How can you conduct effective coaching sessions?

Coaching is the art of asking and listening, and with powerful questions, leading the coachee to self-discover and design their own solutions, coaching is not a consultant or a tutor or mentor, who says what to do, and that is the big difference with coaching.

On a very practical level, I would add that, if possible, block off 10-15 minutes before a coaching session to do these preparation steps or review notes from last session. It is important to be fully present as a coach, and that can be challenging if you are rushing from another meeting/call to the coaching session.

This article seems focused on an initial session, so this is paramount. However, regardless of how long you’ve had the relationship, don’t underestimate the importance of this. And, be sure you’re not treating it like a check the box exercise. You’re dealing with a person, not a machine, so it’s really important to sincerely seek to know where they’re at and what’s going on in their world. Not only is it a best practice for how to treat others, but it will help you gauge how to engage with them and even where the conversation may go. It’s easy, and often well meaning, to have a plan and want to stick to your plan, but that may be the worst thing you can do for the individual. Be willing to adapt and meet them where they are.

During my time working with coaching, I found very useful to ask: what’s blocking you from going after (this goal, letting go,…)? Who told you that (when we were facing a limiting belief)? Sometimes people would realize by themselves that the obstacles they thought they had were mainly attachments from previous experiences they haven’t completely let go. It was useful to become aware what was really going on in their subconscious (responsible for 95% of our actions) in order to really be ready for change.

One of the tricks that has worked well with my coachees is asking them about the next smallest action they can take on the way to their goal. Even if it's just a calendar reminder to schedule a call with a colleague - committing to an action right during the session, setting clear deadlines (ideally, they need to take this tiny action the same or the next day) and following through has proven to increase the chances of the coachees to achieve their goals dramatically.

In my experience, starting with the positive improvements you perceived is a great way of opening any feedback you wanna give. Receiving this positive encouragement first may help people to listen with closer attention to what you have to say about improvements they can do. This will be a win-win for both of you.