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GROW model (Whitmore et al.)

The big picture

The GROW model is the most widely used structure for coaching conversations. At its purest level, coaching is about asking good questions in a structured way so that your coachee starts to think, solve problems, make decisions or develop a skill independently of you. Mentors may give advice, but coaches do not. If your role as a coach is to make your coachees think for themselves by considering well-formulated questions, then you need a framework on which to hang these questions so that you avoid loose, unfocused conversations.

The GROW mnemonic suggests the sequence in which you should ask your coachee questions. It stands for:

  • Goal: What do you want to achieve?
  • Reality: What is the reality of ...

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