Most of the value in a coaching conversation comes from what happens after we have left it. So great endings are critical to make sure that value actually materialises.
In my work, I use CLOSE to remind managers as coaches how to wrap up well.
It’s great for team meetings too – no need to limit it to 1-1 conversations.
Simply applying that set of questions, we notice that the quality of the action after the session – whether that is doing something, or more reflecting – is higher because there’s greater clarity and higher commitment.
We also notice that great endings depend on great beginnings and we start the end in the middle, by re-contracting (that is, “we have 15 minutes left, what would bring you the most value in our remaining time?”). Sign-posting time also helps the coachee to manage their own time, as they become more conscious of the time they have left to work on their issue; but we always talk about the fullness of time we have, rather than limiting it with a “just” or an “only”.
Sometimes, they don’t get to where they had hoped to get to by the end of the session; but that’s normal in life as in coaching, so we don’t panic, but rather we believe in Teresa Amabile’s research that “any progress is good progress.”
What are your top learnings about making great endings in coaching conversations?
