. 2021 Apr 13;7:27. doi: 10.1038/s41394-021-00391-9

Table 2.

Phases of Coaching in Context coaching session.

Phase	Primary focus	Example questions
Connect	Set a positive tone; celebrate the greatness and capacity of the client; establish trust and an authentic relationship; asks about successes since previous coach session	“What is something great that happened this week?” “Tell me about how [goal from last session] went”
Bridges and barriers (clarify)	Ask powerful questions to uncover the details of the situation and find out what the person really wants, needs, and values; use active constructive responding to affirm and acknowledge the client; invite the client to envision possibilities; with permission, share perspective or thought to foster deeper reflection	“Describe what your ideal exercise routine would look like.” “What was it about that time that made you so successful?” “What do you think is stopping you?” “If you did accomplish your goal, what would it look like?” “What would it be like if accomplished your goal? What would it be like if you did not?”
Brainstorm, plan, and create	Support the person to strategize and plan	“What are you willing to do this week to take a step towards achieving that goal?”

Phase

Primary focus

Example questions

Connect

Set a positive tone; celebrate the greatness and capacity of the client; establish trust and an authentic relationship; asks about successes since previous coach session

“What is something great that happened this week?”

“Tell me about how [goal from last session] went”

Bridges and barriers (clarify)

Ask powerful questions to uncover the details of the situation and find out what the person really wants, needs, and values; use active constructive responding to affirm and acknowledge the client; invite the client to envision possibilities; with permission, share perspective or thought to foster deeper reflection

“Describe what your ideal exercise routine would look like.”

“What was it about that time that made you so successful?”

“What do you think is stopping you?”

“If you did accomplish your goal, what would it look like?”

“What would it be like if accomplished your goal? What would it be like if you did not?”

Brainstorm, plan, and create

Support the person to strategize and plan

“What are you willing to do this week to take a step towards achieving that goal?”

Model of Coaching in Context, drawn from the coaching model Connect-Clarify-Create^©, School of Coach Mastery (www.scm.com). Used with permission from Julia Stewart.