If you’ve ever coached an Odyssey of the Mind team, you know the tension.
You want to help. You see the answer, the shortcut, the perfect phrase, the stronger structure. And yet — you can’t touch it. You can’t say it. You can’t even raise an eyebrow in the wrong direction.
Welcome to coaching without doing.
It’s an art. A mindset. A practice in radical restraint — and radical creativity. Because in OM, the gold isn’t in getting the best solution. It’s in the kids getting the solution, on their own.
Still, it doesn’t mean you’re powerless. Far from it. The best OM coaches are like ninjas — invisible in the final performance, yet essential to the journey. Here’s how to support your team without crossing the creative interference line.
1. Coach the Process, Not the Product
Your job isn’t to shape their solution. It’s to shape their approach.
You can’t say, “Build it this way,” but you can ask:
- “What’s the challenge asking for, exactly?”
- “How could you test that idea before spending time building it?”
- “What are the roles each team member is taking on?”
These kinds of process questions help them stay focused, collaborate better, and problem-solve independently — all skills that are far more valuable than your idea for a really cool hinge system.
2. Ask Open-Ended, Not Leading, Questions
There’s a world of difference between:
“Have you thought about using cardboard here?”
and
“What materials could you use to make that lighter?”
One is a hint (creative interference). The other is a spark (critical thinking). As a coach, your questions should open doors — not sneak them through the back window.
When in doubt, fall back on the classic coach mantra:
“What do you think?”
3. Teach Skills, Not Solutions
You can’t build the set. But you can teach basic tools.
If a team wants to use a pulley but doesn’t know what one is, you can:
- Show them how a pulley works (outside the context of their solution).
- Teach them how to use a glue gun or wire cutters safely.
- Help them understand project management tools like to-do lists or timeboxing.
This kind of skill-building is fair game — and it empowers the team to own the entire process, from brainstorming to execution.
4. Manage Time, Not Decisions
Coaches can and should help with time management. You can:
- Keep track of schedules and deadlines.
- Remind them when spontaneous practice is due.
- Create calendars and gently nudge them to stay on track.
But when it comes to what they do in that time? That’s on them. If they want to spend the whole week painting a prop instead of writing dialogue, you can reflect it back:
“Do you feel the script is ready to go?”
Then step back and let them steer.
5. Reflect, Don’t Redirect
One of the best tools in your belt is reflection.
Instead of telling them an idea won’t work, ask:
“What might go wrong with this plan?”
“How would a judge see this?”
“How can you test if this will hold up on competition day?”
Helping them develop their own feedback loop is how they’ll learn to self-correct, improve, and grow as thinkers and teammates.
The Best OM Coaches Aren’t Directors — They’re Mirrors
Your job is not to guide the story. It’s to support the storytellers.
Yes, it can be agonizing to watch a suboptimal idea flourish when you know a better one. But OM isn’t about the “best” solution. It’s about originality, ownership, and learning.
So take a breath. Ask a question. Watch the light bulbs go on — and know that behind every great OM solution is a coach who stayed just out of frame, cheering them on.
