Growth Talk: A Coaching Way of Leading

The Premise ‍

Leadership is enacted through conversation. A coaching way of leading offers a people-centered form of leadership that enhances relational trust and wellbeing through more agency-enabling conversations that support learning, growth and progress. Fundamentally, it is about becoming a more intentional and effective conversation leader: discerning when to hold a space for others to think and make sense of a situation, and when to support this with some input from you; listening with empathy and affirming strengths while supporting a commitment to progress; or seeing the need for a feedback conversation and managing this in a way that respectfully raises awareness and encourages movement. Managing how we ‘show-up’ in conversations alongside knowing how and when to utilise the core skills and techniques of coaching are the keys to success.

The Learning

In this highly interactive workshop, Chris Munro, author of Growth Talk, will bring to life the key concepts and field-tested frameworks presented in this ground-breaking book. The central premise of the book is that every interaction between members of a school community are potential opportunities to enhance learning, growth and progress. In these moments, no matter how fleeting or informal, Growth Talk is about intentionally bringing the key elements of coaching into play to best support the thinking and progress of our conversation partner. Over the two days, we will explore the skills and techniques that underpin these conversations and demonstrate coaching as a way of leading.

Specifically, we will explore: how to bring shape to conversations - using the GROWTH Framework; how to fuel learning conversations - using the key coaching skills; and how to show up in ways that best support the thinking and progress of our colleagues - a coaching way of being. Drawing on a range of practical and immediately implementable strategies, you will explore how to bring a coaching approach to a range of conversational contexts that would not normally be deemed coaching conversations. These often unplanned and occur in less-formal contexts and can be described as other-initiated conversations (“have you got a minute?”) and leader-initiated conversations (“can we chat?”), and, importantly, they often much briefer interactions.

You will leave the two days with the skills and confidence to adopt a coaching-infused way of leading and in turn foster a culture of growth in your educational setting – one conversation at a time.

Key Benefits:

• Confidence and skills to lead more effective learning conversations
• Essential skills for leaders, coaches and mentors
• Immediately useable skills and approaches
• Energise every interaction
• Better serve the thinking and progress of your team members
• Turn brief interactions into learning conversations
• Cultivate a solution-focused mindset to navigate complex challenges
• Feel calm and confident in leading and managing conversations
• Build trust-based relationships and motivate your team
• Enhance your coaching and conversational skills through practical application

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This course is for:

• Educational leaders at any level
• Aspiring leaders
• Coaches, Mentors & Professional Learning Leaders
• Administrators and managers

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Structure
Day 1

• Exploring our conversational contexts using the Learning Conversations Map
• Defining coaching and a coaching approach
• Introducing the GROWTH Framework
• The key coaching skills: listening to encourage thinking, asking powerful questions, paraphrasing and summarising, noticing

Day 2

• “Have you got a minute? – leading in-the-moment conversations
• Dancing around the GROWTH framework
• Brief conversations – big impact
• Leader-initiated conversations – “Can we chat?”
• Checking-in
• Offering awareness raising feedback

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Each participant will receive a copy of the book titled "Growth Talk: A Coaching Way of Leading in Schools".

‍Growth Talk: A Coaching Way of Leading in Schools offers a practical guide to enhancing teachers' learning, growth, and progress in a variety of contexts—from formal interactions to impromptu encounters that can become "coachable moments." International coaching experts Chris Munro and John Campbell explain how educators can quickly make growth conversations a norm in their schools

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Praise for Growth Talk

"Got a minute? Because this is a book that shows educators how to lead not through directives and meetings, but through the kind of purposeful conversations that help people think better and do better."
—Michael Bungay Stanier, The Coaching Habit

"Written by two leading authorities in the field of coaching in education, this book is an invaluable resource for leaders and educators who seek to inspire and motivate the people around them."
—Christian van Nieuwerburgh, bestselling author, executive coach, and educational consultant

"At the heart of this book lies a deep belief in the infinite potential of people, particularly those who have committed their professional lives to schools and education. It offers a wonderful disconfirmation of the common belief that our leadership value lies in what we add. Instead, the invitation here is to create the conditions in which the greatness of others can emerge."
—Penny Brown, Leadership Centre, AISNSW

"Munro and Campbell are deeply attuned, through their broad and deep experience, to the reality of the relational interactions at the heart of successful leadership and the time constraints therein."
—Chris Browne, principal, Kildare Catholic College

"Munro and Campbell's book is a timely, uplifting guide for educational leaders seeking to transform hurried interactions into coachable moments. It makes a compelling case for building coaching cultures that value experimentation, trust, and intentionality—where leadership is not about control, but about cultivating thinking, connection, and meaningful change. In doing so, they light the path for leaders who want their conversations to truly make a difference."
—Melanie Chambers, British School of Brussels

"This is the book I wish I had when I first became a middle leader; so many of my interactions and conversations would have benefited from the deliberate approach put forward in Growth Talk. The book not only ignites your passion for coaching and leading with a coaching approach but also provides granular steps and stems for conversations and dealing with situations."
—Sam Crome, director of education, Xavier Catholic Education Trust, England

"Munro and Campbell masterfully show how every leader can shape culture, foster professional growth, build collective ownership, and improve outcomes—all through the quality of conversations we choose to have."
—Adam Hogan, principal in residence at the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership

"Educators who want to create and sustain dynamic, thriving, and growth-oriented relationships within their schools and school communities will find the resources and support to do so in Growth Talk. Munro and Campbell offer a book rich with examples, suggested approaches, and solid advice for transforming the way human beings work together and interact in schools. With the use of growth talk, adults and students can cultivate a learning environment grounded in the principles of honoring, trusting, and respecting one another and committing to each other's success."
—Joellen Killion, leadership and learning consultant

"Growth Talk by Chris Munro and John Campbell is a must-read for anyone interested in coaching, in all its guises, in an educational context. What sets this book apart is its unique ability to engage the reader in an ongoing dialogue that not only inspires the cultivation of a coaching culture within and beyond their organisation but also equips them with powerful, accessible questions and prompts that help transform aspiration into action."
—Joseph A. Moynihan, former teacher and school principal, University College Cork (UCC) Ireland

"The conversations that occur in schools are crucial to the goal of improving outcomes for students. Munro and Campbell provide the essentials of coaching conversations in a simple and practical guide that will support leaders at all levels to foster continuous growth and learning amongst their school communities. A great resource for fostering a culture of leading through purposeful conversations."
—Kendra Parker, director of Leadership Excellence Division, Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership

"Practical, human, and full of heart, Growth Talk is the kind of book you want to hand to every leader, regardless of their role or industry. It's packed with clear, usable strategies that you can apply straight away, but what really stayed with me was the warmth and humility throughout. It's grounded, honest, and deeply respectful of what it means to lead with people in mind. A brilliant reminder that how we talk to each other really does shape the culture we build."
—Carly Peart, Bangkok Patana School

"This book is as informative as it is practical—one to return to again and again. It powerfully reframes conversations not just as tools for reflection but as catalysts for growth in both learning and relationships. Most valuable for me was the insight into how consistent, quality conversations can shape a culture of learning across an entire organization—where everyone has the potential to lead through dialogue. A vital resource for those looking to not only build their own skills but to model coaching as a way of leading and learning."
—Barbara Watterston, CEO, Australian Council for Educational Leaders

"Munro and Campbell lead with humanity. Their vision of "coaching as a way of leading" renews trust, agency and hope amid the accelerating complexity of school life, and it reminds us that purposeful conversation remains a powerful lever for change."
—Scott Williams, Associate Director of Educational Programs, Shanghai American School

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