5.1 Planning a series of coaching sessions

There are a number of actions that a coach needs to take in order to set up a series of coaching sessions. This checklist sets out the main things you will need to consider.

• Arrange dates (and venues if not virtual) for the agreed number of coaching sessions.
• Coachee welfare and contracting:
  • What are the boundaries of the coaching relationship?
  • What professional code of ethics are you following (these can be found in the main Coaching and Mentoring associations websites)?
  • What agreement will you make between you about confidentiality? Normally in coaching you would offer qualified confidentiality – that is, you would undertake not to repeat anything said to you in the session unless there are overriding ethical considerations, such as concern for the welfare of the coachee, or concern that the law was being broken.
  • Are there any other ethical issues you want to discuss and come to an agreement on? You may, for example, want to agree that you will all commit to working together constructively and supportively, and/or that you will all attend punctually and be fully prepared.
• Agree aims and objectives for the coaching sessions (usually set with line managers/HRD partners).
• The first session details: where? when? how if virtual?
• Prepare to introduce and use a range of models and techniques as appropriate.
• Question approaches – prepare some initial questions.
• Note-taking: how will you do this? Will you signal that you are going to do it?
• Reflection after the session by both parties.

In the next section we will introduce a well-known framework for coaching.