Throughout history, coaching has acquired an enviable status, with a reputation of almost magical proportions. It grew to be seen to differ from training. It was the tool used to enable an athlete to be able to run that extra mile, finish that extra second earlier, achieve the unthinkable, do the unimaginable. In short, to win and win splendidly. In a business world where winning is the order of the day, and training strategies are drawn from sporting arenas and battlefields, training and coaching remain two separate fields of activity.
Training helps people to acquire new skills or abilities.
Coaching helps them to improve their performance. That distinction seems outdated to me. Old methods of assessment are dying out fast. In a world in which funding bodies are asking museums and galleries to assess the quality of the visitors experience, and people visiting them are expecting more and more, it is not surprising to find that people are starting to want a bit extra in the business world too. Nowadays, assessment via post-course evaluation questionnaires is not enough to justify running a course again.