Coaching guide
How a coaching programme works
The programme takes shape before the first session, when the need, the role of coaching, responsibilities and the boundaries of the relationship are clarified.
Closure comes when you can review the work done, recognise what you have learned and continue with greater independence.
Explore the guide
At a glance
A programme normally includes an introductory conversation, an agreement, defining the focus, a series of sessions, experiments in everyday life, checkpoints and closure.
The format, duration and rhythm vary according to the person, objective, context and whether the work is individual or in a group.
Clarity, responsibility, boundaries, review and independence remain the common reference points.
Listening remains open to what happens.
1. The introductory conversation
Understanding whether the programme is suitable
The introductory conversation is a preliminary discussion, distinct from a full session. It helps us understand the situation, expectations, the result you would like to observe and why you are looking for a coach.
Together, we establish whether the need falls within coaching, whether the professional has relevant expertise and whether there are sufficient conditions for working well.
At the end, you can begin, take time, redefine the question, choose another format or consult a different professional.
Deciding not to proceed can also be an appropriate conclusion.
2. The agreement
Making roles and conditions clear
Before starting, the nature of coaching, initial focus, format, approximate duration, frequency, costs and cancellation conditions are clarified.
The agreement also includes responsibilities, handling of information, limits of confidentiality, any sponsor involvement, review arrangements, the possibility of ending the programme and criteria for closure.
Clarity prevents coach and client from using the same word while expecting different services.
A clear agreement gives trust a practical foundation.
3. Defining the focus
The programme can begin with a specific decision or a situation you cannot yet formulate clearly: a change, a project, a role you have outgrown, a postponed conversation or a need to review priorities.
The first task is to narrow the topic enough to address it.
A useful focus clarifies what we will work on, what remains outside the programme, which change you want to observe, which signs may indicate progress and which constraints must be respected.
It should be concrete enough to guide the work without making it rigid.
4. The sessions
Each session has its own rhythm within a recognisable structure.
Arriving
We review what has happened since the last session and choose what needs attention today.
Defining the session’s focus
We agree on the result that would make the session useful, keeping the programme’s overall theme in mind.
Exploring
Listening, questions, observations and exercises help distinguish facts, interpretations, values, needs, possibilities, constraints, consequences and resources.
Choosing
We clarify what you now recognise, the direction you want to take and what you no longer want to leave undefined.
Taking the work into everyday life
The session may end with a step, conversation, decision, experiment or something to observe and review.
Closing the session
We gather what you want to remember and the responsibility you choose to take until the next session.
A session remains useful even without a major decision when it makes the problem more precise, rules out a hypothesis or shows that different support is needed.
5. Between sessions
The value of a session is also measured by what happens in everyday life.
Between sessions, you can try an action, observe a behaviour, prepare a conversation, formulate a request, set a boundary, gather information or test a hypothesis. Even consciously choosing not to act yet can provide useful information.
These activities are agreed experiments that test what you have understood in the real context of your choices, rather than assignments to complete for judgement.
The session opens a perspective.
6. Checkpoints
Reviewing the programme as it progresses
A checkpoint is an explicit moment to review the focus, observed changes, rhythm and suitability of the format.
It helps us understand what is producing useful movement, what needs adjusting, whether the topic is still relevant and whether it is time to finish or involve different support.
A lack of progress may reflect unrealistic expectations, too broad a focus, unsustainable actions, an unsuitable method, an insufficient fit or an obstacle requiring different expertise.
Continuing without review lengthens the programme without deepening it.
7. Closure
Returning the work to the person
Closure reviews the starting point, observed changes, decisions taken, experiments completed, resources recognised and aspects that remain open.
This review may lead to an ending, a pause, a plan for the following weeks or a recommendation for different support. A new phase makes sense only if a real, distinct objective emerges.
There is no automatic renewal.
One of the most important outcomes is being able to continue without the same support.
Different responsibilities within the same agreement
What the coach brings
The coach clarifies their role, respects agreements, works within their expertise and protects listening, focus, independence and confidentiality. They review progress, handle information properly and recognise when another professional is needed.
