What is DirectKind?
DirectKind is your personal AI coaching partner for workplace conversations. Unlike generic AI tools, DirectKind remembers your team, coaches you through proven frameworks, lets you practice conversations before they happen, and tracks your growth as a manager.
Think of it as having a seasoned management coach available 24/7 — one who knows your team as well as you do.
DirectKind is judgment-free, always available, and gets smarter about your team with every session.
Getting Started
Create Your Account
Sign up using your invite link or code at directkind.com/signup. You can sign up with Google or create an account with email and password. During beta, you'll have full access to all features.
Tip: DirectKind is currently invite-only. If you don't have an invite code, request access at directkind.com/request-access.
Add Your Team Members
Go to Team → Add Team Member. For each person, add their name, role, time on your team, communication style (optional but recommended), and any private notes.
Tip: The more context you provide, the better your coaching sessions will be. Your coach remembers everything you save here and uses it to personalize advice.
Start Your First Coaching Session
Click "Start Coaching" from anywhere in the app. You'll be asked to select who you're preparing to talk to — choose a team member or select "Someone not listed" for a new person.
The Coaching Flow
Every coaching session follows a natural progression through four phases:
Phase 1: Understanding Your Situation
Your coach asks questions to understand what's happening. Be specific — share the context, what's been going on, how you're feeling about it, and what you've already tried.
Tips for this phase:
- Be honest about the situation — your coach has no judgment
- Include specific examples (e.g., "She missed the last 3 sprint deadlines")
- Mention any emotional complexity (e.g., "I like Sarah personally, which makes this harder")
- Share what outcome you're hoping for
Phase 2: Building Your Approach
Based on your situation, your coach recommends a communication framework and helps you plan how to structure the conversation. You'll learn why a specific framework fits your situation and how to apply it.
Phase 3: Practice Mode (AI Roleplay)
This is where DirectKind truly shines. Your coach simulates the person you're about to talk to. You get to practice your opening statement, experience realistic pushback and reactions, try different approaches, and build confidence.
Tips for this phase:
- Try your opening line first — the hardest part is starting
- If the simulated response throws you off, that's the point — better to stumble here than in the real conversation
- Practice 2-3 times if possible — each time you'll feel more confident
- Pay attention to how you phrase things — small wording changes make a big difference
Phase 4: Reflection (Post-Conversation)
After your real conversation, come back to DirectKind. Reflect on how it went, what went well, what you'd do differently, and what follow-up is needed. Your reflections feed into your growth dashboard and help your coach give better advice next time.
Your Team
The Team section (accessible from the nav bar) is where you manage your team member profiles.
Each profile includes basic info (name, role, tenure), communication style notes, private notes, coaching history (every session related to this person), and stats like number of sessions and success rate.
You can start a coaching session directly from any team member's profile by clicking "Start Coaching."
Important: Team member profiles are completely private. Only you can see them. They are never shared with anyone, including your company.
Sessions
The Sessions page shows all your coaching sessions organized by status:
In Progress
Sessions you've started but haven't completed
Ready to Use
Coaching is done, approach is ready
Completed
Conversation happened, reflection logged
Click any session to continue where you left off.
Growth Dashboard
Your Growth Dashboard tracks your development as a manager over time. You'll see:
- Total sessions completed
- Sessions that went well
- Sessions reflected on
- Overall success rate
- Badges earned for milestones (First Session, Framework Master, etc.)
- Your current level: Exploring → Developing → Proficient → Advanced
Tip: The Growth Dashboard becomes most valuable after 5+ sessions with reflections. The more you use DirectKind and reflect on outcomes, the more personalized your insights become.
Communication Frameworks
The Learn section contains detailed guides on four evidence-based communication frameworks:
GROW Model
Best for: Coaching someone to find their own solution
Structure: Goal → Reality → Options → Will
Use when: Career development conversations, helping someone problem-solve, performance discussions where the person needs ownership
SBI Framework
Best for: Giving specific, actionable feedback
Structure: Situation → Behavior → Impact
Use when: Performance feedback, addressing specific behaviors, giving both positive and constructive feedback
Radical Candor
Best for: Balancing empathy with directness
Structure: Care Personally + Challenge Directly
Use when: Tough conversations where the relationship matters, building trust while addressing issues
NVC (Nonviolent Communication)
Best for: Navigating emotional or sensitive conversations
Structure: Observations → Feelings → Needs → Requests
Use when: Conflict resolution, conversations where emotions are running high, interpersonal issues
You don't need to choose a framework yourself — your coach recommends the right one based on your situation.
Tips for Success
Add your real team members
The coach works best when it knows who you're talking about
Be specific and honest
Share real details — the AI is judgment-free and confidential
Practice at least twice
The first practice run is for learning; the second is for confidence
Come back and reflect
After the real conversation, log how it went — this is how you grow
Try different scenarios
Don't just use DirectKind for tough conversations — try it for giving recognition, delegation, career development
Build the habit
The managers who improve fastest use DirectKind before every important conversation, not just the scary ones
Privacy and Data
Share Your Feedback
We're building DirectKind with our users. Your feedback shapes what we build next.
Look for the Feedback button in the bottom-right corner of any page. Click it to:
- Rate your experience (1-5 stars)
- Share what you love or wish was different
- Report bugs or confusing experiences
- Suggest new features
During beta, we read every piece of feedback personally. Your input directly influences what we build.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this replacing human coaching?
No. DirectKind complements human coaching by being available 24/7 for in-the-moment preparation. If you have access to a human coach, use both — DirectKind for day-to-day preparation, your human coach for deeper development.
Can my company see my coaching sessions?
No. All sessions are completely private to your account.
How is this different from just using ChatGPT?
Three key differences: 1) DirectKind remembers your team across sessions — ChatGPT starts from zero every time. 2) Practice mode simulates your actual team member — ChatGPT can't do this with context. 3) Growth tracking shows your improvement over time — ChatGPT has no continuity.
What if I don't know which framework to use?
You don't need to. Your coach analyzes your situation and recommends the right approach. You can always explore frameworks in the Learn section if you want to understand the reasoning.
Can I use DirectKind for positive conversations too?
Absolutely. It's great for giving recognition, discussing promotions, career development conversations, and team check-ins — not just difficult situations.
Ready to get started?
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