I have been having mixed feelings about this thread.  I, too, have seen
staff use an approach that could easily be described this way.  The
biggest problem is that the "helper"'s fingers too often wind up right
where baby's mouth should be covering the areola!.  Just as I try to
tell babies that "there's not room in your mouth for your fingers and
Mommie at the same time", any attempt to shape and aim the breast that
winds up with fingers on the area that should be inside baby's mouth
will be counterproductive.  I often find it helps to place the fingers
well back on the breast (well out of the way so baby has room for a good
latch) and compress while at the same time bringing the compressed
breast tissue slightly inward toward mom's chest wall.  This often gives
more substance for baby to grasp as well as flattening a large breast to
allow more to get inside baby's mouth before it closes.  Once baby is
latched and begins suckling, mom (or whoever is helping her) can relax
her hand and continue just to support the weight of the breast so it
doesn't pull out of baby's mouth.  On those occasions where something
like the "teacup" hold is sued, it is done off to the side of the areola
so no fingers get in the way of an effective latch.

Winnie - finding it hard to describe in words what is so much easier to
demonstrate!

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