What the person brings
The person defines what they want to address, shares information they consider relevant, says when something is not useful, chooses actions and observes their consequences. They can ask for clarification, indicate a change in need and end the programme when they no longer consider it suitable.
The coach cannot guarantee the result; at the same time, the person is not left alone with the process.
Responsibility is shared, with different tasks.
Confidentiality and information
Agreements should explain how data are handled
Before starting, it is useful to know which information is collected, whether the coach takes notes, where and for how long they are kept, who can access them and which digital tools are used.
Sessions are not recorded automatically. Any recording requires a clear purpose, prior information and explicit agreement.
In an individual programme
What you share remains within the agreed boundaries, legal limits and safety conditions.
In group work
Confidentiality also depends on participants; this requires rules, the right not to share and no recording by default.
In a business setting
When there is a sponsor, all parties should know which objectives are shared, what feedback the company will receive and which individual content will remain confidential.
These conditions should be clarified before the programme begins.
The focus can change
The situation evolves, and the initial question may reveal another or lose relevance.
The change is discussed openly, checked against the scope of coaching and translated into a new agreement on focus, duration and expectations.
This allows the programme to change transparently, rather than silently turning into different work.
The structure varies according to the format
Individual coaching
The focus belongs to the person; duration, rhythm, confidentiality and checkpoints are agreed individually.
Group coaching
Each participant can bring their own topic within a shared structure. Rules, confidentiality, the right not to share and managing speaking turns protect both personal and common space.
Team Experience and work with teams
The focus belongs to the group or to the experience agreed with the company. Before starting, the shared objective, sponsor’s role, participation conditions, debrief arrangements and information that may be reported should be clear.
A Team Experience and team coaching respond to different objectives and levels of depth.
How I structure my programmes
The first conversation lasts around twenty to twenty-five minutes and helps us understand the situation, clarify expectations and establish whether we can work well together. It does not replace a full session.
In individual coaching, sessions last 60 minutes. The standard format includes six; for a limited objective, we may agree on three, while more complex transitions are organised into phases with their own focus and review points.
At the outset, we define the topic, signs of progress, rhythm, duration, responsibilities and conditions. Between sessions, what we have discussed becomes an observation, decision or experiment to try in everyday life.
At checkpoints, we assess whether the work remains useful. At the end, we choose whether to close, take a pause or consider a new phase based on a distinct objective.
There is no automatic renewal.
Group coaching and Team Experiences use specific programmes, agreements and rules.
Frequently asked questions
The introductory conversation is a preliminary discussion to understand the need, explain the service and establish whether the format is suitable.
Work on the focus begins within the agreed programme.
You can begin with a practical decision or a situation that is still unclear. The first phase also helps build a sufficiently clear focus.
The frequency depends on the focus, format and time needed to try out what emerges.
It is agreed before starting and can be reviewed at checkpoints.
We look at what prevented the action: it may have been too broad, unclear, no longer relevant or incompatible with the actual situation.
Not taking the step is not judged; it provides useful information for adjusting the work.
You can change the objective when the new focus is recognised and agreed.
We establish whether it remains compatible with coaching and, where necessary, update the duration, format and expectations.
You can end the programme according to the agreed conditions. No support should continue against the person’s wishes.
Where possible, a closing conversation helps understand what did not work and what to take with you.
They should not be recorded automatically.
Any recording requires prior information, a clear purpose and explicit agreement.
The actual arrangements for handling notes and data should be clarified before starting.
Only what has been defined and agreed in advance.
Objectives, feedback arrangements and limits of confidentiality should be transparent to all parties.
Personal content should not be passed to the sponsor without disclosure.
We can pause, redefine the work or guide you towards a more appropriate professional.
Recognising the limit is part of the coach’s responsibility.
Explore further
The coaching relationship
Trust, listening, compatibility, responsibility and freedom of judgement before and during the programme.
When coaching can help — and when it cannot
A closer look at suitability criteria and situations that require different support.
Closing
A well-designed programme gives you back independence.
Structure protects the work, listening makes it human and checkpoints help us understand whether what we are doing still makes sense. Closure gathers what you can take forward without the same support.
