Session 21 Lesson Plan

COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6: Facilitates Client Learning and Results

This behavioural standard aligns closely with ICF Core Competency 8: Facilitates Client Growth. It focuses on helping clients convert awareness into meaningful action, learning, behavioural change, and sustainable results.

20 Key Points of COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6

1. Focuses on the client's desired outcomes and goals.

2. Encourages the client to translate insights into action.

3. Supports the client in designing practical next steps.

4. Helps the client identify opportunities for learning.

5. Encourages experimentation and trying new behaviours.

6. Facilitates accountability without directing or controlling.

7. Helps clients identify resources and support systems.

8. Encourages ownership of decisions and actions.

9. Assists clients in recognising progress and achievements.

10. Supports reflection on successes and setbacks.

11. Encourages continuous learning from experience.

12. Helps clients identify obstacles and strategies to overcome them.

13. Promotes sustainable behavioural change.

14. Supports the client in maintaining motivation and commitment.

15. Helps clients strengthen self-confidence and self-efficacy.

16. Encourages clients to measure progress against goals.

17. Facilitates review and adaptation of action plans.

18. Recognises and celebrates growth and development.

19. Supports clients in integrating learning into daily life.

20. Maintains a future-focused orientation while learning from the past.

5 Must-Do Behaviours

1. Help Clients Design Their Own Actions

Ask questions that enable clients to create their own solutions.

Example:
"What is the first step you are willing to take this week?"

2. Create Accountability

Invite clients to commit to actions and review progress.

Example:
"How would you like to hold yourself accountable?"

3. Encourage Reflection and Learning

Help clients extract lessons from experiences.

Example:
"What did you learn from that situation?"

4. Recognise Progress

Acknowledge growth, achievements, and positive movement.

Example:
"What are you most proud of since our last session?"

5. Support Sustainable Change

Ensure actions are realistic and aligned with the client's circumstances.

Example:
"How confident are you on a scale of 1–10 that you will complete this action?"

5 Must-Not-Do Behaviours

1. Do Not Prescribe Solutions

Avoid telling clients what they should do.

❌ "You need to speak to your manager."

✅ "What options do you see for addressing this with your manager?"

2. Do Not Take Ownership of the Client's Goals

The client remains responsible for their outcomes.

❌ Chasing the client to complete actions.

✅ Supporting the client to create their own accountability structure.

3. Do Not Ignore Learning Opportunities

Avoid rushing past valuable insights.

❌ Moving straight to action without reflection.

✅ Exploring what the client learned before planning next steps.

4. Do Not Focus Only on Problems

Balance challenge with recognition of strengths and successes.

❌ Concentrating solely on obstacles.

✅ Helping the client identify capabilities and resources.

5. Do Not Allow Vague Commitments

Actions should be specific and measurable.

❌ "I'll try to improve my leadership."

✅ "I will schedule one developmental conversation with each team member before next Friday."

The Essence of Behavioural Standard 6

A useful way to remember this standard is:

Awareness → Learning → Action → Accountability → Results

The coach's role is to help clients:

• Learn from their experiences.

• Convert awareness into action.

• Remain accountable.

• Adapt and grow.

• Achieve meaningful and sustainable results.

A COMENSA assessor would typically look for evidence that the coach is not only creating awareness, but is also helping the client transform that awareness into measurable growth, behavioural change, and real-world results.

Here are 20 MCC-level coaching questions, each aligned to one of the COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6 points. These are designed to be evocative, non-leading, and action-and-awareness oriented.

1. Desired outcomes

“What would meaningful success in this situation look like for you?”

2. Translate insight into action

“Now that you see this clearly, what becomes possible to do differently?”

3. Practical next steps

“What is the smallest practical step you could take from here?”

4. Learning opportunities

“What is this situation here to teach you?”

5. Experimentation

“What could you experiment with that you’ve never tried before?”

6. Accountability without control

“How do you want to stay accountable to yourself in this process?”

7. Resources and support

“What or who could support you that you are not currently using?”

