What if almost every coaching challenge you face in your practice could be solved with better coaching contracts and clearer agreements?

That’s what Robbie dives into in this short episode.

Drawing on his own coaching practice, experiences in supervision, and lessons learned from mentors and peers, Robbie explains why contracting with clients is one of the most important skills a coach can develop… and how better contracting could have solved almost every challenge he’s ever brought to supervision. He shares how he builds contracting into every part of his work: from the very first client conversation, through re-contracting midway, to closing an engagement with clarity.

Robbie explores the written coaching agreements he uses, the questions he asks clients, how he contracts with stakeholders while keeping confidentiality intact, and why he has stopped sending written coaching notes. Along the way, he also reflects on ICF ethics, the role of supervision, and what really matters for coaches who want to build a meaningful, sustainable business.

In this episode, Robbie talks about:

Why most coaching challenges come back to contracting and agreements

The questions he asks to set up effective coaching contracts

How he re-contracts with coaching clients partway through an engagement

The importance of private goals when coaching within organisations

Why he stopped sending coaching session notes and what he does instead

How ethics, supervision, and simplicity shape his coaching practice

If you’ve ever wondered how to contract in a way that supports your clients, strengthens your coaching practice, and makes your work more impactful, this episode offers plenty to take away.

Download Robbie’s ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, here.

Buy The Coaching Business Flywheel Booster Pack - including all the emails Robbie sends to his clients at every stage of his business, plus a flowchart, coaching agreements and his favourite emails for creating clients.

For more information about Robbie, visit https://www.robbieswale.com/

Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.

Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg

To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community.

THINGS ROBBIE MENTIONED THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN

The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel

Robbie’s article about starting coaching sessions well: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/writing/how-to-start-your-coaching-sessions-so-they-practically-run-themselves

The Coaching Business Flywheel Booster Pack: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel-booster-pack

Robbie’s Meaningful Productivity workshops: https://www.robbieswale.com/meaningful-productivity-workshop-series

The video version of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhjuhKWx9iA

Episode #8, containing this and lots more nuts and bolts of coaching: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/robbie-on-structure-first-conversations-marketing-price

Simon Feldman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonfeldman/

Robbie’s video with ways of talking about coaching: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/106-how-to-lead-a-powerful-first-conversation-with-a-potential-coaching-client

Robbie’s video about endings and reflecting on coaching: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/91-how-to-create-a-powerful-ending-to-a-coaching-engagement

Miles Downey – Effective Modern Coaching - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Modern-Coaching-Developing-Professionals/dp/1441186102

Robbie’s conversation with Miles Downey on The Coach’s Journey Podcast - https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/ep-14-myles-downey

BetterUp https://www.betterup.com/

64 Million Artists https://64millionartists.com/

The ideas of Zone of Genius and Zone of Excellence: https://www.robbieswale.com/the-12-minute-blog/2022/2/3/the-zone-of-genius-the-most-powerful-thought-experiment-for-personal-transformation

Mike Toller on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-32-mike-toller

International Coaching Federation (ICF) Code of Ethics https://coachingfederation.org/ethics

Free Ethics Training from the ICF https://learning.coachingfederation.org/products/ethics-training