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Being a coach is all about asking good, open questions. And this is where the GROW Model comes in.
GROW is a simple but effective framework that helps your coachee understand their challenges properly, and identify what their next actions should be, in order to reach a solution.
Let's take a look at how it works.
"G" stands for goals.
The first few questions will help your coachee to establish an appropriate objective. For example, "What do you want to achieve?" "What does your goal mean to you?" "When will you meet your goal?"
"R" stands for reality.
You should then ask your coachee to think practically about their goal and how it would look in reality, using questions like "What supports do you need to achieve your goal?" "What challenges do you expect to encounter?" "How might you deal with them?"
"O" stands for options.
Next, ask your coachee to think of three or four things they could do, that might help them reach their goal. Then, work with your coachee to evaluate these options by asking questions like, "What are the pros and cons of each option?" Or, "What factors will you use to weigh up these options?"
"W" stands for will or way forward.
Finally, establish how committed your coachee is to the actions they have agreed. To do this, ask the coachee to rate their commitment on a scale of one to 10. Explore together what would need to change or happen to get them to a nine or even a 10. Identify some practical actions, such as blocking out an hour a week to work exclusively towards reaching their goal.
Encourage your coachee to imagine how they will feel if they meet their objectives. Visualizing a successful outcome will motivate your coachee even more!
So there you have it. By using the GROW Model, you can help your coachee stay on track, engage in some genuine self-reflection, and identify relevant and realistic actions that will help them achieve their overall objectives.
For more information, see our article on the GROW Model.
Reflective questions:
Once you've watched the video, you may wish to reflect on its content by considering the following questions:
- What model (if any) do you use to help structure your coaching sessions?
- If you don't already use it, would you consider using the GROW model for coaching? How would you adapt it?
- What coaching questions do you tend to use during your coaching sessions?
- What key tips for structuring a coaching session would you share with other coaches?
