Introduction
Our philosophy is to coach the habit first, and then to coach for growth later. This pattern of habit-first coaching is the best fit for digital coaching.
We call this the Momentum Framework. Use this as a foundation that you can tweak based on your coaching specialization.
In digital coaching, you can't do the same deep-dive discussion that you'd do in person. Focus on immediate action instead. This builds trust and opens the door for continuous assessment and ongoing re-evaluation.
Using this framework, you cycle a client through four phases. Top performing coaches streamline their practice so that clients are spending as much time making progress as possible. Often that means transitioning from Phase 1 (Assessment) to Phase 2 (Habituation) in just 2 or 3 messages.
Start with Assessment. What is the person's larger goal and why? What do they expect from their coach? You need this assessment in order to identify an initial practice and to be able to personalize your coaching.
Use the assessment to move on to Habituation. Find a regular practice that supports your client's larger goal. Focus on building consistency.
Once there is consistency, you can work on growth. You can expand the difficulty of the practice, build skills, identify and solve challenges, and/or introduce optimizations.
You and your client should look for Graduation milestones where you can re-assess and either end the coaching relationship or restart the momentum cycle based on what you have learned together. It's much better to do multiple trips through the Momentum Cycle than it is to be bogged down in one phase.
Let's look at some example scripts for each phase.
