Coaching Contract
Guide
What is a Coaching Contract?
The contracting phrase is when the coach and coachee agree ground rules, identify
goals to work on (plus the desired outcomes) and build these into a contract which is
referred back to and reviewed as part of the coaching relationship. The coaching
contract should be agreed at the start of the first coaching session and then revisited
at the start of subsequent sessions.
Planning
The coach and coachee have a responsibility for planning and using the meeting
time effectively. During the contracting phrase you can jointly agree the use of
written notes and pre-agreed agendas to facilitate the coaching sessions.
Goals and Actions
Once an action has been agreed both coach and coachee must commit to carrying
out that action within the agreed time frame. Any goals that are agreed can only be
shared with a 3rd party with the agreement of the coachee.
Challenges and Feedback
Coaching also involves challenging a coachee, when appropriate; to think / act
differently and of course this is undertaken within a supportive and safe coaching
environment.
A coach will give feedback throughout a coaching session; this could be
observational feedback about perceived patterns of behaviour, reactions to events or
people, or how far they might have moved forward as a result of any actions.
Feedback must be delivered in a constructive manner; i.e. only feedback that
actively helps the individual to improve should be given.
The coach should also be prepared to ask for and receive feedback from the
coachee as part of their learning about how they can improve the support they are
providing.
Confidentiality
During the Contracting phrase the coach and coachee should reach an agreement
on confidentiality. Any disclosure of the content of their discussions should only
occur by agreement of both parties.
Inclusive Coaching and Mentoring West Midlands recommends adherence to the
European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)‟s Code, which outlines good
ethical practice.
EMCC website - http://www.emccouncil.org/
Ending a Coaching Relationship
During the contract phrase it can be useful to discuss what will happen if either party
feel the coaching relationship is not working for them. For coaching to be effective a
good, trusting relationship needs to be developed between the coach and the
coachee. If either party feels that the relationship is not delivering what they need
either in terms its purpose or because the ‘chemistry’ is not there, this should be
raised openly and discussed. If both parties agree then perhaps they should end the
relationship and the coachee can be advised to contract with another coach.
Meeting Frequency, Duration and Venue
The coachee and coach should adopt their own arrangements for meeting and
should consider how many sessions, the duration of sessions and the venue. The
following points may be useful:

It is recommended that a 20 minute ‘chemistry’ session is held when a
coachee contracts a coach through the CoachNet system. This session is to
ensure that both parties are comfortable to proceed and allows time for the
coach to discuss their coaching approach. This can be undertaken by
telephone.

It is useful to book the first 3 coaching sessions during the first meeting with
the option of further 2 – 3 sessions if needed. This should be reviewed at the
end of the third session.
Because of service needs some coachees may find it tricky to attend regular
meetings how it is important in order to move the coachee forward.

The length of sessions will depend on a coach’s preferred style and what suits
the coachee. We would recommend that sessions are between 1 to 2 hours in
duration.
Using Three Way or Stakeholder Contracting
People access Inclusive Coaching and Mentoring West Midlands for a variety of
reasons. Some people want to access coaching for their personal development
whereas others may have been encouraged to access coaching by their line
managers or other representative from their organisation.
In some circumstances it can be useful to encourage line managers to be involved in
agreeing the goals and desired outcomes of a coaching relationship and in other
cases line managers ask to be involved and this is done through engaging in 3-way
or Stakeholder Contracting.
Establishing 3-way contracting
It is helpful to establish a clear and transparent relationship and dialogue between all
three people involved (coach, coachee and line manager) at the first coaching
session. This will also ensure that the potential benefits of coaching are maximised
for the coachee and the organisation. The organisational representative would also
attend part of the last coaching session to discuss the outcomes of the coaching.
The coaching relationship is still bound by confidentiality and no information would
be shared with a line manager unless freely agreed by a coachee.
It is acknowledged that not all coachees or coaches would feel comfortable working
with this approach and if that is the case then the usual 1:1 contract could apply.