Check Top 10 Coaching Frameworks & Choose The Right One

As a coach, you know that great coaching is not just about asking deep questions and nodding thoughtfully. It is about structure. Coaching frameworks give your sessions direction, helping you guide clients from “I have no idea what I’m doing” to “Wow, I actually have a plan!”. 

In this guide, you will find the ten most common coaching frameworks that successful coaches use across different fields. You will see practical examples to understand when to apply them, key questions to ask along the way to make each framework work, and practical tips from coaches to choose the right framework. 

You should first identify your mutual coaching goals and philosophy to be able to choose the right coaching framework. Make sure the approach you choose also aligns with the client’s needs.

A professional coach must be familiar with various coaching models and choose the one that best works for a specific client or group. Why? The reason is it contributes to the better structure of coaching conversations, therefore, sessions. Models also help to maintain the focus of the session, making it more efficient.

10 most common coaching frameworks

Depending on what you want to achieve with the client or employee, your coaching focuses on a different path to reach that goal. That is exactly why we have different coaching frameworks you can work with. 

In some cases, you want to focus on developing an action plan. In other cases, you just want your coachee to do self-reflection and self-realization. The coaching frameworks we will discuss with examples include:

• GROW
• CLEAR
• STEPPPA
• OSCAR
• AOR
• FUEL
• WOOP
• Solution-focused
• Instructional
• Student-centered 

Let’s see when it is best to implement each of them. 

The Grow coaching model

Goal → Reality → Options → Will

As the name makes it obvious, GROW is about the growth of an individual. The growth starts internally and leads to growth externally.

The model clarifies everything for the coach and the coachee, helping them to develop a successful plan for goal achievement. It is also implementing the concept of “learning through experience” and getting from “aspirations & dreams to action & results.”

Goals - What do they want to achieve?

• Formulate them by implementing the SMART technique.

Reality - What is going on in our life now? Where are you? What steps have you taken toward your goals? Do you have goals that are in conflict with others?

• Maybe the client wants a position requiring a constant presence in the company. Meanwhile, another goal is flexible working hours and mostly working from home. Then there is a need to eliminate the conflict, adjust the goal or learn to prioritize.

Options- What are your options? What else can you do in X situation, in Y case? What are the pros and cons of each option? What is the most beneficial option for you?

• Help them brainstorm strategies and identify opportunities. 

Will - What are their next steps?

• Create an action plan so that they can commit to the goals and achieve milestones. 

Example scenario

Best for 

Due to its flexible components, the GROW model can be applied to different types of coaching. It can be easily adjusted to your situation. This model is especially best for performance, life, and executive coaching.        
 

If you are looking to develop a practical plan for achieving goals, the GROW model is for you.

The CLEAR coaching model

Contract → Listen  → Explore  → Action  → Review

It is widely used by business coaches & executive coaches, and the process is designed for transformation. This method is perfect for constructing well-structured coaching sessions.

Contract - What specific outcome would you like to achieve from our coaching sessions? What support or structure do you need from me as your coach?

• The contract is about identifying aspects you will work on throughout a particular session. It should be completed within every session.

Listen - What’s most important to you in this moment? What thoughts or feelings come up for you when you talk about this challenge?

• The idea is to take notes and see the bigger picture, so that you will be able to guide clients better.

Explore - What alternative perspectives could help you approach this differently? If you removed any limitations, what would your ideal outcome look like?

• You need to explore the client and then help them explore their current reality, options, and obstacles to come up with solutions that will push them forward.

Action - How can you start the process? When are you planning to start?

• Make sure that these are not questions that push clients to take a direction you think is right. As a coach, you must ensure the clients come to that independently.

Review - What worked well in your approach, and what did you learn from it? What will you do differently moving forward to continue your progress?

• Basically, reflect whether or not the objectives established within the first stage of the session were met or not.

Example scenario

Best for 

The CLEAR model mostly applies to leadership coaching, executive coaching, career coaching, and business coaching. 

It works best for clients who seek to make significant changes in their personal and professional lives. 

This model emphasizes the importance of building a strong coaching relationship. So, it is beneficial to clients who value a collaborative coaching environment. 

The STEPPPA coaching model

Subject → Target → Identification →  Emotion → Perception →  Plan →  Pace→  Action

This model’s focus is on emotions and how to make use of those. The model was originally developed by Dr. Angus McLeod.

If your client faces more emotional quandaries, this is one of the best models to use while working with them.

Subject - What specific aspect of your situation do you feel needs the most attention right now? What would transforming this area look like for you?

• Identify the aspects that need to be worked on, improved, or completely transformed.

Target Identification - What would achieving this goal allow you to do that you cannot do now? How will you know when you have reached it?

• Get clear on the client’s desired result to be able to get clear on further actions.

Emotion - How motivated are you? What feelings & emotions will the process bring/awaken in you?

• You can ask questions to understand whether or not the client has emotional connections to the goal. If not, create ones so that they are motivated to move forward. Examples of questions include:

Perception - If you stepped outside of this situation and looked at it objectively, what would you notice?

