Generate Options before evaluating any

Brainstorm all possible paths before judging — then the coachee, not the coach, narrows them.

Why it works

Evaluating options during generation collapses the option space prematurely. People under stress or habitual framing typically surface only two or three options and mistake that narrow set for all available paths. Separating generation from evaluation — and insisting the coachee generates rather than the coach — produces more options, more unusual options, and higher ownership of whatever is ultimately chosen.

How to do it

1. Ask: "What could you do? What else? What if there were no constraints?"
2. Record every option without evaluating — keep generating until the person is genuinely empty.
3. Only after the list is full, ask: "Which of these options feels most alive to you?"
4. Let the coachee evaluate and narrow — offer a perspective only if directly invited.

Evidence

Brainstorming research shows separating generation from evaluation increases the quantity and novelty of ideas. Self-determination research supports coachee-generated options as more intrinsically motivating when implemented. (mechanistic)

Group brainstorming evidence is mixed (social loafing effects reduce group quantity); individual generative questioning as in GROW is less studied but avoids those group dynamics.

Common mistake

The coach offering an option ("have you considered…?") during generation — which shifts ownership to the coach and often short-circuits the coachee’s own generative process.