Generate Options — explore the full range of possibilities before committing

Invite the person to generate as many options as possible before evaluating any of them.

Why it works

Option generation and option evaluation are cognitively distinct processes that interfere with each other when combined. Evaluating options as they are generated narrows the field prematurely — people stop generating once an apparently good option appears. Separating generation from evaluation (and generating from the coachee, not the coach) expands the solution space and keeps ownership with the person who must implement it.

How to do it

1. Ask: "What are all the options you could consider? Let’s list them before evaluating any."
2. Offer your own ideas as options, not recommendations: "One thing some people have tried is X — would that be worth adding to the list?"
3. Push beyond the first two or three options: "What else? What if there were no constraints? What would someone you admire try?"
4. After the list is built, ask the person to evaluate: "Which of these options feels most promising and why?"

Evidence

Deferred evaluation improves option diversity and quality. Motivational interviewing research shows that self-generated options are more likely to be acted upon than coach-supplied ones — the self-persuasion effect underlies this approach. (mechanistic)

The GROW options phase draws on deferred evaluation and self-persuasion principles from adjacent research; direct studies of the GROW model specifically are limited.

Sources

• Amrhein et al. (2003), the role of client language in motivational interviewing, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Common mistake

Offering the best option immediately rather than facilitating the generation process — which efficiently provides a solution the person doesn’t own and is unlikely to implement.