Anatomy of a Coaching Session: Your Guide to What Happens When

Walking into your first coaching session can feel like entering uncharted territory. I want to demystify this experience and help you feel at ease about what lies ahead.

Think of a coaching session like a well-crafted symphony – while each performance is unique, there's an underlying structure that helps create the magic. Let me walk you through the movements of our time together.

The Flow of a Coaching Session

Opening Notes (0-5 Minutes)

This is your time to arrive and settle in. Share what's on your mind:

• Breakthroughs since our last session
• Challenges you've encountered
• Progress on previous practices
• Whatever feels important to bring forward

The key here isn't perfection – it's authentic sharing.

Setting Our Direction (5-15 Minutes)

Together, we'll craft your coaching request for our session. The coaching request gives us a direction and intention for our together. Think of this as choosing our destination on the map. While we might take unexpected turns along the way, having an initial direction gives us a place to start. Usually, your coaching request reflects the major goals or projects that you are working on in your life.

You can find more about creating a powerful coaching request here.

The Heart of Coaching (15-45 Minutes)

This is where the real exploration begins. We'll move toward your request through powerful questions, new perspectives, and sometimes challenging conversations. There's no "right way" this should look – each session unfolds uniquely based on your needs and insights.

Creating Forward Motion (45-55 Minutes)

As we begin to wrap up, we'll establish clear next steps:

• Practical actions to move you forward
• New practices to experiment with
• Specific commitments for the period ahead

Remember: The real transformation happens between our sessions, in your day-to-day life.

Closing the Circle (55-60 Minutes)

We'll end each session with three powerful questions:

1. "What value did you generate today?"
   • This question has you anchor the insights and learning you are taking from the conversation.
2. "Is anything missing or incomplete?"
   • My goal is always to leave you complete and empowered at the end of your coaching session. Occasionally, there may be something in the session that may have hit a nerve, or unfinished business we didn’t get to. This is the opportunity to address any of those things so that you leave the conversation feeling clean and complete.
3. "What would you like to be acknowledged for?"
   • This question can be particularly confronting and has two very important intentions:
     • You may have noticed that people in the world are under-acknowledged and under-appreciated. Being acknowledged for your greatness is as essential for your performance as water is to your body.
     • One of the most important things you can get from coaching is learning to relate to and acknowledge your own inherent greatness. This question challenges you to practice identifying aspects of self to be acknowledged for. Traditionally, acknowledgment is only given through the lens of things that we have done, demonstrated or achieved. This creates a false belief that our value is attached to what we do. Acknowledgement focuses on who you are being and becoming, and builds a stronger, more resilient growth mindset.

A Note About "Getting It Right"

Here's something crucial to remember: there's no wrong way to do this. While this structure serves as our foundation, it's not a rigid script. Some of our most powerful sessions might look completely different from what I've outlined above. Whatever happens is meant to happen.

In early sessions, I'll provide more guidance as you get comfortable with the process. Like learning any new language, coaching has its own rhythm – and you'll find yours naturally over time.

What's Next?

As you prepare for our first session, remember:

• Come as you are
• Trust that the structure will hold us
• Know that perfect isn't the point – progress is

Other Resources for New Clients:

• Beyond the Buzzwords: Your Guide to Understanding Coaching, Consulting, and Therapy
• Creating Your Coaching Request: A Guide to Deeper Conversations