ABSTRACT
Master-level practitioners have the ability to use evidence-based practices (EBPs) in an intuitive and spontaneous manner while simultaneously navigating the ever-changing landscape of a coaching conversation. The conduct of coaching exists on a continuum from novice to master level. There are recognizable indicators that provide clues as to where a practitioner is on that continuum. By contrast, master-level (Level III) practitioners process information differently. In this chapter, it was argued that master-level coaching does not result from evidence-based practices or reflective observation alone. Master-level coaching can only occur if a cognitive structure exists that makes it possible to engage in reflection-in-action, i.e., to reshape what one is doing and how it is being done, in real time, during the flow of a coaching conversation while simultaneously focusing on the outcomes of those actions. To accomplish this, coaches must have a knowledge structure—a schema—that guides information processing for this purpose.
