C = Choices (The Brainstorm)

What you're doing: Exploring all possible solutions without commitment.

Key questions:

• "What choices do you have?"

• "What could solve this?"

• "What else?"

• "What else?"

• "What else?"

Why this matters:
Humans naturally jump to the first solution that comes to mind. That solution rarely works because it hasn't been thought through. This stage forces creative thinking—exploring multiple options before committing to one.

What you're looking for:
A brainstorm of everything that could work:

• Realistic options

• Creative options

• Even unrealistic options (they often spark better ideas)

This is NOT where you decide what to do. That comes next. This is pure exploration with no commitment.

Keep asking "What else?" until you've exhausted all possibilities.

H = How (The Action Plan)

What you're doing: Selecting the specific actions they'll commit to.

Key questions:

• "Which of these will you take forward?"

• "Does this get you to your objective?"

• "Does this overcome all the anchors?"

• "What specifically will you do?"

• "When will you do it?"

• "How will I know you've done it?"

Why this matters:
Everything leads to this. Without committed action, coaching is just a nice conversation.

What you're looking for:

• Specific actions - Clear, concrete steps

• Client commitment - They chose it, not you

• Solves the anchors - Addresses the real roadblocks

• Achieves the objective - Gets them to the measurable outcome

• Accountability built in - Checkpoints and follow-up

Check back to the objective: Does this action actually get them there? If not, you're not done yet.

Check against the anchors: Does this overcome all the roadblocks? If not, go back to Anchors and dig deeper.

Critical Rules for Using COACH

1. Stay in Order

Follow the framework systematically: Change → Objective → Anchors → Choices → How.

Why: Each stage builds on the last. Skip steps and you'll miss critical information.

Common temptation: Clients will want to jump straight to solutions. Bring them back. Say: "I hear you have ideas—let's capture those in a moment. First, I want to make sure we fully understand what we're solving for."

2. Avoid Jumping from Objective to How

The biggest mistake: Going straight from "What do you want?" to "What will you do?"

Why it fails: You haven't identified what's actually stopping them (Anchors) or explored all options (Choices).

The discipline: Resist the urge to skip ahead, even when the solution seems obvious.

3. Expect Multiple Areas of Focus

What happens: As you dig deep, you'll often uncover multiple problems that need attention.

What to do: Don't try to solve everything at once. Ask: "We've uncovered several important areas. Which one is most important to focus on right now?"

Then start COACH again with that specific focus.

4. If the How Doesn't Solve the Objective

What this means: The action plan doesn't actually achieve the goal or overcome the roadblocks.

Where you went wrong: Almost always in Anchors—you didn't dig deep enough.

What to do: Go back to Anchors, explore further, then move through Choices again before committing to How.

5. This Is Self-Discovery, Not Advice-Giving

The challenge: You have years of experience. You'll know the answer. You'll want to tell them.

The discipline: Don't. Ask questions instead. Help them discover it.

Why: When they find the answer themselves, they're committed. When you tell them, they're doing you a favor.

What Makes COACH Powerful

It's a structured dialogue - You're not winging it; you're following a proven system

It's self-discovery - Clients find their own insights, which creates ownership

It leads to action - Everything builds toward committed, executable steps

It's repeatable - Use it in every session with every client

It works fast - What used to take hours now takes 30-45 minutes

Real-World Impact

This framework has been used daily for 16+ years by experienced coaches. Here's what they report:

"I could kind of get results before, but once I learned COACH, I achieved the same outcomes with way higher engagement in about a quarter of the time."

Even coaches earning £30,000-£50,000 per month say: "This absolutely changed how effective I am."

This isn't just for beginners. This is the framework that makes good coaches exceptional.

What's Next?

You now have the structure—the step-by-step process for guiding any coaching conversation.

But structure alone isn't enough. You also need the skills—the competencies that make each stage of COACH truly transformational.

That's where the POWER Framework comes in.

Ready to develop the five essential coaching competencies? Explore the POWER Framework and learn how to make every question powerful, every insight deeper, and every action more committed.