“It can be Life-Changing”; an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Coach and Coachee’s Experience of Psychometrics in Coaching

This research explores the coach and coachee’s experience of psychometrics in coaching with specific reference to the conversation and the relationship. Three coaches and three coachees were recruited and IPA informed the data collection and analysis. The results indicate that psychometrics affect the speed at which issues are accessed, the depth at which coach and coachee work and the nature of their discussions. The relationship emerges as the most critical aspect of the coaching and potentially a pre-requisite to the introduction of a psychometric. Participants highlight the potential for coaches to require knowledge and skills that are currently neither provided in coach training nor in psychometrics training. The implications for the coaching profession, training providers, the psychometrics industry, and for those employing coaches are discussed