The Evolution of Coaches as Artisans

This paper advances earlier work on the role of evidence in coaching (see Drake 2009b) by offering a more refined lens through which to view what goes on in the body-minds of coaches as they make choices in conversations with clients. To proclaim one’s practice or profession as »evidence-based« is only meaningful if it is reflected in distinctively and consistently better decisions, practices and outcomes. And even then, I am left wondering as a narrative practitioner if most of our practices are evidentiary largely in retrospect. I would argue that »evidence «, while having the potential to guide our interactions in coaching, is primarily a currency professionals use to tell stories about what has happened in their work. The challenge arises when we try to play forward these retrospectives with any certainty in subsequent situations.