Set the Goal — establish what the conversation is for

Begin every coaching conversation by clarifying what the person wants to achieve in this session.

Why it works

Without a clear goal for the conversation itself, the discussion expands to fill available time without producing a decision or commitment. Clarifying the session goal separately from the underlying life or work goal is the key distinction: "What do you want from this conversation?" is a different question from "What do you want to achieve in your career?" The session goal keeps the conversation productive within the time available and gives both parties a shared target.

How to do it

1. Open with: "What would you like to get out of our conversation today?" rather than "What’s the problem?"
2. Clarify the session goal (end point of this conversation) separately from the long-term goal (end point of the broader project or challenge).
3. Make the goal specific enough to be checkable at the end of the session: "By the end, you want to have decided X."
4. If the person offers a vague goal ("I want to feel clearer"), help them make it specific: "What would clarity look like — what would you know or decide?"

Evidence

Goal clarity is one of the most replicated predictors of coaching effectiveness. Goal-setting research finds that specific, challenging goals consistently outperform vague ones. The GROW goal phase applies this principle to the coaching conversation itself. (mechanistic)

The GROW model is a clinical framework with wide adoption; its specific superiority over alternative coaching frameworks has not been established in head-to-head trials.

Sources

• Locke & Latham (2002), building a practically useful theory of goal setting, American Psychologist

Common mistake

Skipping the session goal and jumping to the presenting problem — which makes the conversation reactive rather than purposeful and often ends without a clear output.