Clean Coaching Session Design

Definition

Clean Coaching session design is a structured approach to conducting a complete coaching session that moves from establishing a clear outcome, through open exploration of the coachee's current situation and thinking, to extracting specific, owned actions—all while maintaining Clean Language principles to avoid contaminating the coachee's thinking.

In the Book

Dunbar dedicates Chapters 11 and 12 to the structure of a Clean Coaching session and clean beginnings and endings. The session has distinct phases but maintains fluidity within them.

The beginning establishes the coaching relationship, the session contract, and—critically—the coachee's desired outcome. Rather than the coach suggesting goals or directions, Clean Coaching asks the coachee to identify what they want to pay attention to in this session. The coach then clarifies this outcome using Clean questions, not by interpreting or refining it into something "better."

The middle is the exploration phase, where the coachee's current reality and thinking are examined without the coach directing toward any predetermined solution. The coach uses Clean Language questions to maintain focus on the coachee's own metaphors, perceptions, and understanding. Dunbar emphasizes that this is not wandering; the questions have structure and purpose, but the direction emerges from the coachee's answers, not the coach's assumptions.

The ending crystallizes insights and identifies actions. Rather than the coach prescribing what the coachee should do, Clean questions help the coachee identify what they themselves want to do next. This ensures actions are fully owned and grounded in the coachee's own thinking, not imposed from outside.

Dunbar stresses that beginnings and endings are not afterthoughts but essential phases that frame the entire session. A clean beginning ensures the outcome is truly the coachee's; a clean ending ensures actions are owned. The session structure creates a container that allows deep work while maintaining clarity of purpose.

Why It Matters

This structure prevents the "wandering exploration" problem where coaching becomes aimless. It also prevents the "coach-imposed outcome" problem where the coach subtly steers the coachee toward the coach's sense of what should happen. By having a clear structure while allowing the direction to emerge from the coachee, Clean Coaching sessions achieve both focus and ownership. Coachees leave not just with ideas but with actions they have generated themselves, making follow-through far more likely.