3 tips for establishing a coaching contract

Imagine that somebody has asked you to be their coach. Before embarking on the coaching process it is vital to establish their goals. Setting specific targets increases the likelihood of success. Here are three suggestions for clarifying the coaching contract. (While the following process sounds very structured, you can do it in your own way. It will provide the basis for building a successful coaching relationship.)

1) You can invite the person to fill-in the coaching contract.

“Will plus skill can thrill,” they say in sport. How does this apply to the coaching situation? Establish the person’s will before embarking on helping them to learn the skill. One way to start is by inviting them to complete the coaching contract. The person is asked to describe: a) The specific goals I want to achieve. b) My role: the things I see as my responsibility in achieving the goals. c) The coach’s role: the help I want from the coach. d) The measures: the things that will show I have reached the goals. The person is to send the contract to you ahead of the first meeting. You can gauge their attitude and aspirations by the amount of work they put into creating the contract. So here is the contract that is to be filled-in by the learner.

Coaching contract

The specific goals. The specific goals I want to achieve are:

*

*

*

My role. The things I see as my responsibility
in working to achieve these goals are:

*

*

*

The coach’s role. The knowledge, tools and
support I would like from the coach are:

*

*

*

The measures. The specific things that will be
happening that will show I have reached the goals are:

*

*

*

2) You can meet with the person to explore the coaching contract.

Clear contracting is vital in any relationship - and especially so when coaching. Set aside at least an hour to discuss the contract in depth. Invite them to explain what they see as their responsibility in the relationship. Move onto discussing the help they want from you as a coach. Encourage them to consider the challenges on the way – including potential setbacks – and how they plan to deal with these situations. Conclude this part of the session by asking them to describe their success criteria - the things that will show they have reached their goals. Providing you are happy, move onto the next stage.

3) You can finalise the coaching contract and, if appropriate, embark on the actual coaching.

Create a short ‘time-out’ to enable the person to reflect and make any alterations to the contract. Time permitting - and if appropriate - you may then both want to launch into the actual coaching. If so, invite the person to explore the first topic they want to tackle. You can help them: a) To build on their strengths; b) To learn tools for tackling areas for improvement; c) To do what is necessary to achieve success. Conclude the session by asking them to clarify what they have learned and inviting them to do any relevant homework before the next meeting. Finally, evaluate your own performance. Describe: a) Three things I did well in the session; b) Two things I can do better in the future - and how. Relax, reflect and then look forward to the next session.

You can find more ideas on this theme in the book Strengths Coaching in 90 Minutes, that can be found here:

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