ED YARRISH - EXECUTIVE COACH
Ed Yarrish was the speaker at the July 14 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Ed is an executive coach, peer group facilitator and leadership trainer. Much of his work is with Vistage International, a CEO membership organization with groups in 16 countries.
Ed focused much of his presentation around the topic of listening and various techniques he employs in working with executives. When listening to others, Ed reminded us of the power of words. He recalled several stories around this them including a time when he was under extreme pressure to assimilate a lot of facts and materials for one of his business ventures. He said his thoughts were all about the need to “digest” the information. Ultimately, he ended up in the hospital with an extremely elevated level of gastric juices which were literally digesting his own stomach.
Ed also discussed the “gentle art of asking questions” – which he views as the key to understanding others. The key to this approach is engaging the other party’s mind, not using questions that elicit defensiveness or steer the other party in a particular direction.
Ed provided several examples of using large pieces of paper to draw out answers from his clients. This included a lifeline illustration of the key milestones in the client’s life. He also described diagramming key relationships as a means to gain perspective regarding potential solutions to problems affecting others.
Ed ended his presentation with the “value of a caring approach to feedback.” This can take many forms. For example, Ed offers to look focus on the potholes while his clients focus on the stars (or vice versa). He also mentioned mirroring the words used by others to confirm understanding. Ed cited studies which concluded individuals need 4 to 5 times more positive feedback than negative feedback to grow.