all too common for e-learning to be treated as the final step in learning when it should be considered one of the first.

Managers and team leaders are in a unique position to help bridge this gap between the knowledge acquired during digital learning and applying it in the workplace.

Why do I have to help my direct reports learn new skills?

Learning new skills directly relates to improved performance; improving work outcomes is a manager’s job.

Aren’t people responsible for their own growth?

True; yet benefiting from job specific training requires learning from other people including managers.

Where will I find the time?

Below, we describe six coaching opportunities within the context of learning and performance. Each example indicates the amount of prep time and coaching style needed. Begin building your coaching skills in an area that you are already familiar with and part of your job. You may be surprised by how much coaching you are actually doing.

1. Align Professional Goals with Learning Opportunities

⌛Conceptually HIGH managerial time, but actually…

📣 It adds one more item to an already collaborative meeting.

We start with the most obvious of coaching opportunities - during annual reviews. Something you are already doing. When professional goals are identified, the natural next coaching step is to ask, “What training will help you reach your goals?”

Collaboratively study your organization’s learning pathway or training catalog to map out courses that will help achieve professional goals. Dig deep into those courses to identify the outcomes, modality, cost and timeframe. Also, do the same with outside educational sources such as LinkedIn Learning® and professional associations.

2. Schedule Time for Learning Within the Workday

⌛LOW managerial time

📣 Hands-off: Give permission and walk away

Employ a hands-off style that takes little managerial effort. Encourage staff to schedule time (and save a quiet room) during the workday to complete their e-learning courses or webinars. This action removes two common completion barriers in adult learning: time constraints and space limitations. Also, don’t forget to schedule your own learning time. These coaching actions help create a culture of learning which can improve workplace performance with minimal work from leaders.

3. Built-in Knowledge Sharing Opportunities

⌛LOW managerial time

📣 Hands-off: Choose a presenter; listen and learn.

You are not the only coach in the office! Encourage peer-to-peer coaching by dedicating knowledge sharing time at team meetings. How hard is that? Give staff 5 minutes to present or discuss something they recently learned and is relevant to the agenda. Think of this as an adult show-and-tell. Almost all the work of this coaching method is on the learner. Follow up the discussion with questions like:

How can we implement it?
What do we still need to know?
What data points do we need?

4. Debrief the Learning

⌛HIGH managerial time

📣 Asking/Listening: Actively listen and ask good questions.

This coaching tip is more pull than push requiring increased managerial time and effort. Require staff (not you) to schedule a one-on-one meeting after completing the course. Discuss key takeaways with these questions:

What are three things you learned?
How will you implement it?
Do you have unanswered questions?

The amount of learning that occurs during this listening session can be more than the entire course. Truly! To learn something, we need to recall information in spaced intervals over time (i.e., spaced learning and repetition). This short debrief meeting will strengthen the concepts in the learner’s head.

5. Offer Opportunities for Application

⌛HIGH if Collaborating; LOW if assigning

📣 Collaborating or Telling

Based on the debriefing, collaboratively decide or assign a task that requires the application of at least one learning outcome. The task can be in a real or simulated work setting. Pair the learner with an experienced colleague (peer-to-mentor coaching) or work with them directly. During the practicum, the learner observes methods, receives constructive feedback, asks questions and practices in a safe environment.

This coaching technique extends the debrief meeting allowing for another opportunity to practice what they just learned. It can also personalize the experience by supporting the learners’ strengths, weaknesses and goals.

6. Give Feedback Within the Flow of Work

⌛LOW

📣 Telling: Provide advice based on your knowledge and experience.

Constructive feedback during skill practice is an effective learning reinforcement strategy. Real-time coaching offers contextual feedback tied to actual performance, enhancing its impact. This just-in-time, personalized approach helps corrects mistakes immediately, applies new understandings and helps build confidence. A balanced coaching approach highlights strengths while addressing growth areas. It also offers specific, actionable guidance.

Do not just concentrate on hard skills. Managers who practice coaching also take the time to address soft skill development in real-time. Particularly effective soft skills to integrate are communication, problem solving, critical thinking and adaptability. Immediate constructive feedback adds to a culture of continuous improvement, as employees feel supported and motivated to refine their skills.

What Will You Do Next?

You do have the time to coach! You do have the ability to begin coaching! Or have you already started? Coach yourself right now by answering these questions:

What have you learned about coaching, learning and performance?
What coaching actions can you implement immediately?
What specific steps will you take to improve your coaching and your team’s performance?

References:

Chaudhary, R. (2025, March 18). 4 styles of coaching—and when to use them. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2025/03/4-styles-of-coaching-and-when-to-use-them

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., III, & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Belknap Press.

JULIE STELTER - As the driving force behind Walden’s Group’s instructional design initiatives, Julie leads a team dedicated to creating innovative digital training solutions. Their mission? To craft engaging learning experiences that align with client goals and captivate learners—because education should never be boring. From strategy to execution, they’re not just designing courses—they’re leveling up the learning experience.

💡EXTRA INSIGHTS

5 Steps for Tackling Difficult Conversations as a Leader

from the Center for Creative Leadership

4-Minute Read

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