Coaching A to Z Book Image

Coaching A to Z: The Extraordinary Use of Ordinary Words

In this incredibly captivating book, leading communication expert Haesun Moon offers a set of remarkably ordinary words or phrases—one for every letter of the alphabet—to help you hold extraordinary conversations with yourself and others. Based on her extensive research at the University of Toronto, Moon invites you to step into the transformative spaces of purpose, possibilities, and progress—moving you from conversation mystery to mastery, one story at a time.

Whatever space you occupy in your world, the ability to coach others and curate better life stories with them is an integral skill, one of the most important crafts you can master. Coaching A–Z is an indispensable tool for anyone seeking to harness the magic of hosting conversations that matter. Read the Reviews.

READ AN EXCERPT

Reviews

  • “Through the stories in this book—some of them moving, some of them very, very funny—a mind-set emerges. This happens without the distraction caused by the fancy words that coaches and therapists usually use when they describe what they do. For the experienced practitioner, the book will be a reminder to stay humble, and for the beginner, it will be a learning experience. Interspersed without ever dominating are elegant tips and techniques that are useful for everyone doing this or similar kinds of work. You might cry at certain passages and you will surely laugh at others. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in collaborative therapy and coaching.”

    — HARRY KORMAN, MD, brief therapist, trainer, and supervisor; director, SIKT (Malmö); co-author, More Than Miracles

  • "Moon realizes that certain words are particularly helpful and powerful in making conversations better (all conversations, not just coaching ones). It’s one short word per letter (“Difference”, “Might”, and “Yet” are three of my favourites), and this feels like a collection of twenty-six precise tools that can help any type of discussion more elegant, more curious, more filled with potential and more useful."

    — MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER at Shepherd.com

  • “Sometimes a book comes along that makes you say ‘WOW, everyone needs this book!’ Practical, inspiring, and perspective shifting, Coaching A–Z: The Extraordinary Use of Ordinary Words clearly illustrates the power of language and communication to create and to change realities. Grounded in Haesun Moon’s meta theory, the Dialogic Orientation Quadrant, the stories and reflections in each chapter bring narrative strengths-based coaching to life. Filled with personal stories from her family and international coaching experiences, Coaching A–Z reads like an invitation to join Moon’s world where there is always something ‘else’ to be added to the conversation to bring out the best of people and situations. This is a book for all coaches, educators, and parents who want, as Moon’s father so often did, to turn trash into treasures. Read it and you will fall in love with words and the ways they can be used to generate delightfully positive and life-affirming possibilities.”

    — DIANA WHITNEY, PhD, founder, Corporation for Positive Change; co-founder, Taos Institute; co-author, The Power of Appreciative Inquiry, Appreciative Leadership, and Thriving Women, Thriving World

  • “If you have ever had the opportunity to attend one of Haesun Moon’s workshops or courses, you will recognize in this book her wonderful wit and wisdom woven into brilliant storytelling. She offers practical, and at the same time, powerful tools and concepts for us to use in our work whether in coaching, teaching, therapy, or in our daily lives simply enriching our relationship with ourselves and each other. She brings to life ideas that will stay with me and reminds me of the beauty of orienting toward what we care about most deeply and recognizing and celebrating our progress!”

    — KRISTIN BODIFORD, PhD, principal, Community Strengths; adjunct professor, Dominican University; author

  • “We are treated here to a festival of wisdom, insight, and creative practices of dialogue—especially relevant for therapists, counsellors, and coaches, but indeed for thriving in all our daily relations. A joy to read.”

    — KENNETH J. GERGEN, PhD, co-founder, Taos Institute; professor emeritus, Swarthmore College; co-author, Beyond the Tyranny of Testing

  • “Haesun Moon is an accomplished coach and trainer. Here, she describes the Solution-Focused techniques she uses in conversations with others by sharing personal and professional anecdotes. The result is a forward-looking, competency-based approach to coaching that is persuasive, engaging, and readily understood. Professionals and non-professionals alike will discover much in this book they can use- fully carry into their conversations with clients, colleagues, friends, and family.”

    — PETER DE JONG, PhD, MSW, co-author, Interviewing for Solutions; professor emeritus, sociology and social work (Calvin University); mental health therapist

  • “Coaching A–Z is a delightful and insightful guidebook for healing through conversation. Translating years of research and practice into simple, straightforward concepts, it shows how our words and questions can unleash strength, hope, and possibility in ourselves and others.”

    — AMANDA TROSTEN-BLOOM, principal, Corporation for Positive Change; principal, Rocky Mountain Center for Positive Change; co-author, Encyclopedia of Positive Questions

  • “Haesun Moon has delivered a brilliant breakthrough for anyone who works to help others create their ‘preferred future.’ After years of scholarship and practical experience, Moon boiled down the process of positive change into an elegant conversational model that has the best results of anything I’ve learned about or used in decades of executive coaching. Many people will live their best possible lives because of this very important process, so read this book and use it in your own life immediately!”

    — CAROLINE ADAMS MILLER, MAPP, bestselling author, Creating Your Best Life, Getting Grit, and My Name Is Caroline

Buy Online

The author would like to encourage you to buy from your local bookstore (click to shop local near you.)

If you’d like to purchase multiple copies of Coaching A to Z for your team, event, or to give as gifts, please contact orders@pagetwo.com. Special rate may be available, depending on volume.

Watch the video

Watch Haesun Moon speak about why she wrote this book. She introduces one of her favourite chapters of the book: “H”