This audio CD covers all of the topics in depth and for an absolute beginner it could provide some useful discussion/ reflection points. It is well structured and each 'chapter' is balanced and easy to listen to.
The biggest down side: the definitions used for coaching and mentoring are not clear - they are not in line with the definitions used by the CIPD and other professional bodies and are inconsistent making it then tricky to apply the skills.
The other issue is that it seems to have been written by people heavily involved in NVQs - some of the areas therefore are focused on this and not on more general workplace coaching and mentoring. The synopsis for this item does not make this clear.