Unleashed

Foundations for Your Coaching Practice

Best practices when starting a relationship with a new client

1. Questionnaire before the enrollment call: to find out where they are in their lives,
background, life story, what’s working, what is not, what they want to change, what
are their biggest struggles, what has been their personal development education
until this point and what do they want to get out of Coaching.

Then, create a more detailed questionnaire when they sign up as a client: You want
your clients to come prepared, and the more they answer questions about
themselves, the more powerful and transformative your sessions will be.

2. Contract: It provides clarity on your role as a Coach and establishes your client’s
responsibility. You can also include all the details of your Coaching relationship, like
cancellation policy, payment methods and timelines. This is important to have before
you begin building the relationship. You can use an online legal service, like Legal
Zoom: https://www.legalzoom.com/, or ask other coaches.

3. Clarity on your cancellation policy: Make sure your cancellation policy is very clear,
as well as the consequences that your clients will have when they don’t show up to a
session.

4. Follow up form: Your client should fill it up and send it after every session. Here they
will identify their main takeaways of the session, their biggest insights, what they
agreed to do (for accountability), and what impacted them most. You can then get
back to them and fill any gaps that they might have missed. This is also a great way
to keep the engagement and intimacy going.

5. Payment policies and procedures: Choose the way you will receive payments, and
communicate clearly with your client. You don’t want to be chasing people around for
money.

Regarding ongoing communication, you can give your client your personal contact
information, but set your boundaries first (regarding your availability and nature of
the communication). Another important part to have clarity with your client is how
often your sessions will be. I recommend to book your sessions in advance, so both
your agenda, and your client’s agenda is set up. When I’m about to end the session, I
schedule the next.

You are not responsible for your client's transformation or results. Remember they
have the capability to do that themselves.

Foundations for Your Coaching Practice Page 1 of 5

Unleashed

#1. Intake Questionnaire

You can use the sample elements and questions below to create your own intake
questionnaire

• Full name
• Date of Birth
• Address
• Contact information
• Phone
• Mobile
• E-mail

Sample questions:
1. What brought you to Coach with me?
2. What would you love to see after our Coaching sessions?
3. Tell me more about your story and the significant events that have shaped who
you are today.
4. What is working well now in your life?
5. What is not working so great? What would you like to change? What are you
struggling with most in life?
6. What has been your biggest obstacle?
7. What has been your personal development until this point? Have you been to a
therapist or coach before?

What other questions can you include in your intake questionnaire?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Foundations for Your Coaching Practice Page 2 of 5

Unleashed

#2. Contract

Before consulting with a lawyer or other coaches to build your contract, ask yourself:
What is important for you to cover in the contract?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

What are your responsibilities?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

What are your client’s responsibilities?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Foundations for Your Coaching Practice Page 3 of 5

Unleashed

How often will you meet?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

How many sessions will you have together?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

What is your cancellation policy? What happens if your client is late? What happens
if they cancel last minute? How many hours before should a client cancel?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

What is your payment policy? Are you going to accept credit card? Cheques? Bank
Transfers? When should your clients pay you? Should they cancel a percentage
before starting? What happens if they don’t pay?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Foundations for Your Coaching Practice Page 4 of 5

Unleashed

Can the contract be terminated? On what conditions?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

#3. Follow up form

You can use this template as a base for your follow up form, and add any elements
you consider to be important. Make it no longer than 5 questions.

Session #
Date

Questions to ask:

What were your main takeaways from this session?

What were your biggest insights?
What did you agree to do after our session?
How will you keep yourself accountable?
What did I say as a Coach that impacted you most?

What other questions would you ask?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Foundations for Your Coaching Practice Page 5 of 5