8. Ownership of decisions

“If this is fully yours to decide, what do you choose?”

9. Recognising progress

“What progress have you made that you may be overlooking?”

10. Reflection on success and setbacks

“What worked, and what didn’t work as expected?”

11. Continuous learning

“How will you take what you’ve learned here into your next situation?”

12. Obstacles and strategies

“What might get in your way, and how could you navigate that?”

13. Sustainable change

“What would make this change realistic and sustainable for you?”

14. Motivation and commitment

“What will keep you committed when motivation drops?”

15. Self-efficacy

“What does this situation reveal about your capability?”

16. Measuring progress

“How will you know you are moving forward?”

17. Reviewing and adapting

“What might need to be adjusted as you move forward?”

18. Celebrating growth

“What deserves recognition in your growth right now?”

19. Integration into daily life

“How will this learning show up in your everyday behaviour?”

20. Future focus with grounded learning

“If you apply this learning fully, who do you become in the future?”

Below are 20 COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6 multiple-choice coaching questions. Each has 5 options (A–E), followed by the correct answer and rationale. These are designed to test understanding of how a coach facilitates learning, action, accountability, and results.

COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6 – MCQs (20)

1. What is the primary focus of Behavioural Standard 6?

A. Giving advice to the client
B. Helping the client achieve results through action and learning
C. Analysing the client’s personality
D. Solving the client’s problem directly
E. Teaching coaching tools

Answer: B

Why: The standard focuses on enabling client learning, action, accountability, and results—not advice-giving or problem-solving.

2. Which behaviour best reflects strong coaching practice?

A. Telling the client what to do next
B. Recommending a proven solution
C. Asking the client to design their own next step
D. Sharing personal experiences
E. Analysing why the client failed

Answer: C

Why: Coaching supports client ownership of action planning.

3. What is the coach’s role in accountability?

A. Enforcing deadlines
B. Monitoring compliance
C. Supporting client self-accountability
D. Reporting progress to stakeholders
E. Reminding the client constantly

Answer: C

Why: Accountability must be owned by the client, not imposed by the coach.

4. What is the best indicator of learning in coaching?

A. The client understands the issue
B. The client feels emotional relief
C. The client identifies new action or insight they will apply
D. The coach explains the situation
E. The session ends positively

Answer: C

Why: Learning is evidenced by application and behavioural shift.

5. What should a coach prioritise when closing a session?

A. Giving final advice
B. Ensuring action commitments are clear
C. Summarising everything they said
D. Diagnosing deeper issues
E. Providing motivational speech

Answer: B

Why: Closing focuses on clarity of action and commitment.

6. Which question best supports behavioural change?

A. Why do you think you struggle?
B. What is wrong with your approach?
C. What will you do differently next time?
D. Who is responsible for this?
E. Why hasn’t this worked before?

Answer: C

Why: It moves the client into forward-looking action.

7. What is NOT part of Behavioural Standard 6?

A. Encouraging reflection
B. Supporting action planning
C. Giving expert solutions
D. Promoting learning from experience
E. Supporting accountability

Answer: C

Why: Coaching avoids expert advice and solution-giving.

8. What is the best definition of “client ownership”?

A. The coach ensures progress
B. The client depends on the coach for direction
C. The client is responsible for decisions and actions
D. The coach tracks all outcomes
E. The organisation controls the goals

Answer: C

Why: Ownership sits fully with the client.

9. What does sustainable change require?

A. Strong coaching authority
B. External pressure
C. Realistic, self-designed actions
D. Frequent reminders
E. Performance evaluation

Answer: C

Why: Sustainability comes from client-designed, realistic action.

10. What is the role of reflection in this standard?

A. To analyse mistakes deeply
B. To assign responsibility
C. To extract learning for future action
D. To judge performance
E. To evaluate the coach

Answer: C

Why: Reflection is used for learning and forward movement.

11. What is a sign of strong coaching presence here?

A. Talking more than the client
B. Guiding the conversation with advice
C. Holding space for client-designed action
D. Providing frameworks continuously
E. Leading with expertise

Answer: C

Why: Presence enables client-led discovery and action.

