Join Session 2 on Thursday April 9 for $9. Session runs for 90 min starting 4.00pm SAST GMT+2
The foundations of coaching—especially aligned with professional standards like the International Coaching Federation (ICF)—are the core principles, mindsets, and skills that make coaching effective, ethical, and client-centered.
Here’s a clear, structured breakdown:
Client is naturally creative, resourceful, and whole
You are not the expert in their life—they are
You partner, not direct
What this looks like in practice:
“What do you think is the best way forward?”
Not: “Here’s what you should do”
Grounded in codes like the ICF Code of Ethics and COMENSA.
Confidentiality
Professional boundaries
Integrity
Cultural awareness
Avoiding harm
Example:
You don’t coach beyond your competence (e.g., trauma → refer to therapy)
Coaching starts with clear agreements.
Macro contracting (relationship level)
Micro contracting (session level)
Goals
Roles
Boundaries
Confidentiality
Expectations
Example:
“What would you like to walk away with from today?”
Being fully present, aware, and flexible.
Deep listening
Emotional attunement
Managing your own reactions
Comfort with silence
Example:
Not rushing to fill silence → letting insight emerge
Listening beyond words:
Tone
Emotion
Patterns
What’s not being said
Internal (your thoughts)
Focused (on client)
Global (environment, energy)
Example:
“I notice you hesitated there—what’s going on?”
Questions that:
Open thinking
Challenge assumptions
Create awareness
Open-ended
Short
Non-leading
Examples:
“What’s really important here?”
“What are you avoiding?”
The core of coaching:
Insight → Shift → Action
Reflection
Reframing
Patterns
Challenging beliefs
Example:
“You say you want growth, but avoid risk—how do those fit together?”
Coaching is not just insight—it leads to change.
Clear outcomes
Action steps
Accountability
Example:
“What will you do before our next session?”
The client:
Owns decisions
Owns actions
Owns results
The coach:
Holds the space
Holds accountability
Without trust, coaching fails.
Non-judgment
Consistency
Empathy
Confidentiality
Coaching is not:
Consulting
Mentoring
Therapy (unless dual-qualified and contracted clearly)
Facilitate thinking, don’t provide answers
Coaching assumes:
People can grow
Awareness leads to change
Reflection accelerates learning
Contract → Explore → Create Awareness → Act → Reflect
At a high level, coaching is:
Less about questions
More about who you are being
Less about solving problems
More about transforming identity and perception
Contracting in the International Coaching Federation framework is primarily located in Competency 3, but it also shows up across several other competencies at a deeper (MCC) level.
Let’s break it down cleanly so you can use it for training or assessment.
This is the main ICF module for contracting.
Clarifies coaching vs mentoring, consulting, therapy
Sets expectations of roles
Contracting relevance:
→ Defines the type of relationship
Logistics (fees, time, confidentiality, boundaries)
Roles and responsibilities
Contracting relevance:
→ This is macro contracting (formal agreement)
What the client wants from the session
Desired outcome
Contracting relevance:
→ This is micro contracting (session level)
What success looks like
How progress is tracked
Contracting relevance:
→ Links contracting to accountability and outcomes
Keeps conversation aligned to goal
Renegotiates if needed
Contracting relevance:
→ Dynamic contracting (real-time adjustment)
Confidentiality
Boundaries
Scope of practice
Why it matters:
→ Forms the ethical backbone of contracting
Partnering with the client
Not imposing agenda
Why it matters:
→ Prevents fake contracting (coach-led agendas)
Creating psychological safety
Respecting client autonomy
Why it matters:
→ Without trust, contracting is superficial
Staying flexible
Adapting in the moment
Why it matters:
→ Enables real-time re-contracting
Hearing what the client really wants
Why it matters:
→ Contracting depends on accurate understanding
Clarifying goals
Challenging vague outcomes
Why it matters:
→ Strengthens depth of the contract
Turning goals into action
Accountability
Why it matters:
→ Contracting must lead to results
At master level, contracting is not a step—it’s continuous and fluid:
Happens at the start, middle, and end
Is often implicit, not scripted
Includes:
Agenda
Emotional focus
Energy shifts
Identity-level outcomes
Relational (3.2)
→ “How will we work together?”
Session (3.3)
→ “What do you want today?”
Moment-to-moment (3.5)
→ “Where are we now?”
A powerful way to frame it:
“Contracting is not a question.
It is a continuous alignment with what matters most to the client.”
Here are 20 MCC-level contracting questions aligned with the standards of the International Coaching Federation—these go beyond basic “what’s your goal?” and aim for depth, ownership, and transformation.
They are grouped by when and why you’d use them.
What feels most important for us to focus on today?
What would make this conversation truly valuable for you?
If this session were a success, what would be different by the end?
Why does this matter to you right now?
What’s the real challenge beneath what you’ve just said?
How will you know you’ve achieved what you want from this session?
What would “better” look like in a concrete way?
What impact would achieving this have on you or others?
What’s at stake if nothing changes?
What deeper shift are you hoping for here?
What part of this feels most unclear or unresolved?
What are you not saying that might be important here?
Where might you be limiting your own thinking?
What assumptions are you making about this situation?
If we explored this fully, what might you discover?
Where would you like to go from here?
Is this still the most useful direction for you?
What do you need from me right now to support you best?
Shall we stay here, or is there something more important emerging?
What will you commit to as a result of this conversation?
They:
Invite depth, not just description
Create ownership, not dependence
Allow flexibility and co-creation
Focus on meaning, impact, and identity, not just tasks
At MCC level:
You are not contracting for the topic
You are contracting for the transformation