• In order to succeed, both you and the coachee should be well aware of everything so that their perception evolves and they are able to see the bigger picture more clearly.

Plan and pace - What steps do you need to take to reach your target? How quickly or gradually do you want to move through this process?

• This helps the coachee understand their beliefs, opportunities and have a 360 degree view of the situation. 

Action -  What is the first concrete action you can take to move forward? How will you hold yourself accountable for taking this step?

• Like in any other case, develop the milestones and action plan. 

Example scenario

Best for  

The STEPPA coaching framework can be effectively employed by coaches across various fields, including business, sports, teaching, and executive coaching. This approach can work with clients who want to gain awareness of their situation, thought patterns, and emotional responses.

The OSCAR coaching model

Outcome →  Situation →  Choices → Actions → Review 

The OSCAR coaching model, created by Andrew Gilbert and Karen Whittleworth, is a practical framework for guiding conversations that help people reach their goals.

This model focuses on setting clear goals, understanding the current reality, exploring different options, taking action, and reflecting on progress. It is great for cases when you want to help clients make decisions, solve problems, and stay accountable in a structured but flexible way.

• Outcome - What specific aspect of your situation do you feel needs the most attention right now? What would transforming this area look like for you?
• Situation - What is your current reality regarding this goal? What challenges or barriers are you facing? What strengths or resources do you already have that can help you?
• Choices - What are the different options available to you? Which option aligns best with your values and long-term goals?
• Actions - What is the first concrete action you can take to move forward? How will you hold yourself accountable for taking this step?
• Review - What do you feel like has improved since the last session?

Example scenario

Best for

The OSCAR model is best for leaders, managers, and workplace coaches who need a structured yet flexible way to guide employees or clients toward solutions. It works well in performance coaching, career development, and problem-solving situations where the person being coached needs to set clear goals, explore options, and take practical steps forward.

The AOR coaching model

Activities→ Objectives → Results

Unlike other frameworks, AOR establishes a clearer relationship between the coach and the coachee. With this model, you help the client to set realistic expectations and encourage them to take action. 

• Activities – What actions or steps are being taken?
• Objectives – What specific goals are these activities meant to achieve?
• Results – What are the actual outcomes, and how do they compare to the objectives?

Example scenario

Best fBest for 

AOR coaching model is best for encouraging clients to learn from their experiences and take a particular action. If you are working toward developing a particular skill, this framework can be for you. It is especially best for sales coaching, performance coaching, and transformational coaching. 

The FUEL coaching model

Frame → Understand → Explore → Layout

The FUEL coaching model is designed to achieve behavioral changes to bring the desired results. It is highly conversational and aims for long-term behavioral pattern changes.

Let’s take a look at the main elements of the FUEL coaching model:

Frame- What does a successful session look like to you? 

• The focus should be on creating a safe atmosphere where the client and the coach feel comfortable. Then, during this stage, the purpose of the conversation should be clarified. It is, establishing an agreement/contract, as in CLEAR coaching.

Understand - What challenges do you see on the way? What keeps you from achieving the desired results?

• Understand the underlying factors that may not be obvious but impact and drive certain behavioral patterns. Also, challenge certain statements and beliefs.

Explore - How do you think it will make you feel when you achieve those results? What does success look like to you? 

• Find out what the coachee wants, what habits they would like to implement, and what their desired state is. 

Layout - What actions can you take today to be closer to that goal? 

• After discussing every point, it is vital to develop a plan that will help achieve the desired state.

Example scenario

Best for

The FUEL approach can be effective in various coaching scenarios. They include business coaching, executive coaching, and success coaching. It can be good for clients who want to explore various strategies for achieving their goals and find possible ways to improve.

The WOOP coaching model 

Wish → Outcome → Obstacle → Plan

The WOOP coaching model is based on powerful motivation techniques implemented on the client to push them forward.

Throughout the Wish stage of the conversation, the ultimate wish or wishes, more precisely, goals & objectives, are established. It is vital to guide the clients toward understanding what they truly desire, eliminating the impact that others may have had on the current desires of the client.

Then, when the client is clear on what they want, and they are sure that it will make them happy, it is time to move on to the next stage, the Outcome. This stage will also help to motivate the client moving forward. 

• Wish - If there were no limitations, what would be your ideal outcome? Why is this goal important to you?
• Outcome - How would achieving this goal positively impact your life or work? What feelings or benefits will come from reaching this goal?
• Obstacle - What internal or external challenges might stand in your way? How have similar obstacles affected you in the past? What mindset or habits might need to change to overcome them?
• Plan - What specific action steps can you take to move forward? How will you handle obstacles when they arise? What resources or support do you need to stay on track? 

Various visualization techniques may be implemented throughout the Outcome stage so that the client can better visualize the final results. It becomes a powerful motivator when they are vibrating in the state where they have what they want.

Example scenario

Best for 

The WOOP coaching model will work best with clients struggling to achieve their goals. They may feel stuck and unsure about moving forward. This model is widely used by intuitive, relationship, career, and life coaches. 