12. Which question supports accountability best?

A. Did you do it?
B. Why didn’t you complete it?
C. What support do you need from me?
D. How do you want to track your commitment?
E. Should I remind you?

Answer: D

Why: It builds self-accountability systems.

13. What is the danger of coach-driven solutions?

A. Faster progress
B. Increased dependency
C. Better compliance
D. Stronger insight
E. Higher clarity

Answer: B

Why: It reduces client autonomy.

14. What is most important when setting actions?

A. They are ambitious
B. They are coach-approved
C. They are client-owned and realistic
D. They are long-term only
E. They are complex

Answer: C

Why: Ownership and feasibility matter most.

15. What indicates progress in coaching?

A. Coach satisfaction
B. Client awareness only
C. Observable behaviour change or committed action
D. Session length
E. Emotional intensity

Answer: C

Why: Progress is behavioural and actionable.

16. What is the coach’s stance toward setbacks?

A. Critically analyse them
B. Avoid discussing them
C. Explore learning and adaptation
D. Correct the client
E. Minimise their importance

Answer: C

Why: Setbacks are learning opportunities.

17. What is a key coaching risk in this standard?

A. Asking too many questions
B. Over-focusing on client emotion
C. Becoming solution-focused as a coach
D. Not building rapport
E. Using silence

Answer: C

Why: Solution-giving undermines client learning.

18. What supports motivation best?

A. Pressure from coach
B. External deadlines
C. Client-identified purpose and value
D. Financial incentives
E. Competition

Answer: C

Why: Intrinsic motivation is strongest.

19. What is integration in coaching?

A. Completing the session properly
B. Linking learning to daily behaviour
C. Writing session notes
D. Reviewing goals monthly
E. Summarising insights

Answer: B

Why: Integration means applying learning in real life.

20. What is the ultimate outcome of Behavioural Standard 6?

A. Client satisfaction
B. Coach recognition
C. Behavioural change and results for the client
D. Long coaching sessions
E. Emotional breakthroughs only

Answer: C

Why: The standard is results- and transformation-oriented.

COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6: Where Coaching Becomes Real Transformation

In coaching, insight is not the destination.

It is only the starting point.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of coaching is the assumption that awareness equals change. Clients can have powerful breakthroughs in understanding themselves, their patterns, and their challenges—but without structured movement into action, nothing fundamentally shifts.

This is where COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6: Facilitates Client Learning and Results becomes critical.

It is the standard that separates conversation from transformation.

From Awareness to Action

At its core, Behavioural Standard 6 ensures that coaching does not stay at the level of reflection.

It asks a deeper question:

“So what now?”

A competent coach does not stop at insight. They support the client in translating awareness into:

• clear actions

• behavioural experimentation

• measurable progress

• and real-world results

Without this bridge, coaching risks becoming an intellectual exercise rather than a change process.

The Heart of Standard 6

This behavioural standard is built on a few powerful principles:

1. The client owns the action

The coach does not prescribe. The client designs their next steps.

2. Learning comes from experience, not explanation

Insight becomes meaningful only when applied.

3. Accountability is internal, not enforced

The coach supports ownership, not compliance.

4. Progress is measurable and observable

Change must show up in behaviour, not just language.

5. Reflection fuels future action

The past is only useful insofar as it informs what comes next.

What Excellent Coaching Looks Like

In practice, this standard shows up in very specific ways.

A strong coach will consistently:

• Ask, “What will you do with this insight?”

• Help clients define clear, realistic next steps

• Explore obstacles before they occur

• Support commitment without pressure

• Invite reflection after action is taken

This is not about pushing clients harder.

It is about helping them move more consciously.

The Common Mistake in Coaching

Many coaches unintentionally stop at awareness.

They create powerful sessions where clients:

• understand their patterns

• feel emotionally clear

• gain new perspectives

…but leave without committed action.

In these cases, coaching becomes insightful but not impactful.

