By Katherine Atkinson

We know coaches are crucial to the success of economic inclusion programs. Over the past several months, we’ve been taking a fresh look at how our coaching tools can better support the realities of field implementation and, more importantly, how they can create a more consistent, empowering experience for the participants we serve.

This refresh is grounded in emerging best practice, including insights from BRAC’s recent Reimagining the Delivery of Coaching in Graduation Programmes, which highlights the importance of adaptable delivery models, clearer role definition, and tools that mitigate the workload for frontline staff. Those principles have shaped every stage of our design process.

1. Be Clear about the Role of the Coach

One of the most important shifts in our refresh is articulating the discrete role of the coach: supporting behavior changes at the household level. We refer to that individual as the accompaniment coach. Coaches often perform multiple roles across a program, so a curriculum is needed to anchor this specific role while also acknowledging the broader coaching portfolio. This kind of clarity helps coaches understand not just what to deliver, but why it matters within the larger system of support.

2. Design for Real Coaches and Real Contexts

With this clarity of roles in mind, we are building a refreshed curriculum for field-based coaches who work directly with program participants in behavior change support.

In the programs we co-implement or support through technical partnerships, these are often community members or government extension workers with varying levels of formal training, literacy, and experience with structured coaching tools. Before drafting anything, we consulted with technical teams and field staff to understand what our coaches need to feel confident and effective in their roles. Their feedback has reinforced the need for materials that are practical, adaptable, and easy to use during real conversations.

3. Ground the Design in Adult Learning

Adult learners bring lived experience, preferences, and constraints. Many of our coaches and participants prefer hands-on, practical learning over text heavy materials. This led us to prioritize:

• Activities centered on discussion, group work, case studies, role play, and practice
• High visual impact to support variable literacy
• Clear, modular structure for consistency across dispersed teams
• Flexibility for experienced coaches to adapt and scaffold

These choices align closely with the best practice recommendations in the coaching literature, which emphasize experiential learning and the importance of building self-efficacy.

A key consideration in the design is balancing visual simplicity with the need for robust, standardized guidance. It’s essential for us to understand the best way to present the curriculum given the diversity of coach backgrounds, education, and experience—which has led us to lean towards a modular, visual, flashcard-based format with color-coded components and consistent symbols for recurring elements. Each session would be a self-contained set of cards that could be detached from the deck, bound with a ring clip, and taken into the field for delivery.  

4. Create a Modular Curriculum for Global Coherence and Local Adaptation

To balance standardization and consistency with contextual relevance, we’ve designed a modular structure: core sessions that apply across all contexts; for example, goal setting, problem solving, communication, building self-efficacy and agency, and optional sessions that projects can select based on participant needs. These optional sessions can include examining beliefs, managing stress, digital literacy, and gender sensitivity. This approach reflects best practices in adaptable coaching delivery and allows regional teams to tailor the experience while maintaining a global standard.

5. Blend Group and Individual Coaching

While evidence strongly supports the efficacy of group coaching, our field teams emphasize the value of individual household engagement, so we’ve designed a structure that accommodates both.

Group sessions build community, normalize challenges, and create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. Sector evidence also suggests that group coaching can strengthen understanding of program objectives and encourage greater participation in complementary activities such as VSLAs. Meanwhile, individual sessions allow for deeper reflection and tailored support for behavior change.

We’ve intentionally designed the curriculum to leverage the strengths of both modalities to create a more holistic and responsive coaching experience.

6. Support Coaches Through Robust Training

Alongside the curriculum, we’re developing a comprehensive Training of Coaches program that clarifies roles, builds foundational skills, and provides hands-on practice with the tools. Early feedback from our teams suggests that sessions designed to build participant self-efficacy also resonate with coaches themselves—a reminder that confidence is a shared foundation for effective coaching. This ensures that coaches feel prepared, supported, and aligned with the curriculum’s intent.

What’s Next

We’re currently deep in the design phase and working closely with a designer to bring the curriculum to life visually, which is being shaped through ongoing consultation and iteration with our teams on the ground. Digital enhancements are currently underway for Trickle Up’s coaching app, and the refreshed curriculum is being designed to integrate seamlessly with this tool.

Revising our coaching approach has ultimately meant investing in coaches by clearly defining their roles and equipping them with practical tools, flexible structures, and essential training. Together, these efforts position us to deliver a more impactful, scalable coaching model that better serves participants and strengthens outcomes over the long term.

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