If you want to become a successful coach, you need to develop a set structure and a methodical approach to every session. Successful coaches customize their services according to the client’s needs, but they also have a guideline they follow to ensure every session goes smoothly and the clients get the expected results quickly. Developing a good coaching session structure is one of the best skills you can learn as a professional. Many coach training organizations include this in their courses. There are different ways to develop a coaching plan for every session. One of the most straightforward approaches is explained below:
The Three-Step Approach
Many new and inexperienced coaches are intimidated by the prospect of planning a session. They get bogged down by complex strategies and intricate notes, which can do more harm than good. That’s why experts recommend keeping it simple as much as possible. The popular transformative approach has only three steps and it is ideal for all kinds of clients and scenarios. Here’s a look at what you can expect:
- The Lead-Up
The lead-up is the process of establishing a baseline understanding of your client. Whether you’re working with a new client or have been conducting sessions with them for months, a lead-up process helps you establish a baseline for the session. Just like every conversation usually starts with a ‘hello, how are you?’, every session starts with a lead up where the coach gets to understand the client’s current state of mind and emotions.
The lead-up doesn’t just help you catch up and refresh your memory, it can also help the client relax and become mentally prepared for the session. The most important aspect of this process is to understand the core issue that is holding your client back. Most clients and coaches are already aware of these issues if they have been working together for a long time, but it is a good idea to ask nonetheless. It redirects the client’s attention so they are in a better mindset to tackle the issue.
There are different ways to handle a lead-up during a coaching season. Most professionals ask guiding questions or recap points discussed in the previous session. Every coach has a different way to handle every client so there’s a lot of flexibility in this process.
- The Breakthrough
The breakthrough is the meat of the session. This is where you actively work with the client to understand the problem and then apply all of your skills to come up with the solution. Most professionals consider the breakthrough the most interesting aspect of a coaching session. You get to experiment with all the tools in your arsenal, employ your hard-earned coaching skills, and utilize your communication skills to bring the best out of your client.
It is easy to make this aspect of your session unnecessarily complicated. The transformative approach is all about working with your clients instead of leading them in a specific direction. You don’t need to plan for every second of the process. All you need to do is listen to your clients and be present.
This process involves helping clients reach their own conclusions and ensuring they understand their strengths and weaknesses well.
- The Takeaway
The improvement shouldn’t stop once the client steps out of your office. They should keep working on their progress and apply what they have discovered during the sessions to their real-life situations. If the lead-up and breakthrough aspects of the sessions go well, the takeaway would be a natural conclusion of your session.
You can speak with the client, revisit the points discussed during the session, and touch upon what needs to be done next. The idea is to establish a strong picture of the session in the client’s mind and ensure they leave with a positive mindset. You can use this opportunity to highlight their progress and success so far.
When you undergo formal coach training, it is easier to approach every session in an organized and methodical fashion. A disorganized approach can deliver good results sometimes but it doesn’t work for every session. It is possible to get the best of both worlds by developing a strategy and responding to the client’s input during sessions. A reputable coach training institute can help with that.