Behavioural Standard 6 corrects this by insisting on one thing:

Insight must be converted into behaviour.

The Role of the Coach

Under this standard, the coach is not:

• a problem solver

• a consultant

• or a motivator

Instead, the coach is a:

facilitator of learning through action.

They hold space for the client to:

• think clearly

• choose consciously

• act deliberately

• and reflect honestly

Why This Matters

Without Behavioural Standard 6, coaching risks becoming dependent on the coach’s presence.

With it, coaching becomes self-sustaining.

Clients leave sessions with:

• ownership

• clarity

• commitment

• and a pathway forward

And more importantly, they learn how to generate results without the coach.

Final Thought

The true measure of coaching is not what happens in the session.

It is what happens after it.

COMENSA Behavioural Standard 6 reminds us that coaching is not complete until:

learning becomes action, and action becomes results.

That is where transformation lives.

Below is a structured ICF (International Coaching Federation) perspective on “Facilitating Growth” aligned mainly with ICF Core Competency 8: Facilitates Client Growth (and closely connected competencies like Goal Setting, Accountability, and Planning).

ICF Core Competency 8: Facilitates Client Growth

30 MUST KNOW (Core Understanding)

1. Coaching is client-driven, not coach-driven.

2. Growth is defined by the client, not the coach.

3. Action is the bridge between insight and transformation.

4. Awareness alone is not change.

5. The coach supports design of actions, not solutions.

6. Accountability belongs to the client.

7. Learning must be integrated into real-life behaviour.

8. Coaching focuses on future possibilities, not analysis.

9. Progress must be observable or experienced by the client.

10. Action plans are co-created, not prescribed.

11. Clients learn through experimentation.

12. Reflection strengthens learning and action.

13. Barriers are explored before action is taken.

14. Coaching supports sustainable change, not quick fixes.

15. Motivation is internal, not externally imposed.

16. The client chooses success metrics.

17. The coach supports structure, not control.

18. Accountability systems are client-owned.

19. Coaching ends with clarity of next steps.

20. Growth includes both behavioural and mindset shifts.

21. Silence and reflection deepen integration.

22. Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities.

