How to start a great coaching conversation? Free Script to Start with!

A powerful conversation is the cornerstone of any solid coaching session and to bring life into your coaching sessions, you need to have a well-defined, structured coaching conversation script. Coaching conversations are difficult because every conversation is unique. Coaches have to be flexible enough to adapt to all those differences to provide valuable coaching.

Start with asking yourself questions

Ask yourself how long your typical coaching session lasts. To make your words effective and hit the bull’s eye, you cannot drag the coaching hours; instead, it will seem exhausting. Put a timer on every question.

Always stick with the goals

Align your coaching objectives with the client goals and then have a conversation that can take you closer to the goals with each passing day. Consider the GROWTH model of coaching and emphasize on:

• Goals
• Reality
• Options
• Will
• Tactics
• Habits

Make your coachee find the answer, don’t provide the answer

Never let the fact slip your mind that you can only show the pathway, but a coachee has to find answers, overcome obstacles and find the answers on his own. Never impose your solutions on your coachee. Assist him/her in finding his/her own answers.

Still not clear? Then, here is a template for a coaching conversation script that can simplify your conversation and provide you a sneak peek into how you can interact with your client.

COACHING CONVERSATION TEMPLATE

1. Introduction – 5 to 7 minutes
2. Defining coach-coachee relationship – 10 to 12 minutes
3. Listing and aligning priorities – 5 minutes
4. Set out the goal of the conversation – 5 minutes
5. Identify the actions to address the priority – 15 minutes
6. Reflecting on the coaching and actions – 10 minutes

Introduction	Who are you? Who am I? Tell the coachee a bit about yourself. Ask them what they hope to get out of the coaching.
	Notes:
Defining coach-coachee relationship	Why are we here? Take some time to talk about how you each define coaching. Set some expectations for how the two of you want coaching sessions to work. How often to meet? What is a realistic amount of time to spend at each meeting? (At least one hour is recommended)
	Notes:
Listing and aligning priorities	Based on goals/previous action steps and the current state, what will this conversation focus on? How does it relate to the coachee’s goals? Is it meaningful and important to you? Is this goal beneficial to you right now?
	Notes:
Set out the goal of the conversation	What does the coachee want to talk about? What does the coachee hope to gain? Are the goal(s) stated meaningful? Actionable? Achievable? Specific enough?
	Notes:
Identify the actions to address the priority	What should we know about each other to best work together? What are the things you are actually going to do to achieve the goal? What steps do you need to take? What are some obstacles you need to overcome?
	Notes:
Reflecting on the coaching and actions	What is it about this goal that is inspiring and exciting to you? What do you hope to get out of accomplishing this goal? How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal? What does “success” look like? By when do you want to see progress/results? Do you stop and think about what you did well and what you might do differently next time? What should happen by our next meeting?
	Notes:

Table 1: Coach Transformation Academy Coaching Conversation Template

Of course, every coach will have different questions, interventions, and tools for coaching conversations. You can use them as per your style. This coaching conversation template is just for reference.

Conclusion:

Do you want to start your own coaching practice? Or you’re already practicing coaching and want to hone your coaching skills? Coach Transformation Academy provides ICF-accredited coach training programs and advanced coaching programs for those who wish to acquire and master coaching skills. Contact now for more information.