Preparing for a coaching meeting involves two steps:

1. Developing a plan so that you have identified your goals, agenda, potential challenges, areas that you are curious about
2. Becoming present and available to your coach. Relaxing that you have a plan, and then letting go of it.

Formulate a coaching meeting with the following things considered.

(1) your goals for the meeting - for developing your own coaching skills (What are the strengths you are bringing as a coach? Identify one specific thing that you would like to strengthen, avoid, do differently as a coach......).

(2) your observations about your relationship with the coachee.What expectationsmight each of you bring to the project based on past interactions?Are there any issues you'd like to address/be aware of to make this project "comfortable" for your coachee? What are the ways in which you think you can be most helpful to your coachee - ie, listening, providing direction, sounding board, suggesting ideas? Do you have any concerns? Is there anything about the coachee, his/her focal issue, and/or your relationship that is making you uncomfortable or anxious?

(3) your ideas, hypotheses about the coachee/focal issue that you'd like to keep in mind to potentially share (or at least test further) at an appropriate time during the meeting; areas you'd like to gather more information about and/or explore further.

(4) your plan/agenda for the meeting - issues to address, questions to ask