Peer Coaching Conversation Guide & Paired Session Template

What This Is — and What It Isn't

This is a structured skill-transfer system between reps. It is not a buddy programme, a mentoring scheme, or a substitute for manager-led performance conversations.

Use peer coaching for:

• Specific, observable call techniques (objection handling, discovery questioning, talk-time ratio)
• Process skills (CRM hygiene, pipeline staging discipline, email sequencing)
• Product knowledge gaps where a peer has recent win experience
• Onboarding acceleration — getting a new rep to competent faster

Do not use peer coaching for:

• Performance issues or PIPs — this creates liability and peer resentment
• Motivation problems — a struggling rep paired with a peer is a morale risk for both
• Compensation disputes, role fit questions, or anything that needs HR involvement
• Situations where the "coach" rep has the same gap — you're spreading bad habits

---

Step 1: Pairing Criteria Matrix

Pair on two axes: skill-gap severity (how urgent is the gap?) and experience delta (how much more capable is the coaching rep?).

Before pairing, the manager confirms:

• The coaching rep is genuinely strong in the target skill (not just senior)
• Neither rep has a live performance concern
• The gap is skill-based, not effort or attitude-based
• Both reps have been briefed on the purpose — no surprises

---

Step 2: The 30-Minute Session Agenda

Run this every fortnight. Both reps protect the slot.

Hard rules:

• The coaching rep does not share their own examples until the feedback segment. The session is not about them.
• No call recording played should be longer than 3 minutes. Clip it in advance.
• Both reps complete the session log before they leave the call.

---

Step 3: Prompt Cards

Print or share these digitally. Each rep has their own version.

---

Coaching Rep Prompt Card

Your job is to ask, not instruct. You are not the manager. You are not delivering a training course.

Opening (Focus Alignment):

"What's the one thing you want to get better at in this session? Just one."

During the example (Exploration):

"Walk me through what you were thinking at that moment." "What were you trying to achieve when you said that?" "What did you notice about how they responded?" "What would you do differently if you could replay it?"

If they're stuck:

"When I've been in a similar spot, the thing I've found useful is [one specific behaviour]. Does that feel relevant here?"

Avoid:

• "You should have said…" — reframe to "What might have happened if you'd tried…?"
• Telling your own story for more than 60 seconds
• Giving more than two suggestions per session

---

Rep Being Coached Prompt Card

You drive this session. Bring a real example. Vague hypotheticals produce nothing.

Prepare before the session:

• Pull a specific call, email, or conversation from the past two weeks
• Know the outcome: what happened, what you wanted to happen
• Have one question you actually want answered

During exploration:

• Answer honestly. Don't perform. This isn't a roleplay.
• If you're not sure why you did something, say so.

During feedback:

"The one thing I want feedback on specifically is [X]." "Is there anything I'm not seeing that you think is getting in my way?"

---

Step 4: Feedback Exchange Protocol

Both reps give and receive in the final segment. This is non-negotiable — one-directional feedback creates hierarchy and kills the dynamic within three sessions.

Sequence:

1. Rep being coached goes first — states one thing they're going to change and why

"Based on what we talked about, I'm going to [specific behaviour] because I think it'll change [specific outcome]."

1. Coaching rep gives one piece of specific feedback — not a rating, not a compliment sandwich

"The thing I noticed that I don't think you've named yet is [observation]. I've seen it show up when [context]. It's worth thinking about whether [question]."

1. Rep being coached gives feedback to the coaching rep — yes, this is required

"The question you asked that helped me most was [X]. The bit that felt less useful was when you [Y] — I think it would land better if [alternative]."

This keeps the coaching rep improving their coaching skill. Without it, coaching reps plateau and sessions go stale.

---

Step 5: Session Log (One Page — Manager Reviews Asynchronously)

Both reps complete this together at the end of the session. Manager does not attend.

---

Session Log

Date: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ | Coaching Rep: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ | Rep Being Coached: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Skill focus this session:

Example discussed (brief description — no names, no client detail):

Key insight for the rep being coached:

Behaviour commitment (rep being coached): I will \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ in the next two weeks, specifically when \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Feedback to coaching rep (one observation):

Did you have enough time? Y / N — if N, what ran over:

Manager: flag this session if anything needs follow-up? Y / N

---

Manager reviews logs weekly. They are looking for: commitments that are too vague, sessions that consistently run over (agenda discipline problem), and whether the same focus area keeps appearing (escalate to structured training).

---

Step 6: Manager Cadence — Pairs, Rotation, and Measurement

Pair rotation: Every 8 weeks (4 sessions). Rotating prevents dependency and exposes reps to different coaching styles. Exception: if observable progress is still in flight and both reps want to continue, extend by one cycle only.

How to know whether it's working — observable indicators:

If after two full cycles (8 sessions) there is no observable change in even one indicator, the pairing is not working. Options: change the pair, escalate to manager coaching, or question whether the gap is actually skill-based.

Quarterly manager review — three questions:

1. Which pairs produced observable behaviour change?
2. Which coaching reps are developing coaching skill themselves (potential team leads)?
3. Which gaps keep reappearing across multiple reps? (That's a training need, not a peer coaching need.)

---

When to Stop a Pairing Immediately

• Either rep raises a concern about the dynamic — act the same day
• Performance management begins for either rep
• The coaching rep starts using sessions to vent about the team or manager
• Session logs are being skipped or filled in after the fact

Peer coaching works because it's low-stakes and peer-led. The moment it carries formal weight or one rep has authority over the other, it stops being peer coaching.