Solution-focused coaching model

As the name suggests, the solution-focused coaching model is an extremely result-oriented coaching process. Simply put, according to O'Connell and Palmeri, it is defined as “an outcome-oriented, competence-based approach.”

Its main points are implementing goal-oriented strategies, identifying and finding solutions to obstacles, and activating resources, meaning making full use of resources.

The strategies that are being utilized while using this method of coaching are mostly future-focused. It also encourages small steps as they contribute to the overall bigger picture. It, in a sense, skips the part of endless identification of problems and internal blocks, going to the finding of optimal solutions that can be implemented immediately.

Example scenario 

Best for 

Solution-Focused coaching is often used in executive, career, life, communication, and team coaching. It can be applied to a wide range of issues. Such issues include goal-setting, time management, communication skills, relationship-building, and stress management.

Student-centered coaching model

It is an evidence-based coaching model.

It is one of the sub-categories of Instructor-led coaching. As the name suggests, the main focus group is students, and it aims to increase their efficiency and better performance.

The core practices included throughout are:

• Utilization of coaching cycles
• Standard-based goal setting
• Learning-related goals
• Planning with the student
• Co-teaching should use instructional practices
• Measurement of the impact on student & progress 

Example scenario 

Best for 

The student-centered coaching model is applicable to clients who may be struggling academically or have special learning needs. This model is for coaches who serve as a facilitators or a guide for students rather than an expert.

Instructional coaching model

Instructional coaching is aimed at developing a level of expertise. Firstly, as in most coaching frameworks, it is vital to identify the current state and the desired outcome along with the obstacles on the way. The main focus is performance improvement.

Throughout this coaching, rather than asking loads of open-ended questions, the instructor, as an expert, identifies aspects on which the coachee should be working to improve the performance.

Example scenario 

Best for 

The instructional coaching framework is best for coaches who work with teams as clients. This can be used to support the implementation of new standards, assessment strategies, and management techniques. 

How to choose the right coaching model  

It would be helpful to know there is no necessity to choose one model and stick to it till the end. You can start with one of the above-mentioned models and change to another if it does not work well for your situation. As you gain more experience, you adjust any of these models to meet your needs. You may use a combination of two frameworks to address your mutual goals with the client more efficiently. 

No matter which coaching framework you choose for a particular case, there are a few recommendations professional coaches advise to stick with. One of them is not to make the mistake of focusing on multiple outcomes. 

“One of the mistakes that I see people make is that they want their framework to solve every single problem under the sun. Yet, your clients get that coaching program to solve one main thing. So, it is very important to focus on one result that you want your client to achieve in your framework”. 

 

Dielle Charon

Sales and money mindset coach 

Another thing that you can implement, no matter what your framework is, is when you encourage your coachee to do self-reflection, take a step back, and look at the situation. Ajit Nawalkha, who is the co-founder of Evercoach by Midvalley, mentions:

“If you can encourage them to take a step back and be able to reflect on all the different thinking patterns, then you will find that they can slowly but surely choose a different thinking pattern, completely changing their behaviour and outcomes”. 

 

Ajit Nawalkha

Co-Founder of Evercoach by Midvalley

Let’s also consider the three factors that make choosing a particular coaching model easier. 

• Identify your goals. The choice of a suitable coaching approach mostly depends on your goals and objectives. For example, if you want to focus on the effect of emotions, the STEPPA model may support the goal. 
• Consider your coaching philosophy. Take into account where your values and beliefs lie and the coaching styles you are comfortable working with. The choice of approach may also depend on whether you are a one-on-one coach or a group coach.    
• Assess your client's needs. A coaching conversation implies cooperation between the coach and the client toward a mutual goal. This means you should consider not only your own but also the coachees’ specific needs. 

3 key components of a useful coaching framework

No coaching program or session can be successful if you do not implement the Top 5 key components.

Those components are general components used in every framework/coaching method, so let’s look at them.

Coach-client relationship

The client-coach relationship is one of the most significant factors for a coaching program’s success.

It is vital that the client trusts the coach. When the trust factor is established and developed well, the coaching program will help the client to get the desired results faster and more effectively. 

To improve the relationships with the client, you should do the following.

• Share your experience with the client
• Show your coachee that you believe in them
• Acknowledge the progress they have made and encourage them

Identification of various obstacles & correct goal-setting

The clients come to the coach with a desire to transform certain aspects of life, and any transformation should start inward. Therefore, it is vital to identify both internal and external factors that stand in the way of the client. 

After the dilemmas are identified, there is a need to find out what the client expects from the session. This way you can guide them toward the formulation of goals.

One of the most popular and effective goal-setting techniques is SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-specific). 

Problem-solving

Another key factor for successful coaching is problem-solving. You need to be able to work with your client and develop their problem-solving abilities closely.

After identifying the obstacles that stand in the client’s way, develop coaching conversations that guide the clients toward finding the solutions. Assist them in the creation of the plan or so-called roadmap.

Identify specific qualities or aspects your client needs to work on that will contribute to the transformation. As a coach, you should help them fulfill their potential.

Use your model in online coaching

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