What Are The 5 Steps To A Coaching Session

Welcome to our blog about the 5 essentials of creating a great coaching session.

The five steps to a coaching session can vary depending on the coaching model or approach used. However, we can provide you with a general framework that is commonly followed in coaching sessions.

Here are the five steps:

1. Establishing Rapport and Setting The Agenda: Begin the coaching session by establishing a positive and trusting relationship with the coachee. Take some time to build rapport and create a safe space for open communication. Discuss and clarify the agenda for the session, ensuring that both you and the coachee are clear on what will be addressed.
2. Exploring The Current Situation: Encourage the coachee to share their current situation, challenges, or goals. Ask open-ended questions to help them explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences related to the topic. Listen actively and attentively, allowing the coachee to express themselves fully. (We touch on this in our blog, Qualities That Make A Great Coach – Read our blog here)
3. Setting Goals and Objectives: Help the coachee identify specific and measurable goals they would like to achieve. Work together to clarify these goals and ensure they are realistic and aligned with the coachee’s values and aspirations. Encourage the coachee to break down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps.
4. Developing Strategies and Action Plans: Collaborate with the coachee to explore potential strategies and actions that can help them move towards their goals. Encourage creative thinking and problem-solving. Support the coachee in identifying potential obstacles or challenges and brainstorming ways to overcome them. Help them create a detailed action plan with specific steps, timelines, and accountability measures.
5. Supported Follow-up: Towards the end of the coaching session, facilitate a reflective conversation. Encourage the coachee to reflect on their insights, learnings, and progress made during the session. Discuss any shifts in perspectives, new ideas, or aha moments they experienced. Provide positive feedback and acknowledge their efforts. The importance of this follow up step is to use it as motivation for a coachees goals to be met upon the agreed timeframe. This is accomplished by recognising progress and encouraging the coachee to manage any obstacles presented in front of them. Finally, evaluate the coaching session together and check if the coachee’s expectations were met.

Remember that coaching sessions can be customized based on the needs and preferences of the coachee and the coach, and not every session is the same