Establishing the Coaching Agreement (and maintaining it)
If you would like to review the full text of this coaching competency you can find it at this link.
Reputable coaching bodies such as ICF (International Coaching Federation) and EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council) put forward the coaching competency of creating and maintaining agreements or contracts. For many in the coaching space this simply means the importance of coach and client/coachee developing a clear understanding of the purpose of their relationship.
However, when we go deeper we discover that this competency is peppered all the way through the relationship. It is established with good agreements and is maintained by the coach knowing what to look for and, frankly, what to say!
In essence, we are managing expectations.
In this article we look at 3 tips for the Coaching Agreement but graduates of Kingstown College can watch the full webinar on the alumni smartphone app or access using the desktop portal.
1. Be aware of where it can go wrong
In preparing this content I wanted to get the view of some other Coaching Supervisors, to get a sense of what is showing up as a real problem for coaches around the contract or agreement. In discussion with Ed Boland and James McLeod, we arrived at some big takeaways;
- The coach or client does not understand what is in the agreement
- Not enough work done around goal exploration
- No clear metrics created to identify whether the goal has been achieved, and therefore, how successful coaching has been
- Too focused on actions and accountability and therefore turning the coaching session into a management or performance meeting
- The coach becomes too familiar with the client, and through this friend-type relationship, slips into a mentoring mode
2. Take the time to Read, Understand, Adjust and Agree everything WITH your client
Everything you need to say in the coaching session is given permission, and given the stage, based on what you have set out in establishing the agreement in the first place. Everything after that, is simply maintaining it.
After the chemistry meeting (which is 20-30 mins), the client will decide if they are going to progress into the coaching relationship with you as the coach. When this has happened it can be helpful to arrange a contracting meeting to formalise the housekeeping.
Sharing your screen in the virtual meeting is a great way to do this as you can read through your standard agreement together, fill in the spaces around the coaching objectives, fees, duration, frequency etc, and also make any amendments in real time. After that meeting you can send a copy to your client so they also have a record of what you have co-created.
A sample of a coaching contract is on the ICF website. You can find it at this link.
Note: This is a sample agreement. ICF and Kingstown College are providing it for illustration purposes only and it is not intended as legal advice.
3. Here is what you could say
Very often, the coach will understand the competency but may not be sure how to speak about it.
The language set we use is really important, and having go-to phrases for these conversations is as important as having a bank of questions. Here are a few examples
- Allowing the client to adjust the goal or the outcome – “During our first session together we unpacked a lot of what is happening for you. Having done that, and with the week to think about what emerged in that discussion, are you happy that the goal you initially set for coaching is as accurate as it could be?”
- Keeping the conversation on track – “Part of my role as your coach is to keep us focused on your agenda. This is a really interesting conversation but could I just check in with you if it is connected with the goal/outcome we have set out for our time together?”
- Late for Appointments – “I’ve noticed that you are typically 5-10 minutes late for our session. I would like to make sure that we are getting the best from our time together so would you like to adjust the time or is there anything else I can do to support you?”
- Unpaid Fees – “I notice the last invoice was not paid. Are there any challenges there with that or would you like us to agree a different format?”
Every challenge or difficult conversation is an opportunity to step into coach mode and lean into the competency of establishing or maintaining an agreement.
In the webinar we go deeper into what a coach might say to honour each section of this competency. As with all our webinars, you can find them on the alumni smartphone app.
What’s your next step?
From what we have covered in this article, or if you have watched the webinar, what 2 things will you now add to your contracting or improve in your contracting?
By Alan Brereton
BA PG Dip
ICF Accredited Coach
Full text of this ICF Competency.
3. Establishes and Maintains AgreementsDefinition: Partners with the client and relevant stakeholders to create clear agreements about the coaching relationship, process, plans and goals. Establishes agreements for the overall coaching engagement as well as those for each coaching session.
- Explains what coaching is and is not and describes the process to the client and relevant stakeholders
- Reaches agreement about what is and is not appropriate in the relationship, what is and is not being offered, and the responsibilities of the client and relevant stakeholders
- Reaches agreement about the guidelines and specific parameters of the coaching relationship such as logistics, fees, scheduling, duration, termination, confidentiality and inclusion of others
- Partners with the client and relevant stakeholders to establish an overall coaching plan and goals
- Partners with the client to determine client-coach compatibility
- Partners with the client to identify or reconfirm what they want to accomplish in the session
- Partners with the client to define what the client believes they need to address or resolve to achieve what they want to accomplish in the session
- Partners with the client to define or reconfirm measures of success for what the client wants to accomplish in the coaching engagement or individual session
- Partners with the client to manage the time and focus of the session
- Continues coaching in the direction of the client’s desired outcome unless the client indicates otherwise
- Partners with the client to end the coaching relationship in a way that honors the experience
