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Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate Developing a coaching culture short course
This CPD course is designed for managers who want to support people, promote wellbeing, and contribute to their organisation’s development by adopting a coaching approach. It’s also valuable for professionals or volunteers whose roles involve supporting others. Some prior coaching knowledge and experience is expected, whether or not you hold a formal qualification. You don’t need to be working as a coach to benefit from the course, but you will need access to people with whom you can practise the coaching skills and behaviours explored throughout the course.
This Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course expands on core coaching skills, which equip coaches to work on a one-to-one basis for the benefit of themselves and others in their organisation. You may already be practicing as a coach or perhaps you feel you have limited opportunities for coaching conversations. Whatever the case, this course will help you to apply your interest and enthusiasm for coaching in the context of business, a voluntary organisation or a social context that matters to you. The emphasis is on realising benefits to people and organisations beyond the usual confines of the quiet coaching room.
As an online course you are free to move around it or browse as you like, however when writing it, there was a flow to the activities devised in successive units, and so some earlier activities underpin those in later ones. There are eight units in the course and as a practice-based course, many of the tools and techniques can be used to help provide structure and a framework to help your coaches clarify their thinking and define their goals. All units have something to offer and so we encourage you to engage with all Sections in them.
Unit 1
Me and my coaching assesses what you have to offer and pitches a vision for your coaching future.
Unit 2
My coaching community explores the organisational culture and opportunities for using your coaching skills in different situations.
Unit 3
Relationships, boundaries and transitions looks at the nature of coaching relationships and how you connect with others in the right way at the right time, recognising the importance of remaining non-judgmental and coaching ethics.
Unit 4
Conversation matters examines the power of effective questions as you develop a bank of questions to support your practice.
Unit 5
Deep listening, gentle challenge enables you to practice active and authentic listening and explores push and pull techniques for your conversations.
Unit 6
Minding our language shows how you can harness power in your coaching conversations to help teams talk, give feedback and how to use storytelling with candour and courage.
Unit 7
Reflecting on and in coaching cultures considers the benefits of coaching as a reflective opportunity and introduces you to the coaching supervision model.
Unit 8
Learning and growing together furthers your understanding of the ‘cycle of reflection’ and provides you with an opportunity to compare your experiences with other practitioners.
After completing this CPD course, you should be able to:
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond to you directly. Other support is available via the course forum, dedicated website and computing helpdesk.
There is a practice-based assignment (PBA) which you complete at the end of the course to demonstrate how you have applied, or are intending to apply, the theories and models you have learnt. Once completed and successfully passed you will receive a digital badge and a course completion certificate which you can download as a record of your learning.
The course is made up of eight units and will require around 20 hours to complete.
You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a time period of between 6 and 18 months, depending on your course registration date, and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.
You’ll have access to a course website, which includes:
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
Although there are no formal academic requirements, this course requires some prior knowledge and experience of coaching, whether you have a formal qualification or not. You will also need to have access to people so you can practice the skills and behaviours covered in this course with.
You can register and begin at any time during the life of the course. You can study at your own pace and submit your practice-based assignment at any date before the final submission date for the course.
Please note that depending on when you register, you will have at least six months to study with a specific submission date for your practice-based assignment. Information about your final submission date is available when you register for the course. If you feel six months may not be sufficient time for your study and submission, please contact us to discuss your study options, including current final submission date before you register.
The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying BGXC001 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
StartEngland fee
At anytime before 31/07/2026£250
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
You can start this course anytime.
You can start this course anytime.
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