How do you begin a coaching session? Do you have a few minutes of small talk, followed by a debrief of last week's assignment? Or do you jump right in with the classic "What would you like coaching around today?" Have you ever thought about the structure of your sessions?

Whatever your routine, it pays to give some thought to your habits from time to time, in order to avoid common traps and pitfalls. For example, let's suppose you typically devote "five minutes or so" to "catching up" or "re-establishing rapport." Did you ever consider whether this is truly time well spent? After all, if you're giving a thirty-minute session, and have to factor in a quick summary of the call and some time to design what the client will carry forward from the conversation, you may well be looking at only twenty minutes of coaching!

Leaving aside the question of how much ground you can cover in such a short time, this could bring your marketing integrity into question. Do you sell packages of coaching that include a certain number of "contact hours?" If so, your clients may begin to feel shortchanged if you spend too much of each session on "getting started." Even if not, do you feel you can address the client's agenda effectively in that amount of time?

Another consideration when choosing how to structure a session, is the designed alliance between coach and client. For example, if you and your client agreed you would follow-up on every weekly assignment from every session, then they will expect some debrief time every time. But it behooves us to remember that even session structure is dictated by the client's agenda.

So, for some clients, it might be valuable to save "contact time" by recording assignment-related insights in a journal they share with you, or by including this information on their weekly prep form (more on this in last month's tip). Others may be more comfortable using session time for follow-up. It's their prerogative, and it's helpful to remember that, as coaches, we're not "their keepers" (unless, by design, we've agreed to be).

Keep in mind, moving quickly through a greeting and brief check-in doesn't have to feel abrupt for the client. Consider starting with questions like:

• Where shall we venture today?
• Where shall we devote our energy today?
• What deserves our attention today?
• Where's our focus today?
• What's front and center for you today?
• What will make our time together most worthwhile for you today?