23. Change is iterative, not linear.

24. Responsibility always remains with the client.

25. Coaching supports autonomy, not dependency.

26. The coach facilitates thinking, not answers.

27. Learning must connect to context and environment.

28. The client defines what “progress” means.

29. Action without reflection is incomplete coaching.

30. Coaching success is measured by client independence.

30 MUST DO (Effective Coaching Behaviours)

1. Ask powerful action-oriented questions.

2. Invite the client to design next steps.

3. Explore potential obstacles before commitment.

4. Support clarity on desired outcomes.

5. Help client define success measures.

6. Encourage experimentation and learning.

7. Ask for specific, realistic commitments.

8. Invite reflection after insights.

9. Ask how learning will be applied in daily life.

10. Check confidence levels in actions.

11. Encourage ownership of accountability.

12. Explore resources and support systems.

13. Help client prioritise actions.

14. Keep focus on forward movement.

15. Support breaking goals into steps.

16. Ask what the client will do differently.

17. Encourage self-monitoring of progress.

18. Invite learning from setbacks.

19. Reinforce client autonomy.

20. Stay neutral and non-directive.

21. Ask “what else?” to deepen thinking.

22. Encourage reflection on progress.

23. Help client refine actions if needed.

24. Support commitment without pressure.

25. Ask what success looks like in behaviour.

26. Help client connect values to actions.

27. Invite awareness of patterns impacting action.

28. Encourage review of outcomes.

29. Ask what support would be helpful.

30. Close sessions with clear next steps.

30 MUST NOT DO (ICF Violations / Risks)

1. Do not give advice or instructions.

2. Do not impose solutions.

3. Do not take ownership of outcomes.

4. Do not define success for the client.

5. Do not rush to action without reflection.

6. Do not ignore client autonomy.

7. Do not create accountability for the client.

8. Do not over-explain or teach.

9. Do not become the expert in the client’s life.

10. Do not assume what the client should do.

11. Do not lead the client toward your preferred outcome.

12. Do not focus only on problems.

13. Do not skip exploring barriers.

14. Do not interrupt client thinking process.

15. Do not dismiss emotions that influence action.

16. Do not make commitments for the client.

17. Do not measure success for the client.

18. Do not over-direct session structure rigidly.

19. Do not reduce coaching to task management.

20. Do not ignore client readiness.

21. Do not push unrealistic action plans.

22. Do not assume accountability equals compliance.

23. Do not rescue the client from discomfort.

24. Do not avoid silence when thinking is needed.

25. Do not over-focus on past explanations.

26. Do not replace client thinking with your own.

27. Do not ignore learning from action.

28. Do not overcomplicate action planning.

29. Do not disconnect action from awareness.

30. Do not measure success by coach satisfaction.

20 ICF-STYLE COACHING QUESTIONS (Facilitating Growth)

1. “What action would move you forward most meaningfully right now?”

2. “What do you want to do with this awareness?”

3. “What is the next smallest step you could take?”

4. “How will you know you are progressing?”

5. “What might get in the way of following through?”

6. “What support would help you succeed?”

7. “What are you willing to commit to?”

8. “What does success look like in behaviour, not just intention?”

9. “What have you learned that changes your next step?”

10. “How confident are you in taking this action?”

11. “What would make this action more realistic?”

12. “What will you do differently as a result of this insight?”

13. “How will you hold yourself accountable?”

14. “What resources are available to you?”

15. “What needs to shift for you to follow through?”

16. “What will you notice if you are on track?”

17. “What might you experiment with?”

18. “What does progress look like this week?”

19. “What is the first step you are committing to?”

20. “How will you integrate this learning into your daily life?”

20 ANSWERS + WHY (ICF FACILITATING GROWTH RATIONALE)

1. Next meaningful action

Answer: A concrete next step aligned to goals
Why: ICF focuses on forward movement tied to client-defined outcomes.

2. What to do with awareness

Answer: Convert insight into action or reflection-driven behaviour
Why: Awareness without action does not meet growth competency.

3. Smallest step

Answer: Micro-action that builds momentum
Why: ICF emphasises sustainable, achievable change.

4. Progress measure

Answer: Observable behavioural or experiential indicators
Why: Growth must be measurable by the client.

5. Barriers

Answer: Anticipated challenges and mitigation strategies
Why: Supports realistic planning and accountability.

6. Support systems

Answer: People, tools, or structures the client identifies
Why: Strengthens autonomy and resource awareness.

7. Commitment

Answer: Self-chosen action commitment
Why: Ownership is central to ICF coaching.

8. Behavioural success definition

Answer: Clear behavioural outcomes
Why: Moves beyond vague intentions.

9. Learning application

Answer: Integration into future behaviour
Why: Ensures transformation, not just insight.

10. Confidence level

Answer: Self-assessed readiness (e.g., scale 1–10)
Why: Encourages realistic planning and awareness.

11. Realism adjustment

Answer: Refining action for feasibility
Why: Supports sustainable behaviour change.

12. Differentiated action

Answer: New behaviour based on insight
Why: Growth requires behavioural shift.

13. Accountability method

Answer: Client-owned tracking or reflection system
Why: Avoids coach-driven enforcement.

14. Resources

Answer: Internal/external supports identified by client
Why: Builds independence and awareness.

15. Internal shift

Answer: Mindset, belief, or habit adjustment
Why: ICF includes cognitive and behavioural change.

16. Tracking indicators

Answer: Observable signals of progress
Why: Encourages self-regulated growth.

17. Experimentation

Answer: Trial of new behaviours
Why: Learning through experience is key.

18. Weekly progress

Answer: Short-cycle feedback and reflection
Why: Supports iterative growth.

19. First step commitment

Answer: Immediate actionable behaviour
Why: Coaching ends in clarity and action.

20. Integration

Answer: Daily application of learning
Why: Ensures transformation is lived, not theoretical.