"Psychometrics in Coaching"
A webinar series with Angelina Bennet,
Juliette Alban-Metcalfe and Tom Hopton
25th May, 1st June and 6th July 2017
Using Psychometrics in coaching
Today's webinar with
Dr. Angelina Bennet
25th May 2017
Aims for Today
 Explore the use of psychometrics in coaching
 Consider different type of tools
 Why and why not use psychometrics
 Best practice in using psychometrics
 Limitations
 Case illustrations
3
Who Here Uses
Psychometrics in Coaching?
 Always
 Often
 Sometimes
 Rarely
 Never
4
What is a Psychometric?
 A way of measuring an aspect of psychological
functioning
 Personality
 Emotional
Intelligence
 Interest inventories
 Aptitude/Competency
 Learning Styles
 360° Feedback
5
Why Use Psychometrics in
Coaching?
 They provide a basis for a discussion
 A structured way to talk about complex
information
 Provide a language and reference
 Highlight potential issues
 Coachees can be more accepting of ‘hard
data’
6
McDowall & Smewing
(2009)
 They open up areas for discussion
96%
 Provide a useful source of data
79%
 They are useful to my coachees
73%
 They enable me to coach
49%
 They provide structure to sessions 42%
7
Potential Downsides and
Limitations
 It may not be how the coachee wants to use
the session time
 It can get over-structured
 May take away from the individualised
approach
 The tool may not be appropriate for the
coachee
8
What is a Psychometric?
(reminder)
 A way of measuring an aspect of psychological
functioning
 Personality
 Emotional
Intelligence
 Interest inventories
 Aptitude/Competency
 Learning Styles
 360° Feedback
9
What do you use?
 If you answered Always – Rarely on the first
poll:
 Which
of these do you tend to use
 Mark all that apply
 If you choose ‘other’, perhaps name it in the text box
10
McDowall & Smewing
(2009)
 Personality measures
 360° Feedback
 Learning Styles
 Emotional Intelligence
 Interest questionnaires
 Performance data
 Intelligence/aptitude
 Competency measures
86%
56%
35%
33%
31%
26%
20%
20%
11
McDowall & Smewing
Specific Tools Used
12
Ethical Use & Best Practice
 Participation should be voluntary
 Outcomes are confidential and owned by the
coachee
 Coach should be qualified
 Coach needs to have good
feedback/exploration skills
 Aware of the value / limitations of the
information
13
Potential Issues
 Most are self-reports
 Clients can get too stuck on numbers
 Development centres – everyone gets the
same
 Client anxiety – positioning of assessments
 Skills of the coach
 Only having knowledge of one tool/theory
14
Case Illustration – 16PF
15
Case Illustration - MBTI®
Very Clear
Clear
Moderate
Unclear
Moderate
Clear
Very Clear
E
I
S
T
N
F
J
P
50
25
15
0
15
25
50
Reported Type from Questionnaire – ESFJ
Actual Type from Exploration Discussion - ISFP
16
Case Illustration - MBTI®
17
Case Illustration – Hogan
Development Survey
18
Case Illustration – Cognitive
Process Profiler (CPP)
19
Main Considerations
 Is it appropriate for the coachee and the
situation?
 Is the coachee open to it?
 Is the coach qualified AND skilled?
 Is confidentiality assured?
 Does it help raise awareness or move the
coachee towards a goal?
20
Useful links
Psychometrics in Coaching
Ed: Jonathan Passmore
The Shadows of Type
Angelina Bennet
Answering Type’s Critics and
Defending MBTI – Hile Rutledge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VtBTdu46O
w&feature=youtu.be
21
Using Psychometrics in coaching
THANK YOU!
Dr. Angelina Bennet
25th May 2017