Tears with peers

Tears with peers: how to empower each other

The amount of mental health issues due to work-related stress is increasing. We encounter this phenomenon also among (young) testers dealing with mental pressure and burnout. Wouldn’t it be great if we are able to deal with these issues or even better, if we can help each other? Empowerment by colleagues and gaining professional and personal growth is precisely the focus of this workshop – understanding and implementing issues in consulting by peer coaching.

Peer coaching is an effective way to reveal behavioral patterns in work and it addresses assumptions about the professional role. It improves personal functioning and collaboration with colleagues. Its base is reflection. Reflection on your actions. This is done in a permanent group of about 8 participants who regularly meet each other. Participants take turns presenting real-life cases or situations they have encountered in their work. The group then engages in a constructive and facilitated discussion following a method, providing feedback, insights, and suggestions to help the presenter gain new perspectives and potential solutions. This exchange is typically characterized by a non-hierarchical and supportive atmosphere, encouraging open communication and sharing knowledge and expertise among peers. For example: one participant presents a case in which the participant can’t meet up with the expectations of the client. Everyone in the peer group then ask open ended questions and later on reflect on the answers given by the case holder. This then aims to provide the case holder with new views on the question.

This workshop follows a "train-the-trainer" structure, aiming to train you as a supervisor in a peer coaching group. We will start with simple exercises to warm up and get to know each other better. We will provide you with some theoretical knowledge and then we will practice with two or three methods. First under supervision and later all by yourself. A key characteristic of peer coaching is its systematic approach. Without the structured discipline of a chosen method, a peer coaching group can turn into a casual discussion group. We will introduce you to the incident method, a structured checking the facts method and the method of gossiping: let other people gossip over a case you introduced, while you can reflect on what you hear.

Facilitating the workshop is a professional coach, Wilma Spinnewijn, with expertise in teaching and supervising medical students and doctors through peer consulting. Ard Kramer will assist her with extensive experience in agile testing, bridging the gap between the medical world and IT.

We hope you recognize the value of peer consulting in your work environment. If you're eager to contribute to your well-being and that of your peers, join our session and create a safe space where helpful tears can be shared among colleagues.