Evaluating your coaching

As a professional coach, you will understand that coaching is a dynamic and evolving practice. To remain effective and ensure a lasting impact, we must constantly evaluate our methods, approach and the impact we create.

The art of coaching requires reflection, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous improvement; and this blog post aims to support you with this by providing an overview of the various ways professional coaches can assess their practice and improve it over time.

1. Client feedback: the direct mirror

One of our mottos at Catalyst 14 is ‘Always Be Contracting,’ which reinforces the importance of ongoing evaluation and contracting conversations with your coachees so you can continually assess the coachee’s experience through their direct feedback. This input is invaluable because it provides real-time insights into how the coaching experience is perceived by the person it’s designed to help.

To support your coaching programmes, you may wish to formalise the collation of this feedback using the following approaches:

• Surveys and Evaluations
  After coaching sessions or at the conclusion of a coaching engagement, you can ask the coachee to complete evaluations. These evaluations may include questions about the client’s satisfaction with the process, their perception of progress, and any suggestions for improvement. If you are working as an internal coach or as an associate coach with an executive coaching house, it is likely they will have standardised templates for evaluation and feedback and will collect this for you.
  
  
• Testimonials
  At the end of the coaching programme, it is good practice to use the EMCC Global testimonial form as a way of collating formal feedback on your coaching and on you.
  
  
• The ending conversation
  In addition to formal evaluations, as part of the final conversation with the client, coaches include a feedback and evaluation conversation. These discussions create an open dialogue where clients can share their thoughts, highlight the aspects of coaching they found most beneficial and offer you feedback on your coaching skills.

2. Client progress: the ultimate indicator

A coach’s success is ultimately measured by the progress of their clients — so tracking and evaluating this progress is a critical part of assessing the effectiveness of your coaching.

You can do this through:

• Goal achievement
  Coaches help clients set specific, measurable, and time-bound goals. By monitoring the achievement of these goals, you can assess how well your methods are working. Are clients consistently reaching their milestones? If not, what adjustments need to be made to the coaching process to improve outcomes?
  
  
• Triad evaluation meeting / sponsor feedback
  Often when coaching leaders, you will be holding tri-party contracting and goal setting conversations. As part of the final session, it is common for the sponsor to attend the final meeting and offer feedback to the coachee and coach on goal achievement, the learning, development and growth of the coachee as well as their views on any future development areas.
  
  
• Behavioural changes
  Beyond goal achievement, coaching often aims to help clients make lasting behavioural changes. You can evaluate success by observing shifts in the client’s mindset, decision-making processes, and overall approach to challenges. Regular check-ins and reflective conversations can provide insight into whether these changes are being sustained over time.
  
  
• Coachee independence
  One of the hallmarks of successful coaching is when clients become more self-reliant and confident in their ability to solve problems without further support from the coach. You can evaluate your effectiveness by observing how much independence your clients gain over time. The more a client can take ownership of their growth, the more successful the coaching process has been.

3. Using coaching metrics and tools

In recent years, coaches have increasingly turned to coaching metrics and data-driven tools to evaluate the effectiveness of their sessions.

These include:

• Coaching software
  Many coaching platforms offer tools that enable you to track the progress of your clients over time. These tools provide data on goal achievement, session attendance, client engagement and more. By reviewing these metrics, you can identify trends and adjust your approach accordingly.
  
  
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
  Some coaches use a net promoter score (NPS) to gauge how likely a client is to recommend them to others. This score provides a simple yet powerful indication of client satisfaction and can act as a barometer for the coach’s impact.
  
  
• Assessment Tools
  Coaches often use various assessments, such as personality tests, 360-degree feedback surveys and emotional intelligence measures, to evaluate clients’ starting points and track their development. Re-administering these assessments at different points in the coaching journey can reveal areas of growth and highlight where further work is needed.
  

4. Self-reflection: your internal compass

Self-reflection is one of the most powerful tools in your toolkit. By regularly reflecting on your own practice, you can identify areas of strength and pinpoint where development support or adjustments may be needed. This is one of the key underpinnings of a Catalyst 14 coach training course — we always recommend that you take time to consider how you will continue to build your reflective practice as a professional coach after a program comes to an end.

• Post-session reflections
  After each coaching session, take time to reflect on what went well, what you could have done differently and your observations about the coachee and your relationship. This involves recalling key moments from the conversation, and asking critical questions like:
  • How present was I?
  • How well did I facilitate the coaching session?
  • What did the client achieve from our discussion?
  • How did I demonstrate any areas that I am working on e.g. challenge?
  • What observations do I have of our relationship? The coachee?
  • What is being said and not said?
  • What might I want to take to supervision?
• Journaling
  Maintain a journal to document your experiences and reflections over time. This process can reveal patterns, highlight personal growth, and serve as a useful tool for supervision conversations and your long-term development.

Remember that any notes or records of your coaching sessions need to be in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 requirements.

5. Group supervision and peer learning groups

Experienced coaches often benefit from feedback and insight from their peers. Engaging in group supervision and learning with other coaches allows for an exchange of ideas, perspectives, and constructive feedback.

• Supervision
  Ongoing supervision is a professional requirement, and joining a supervision group enables you to have a support network as well as learning from the experiences of peers. During supervision, you can discuss cases and learning edges with a professionally accredited coach supervisor who can offer insights, highlight potential blind spots and suggest new approaches. This process helps you stay accountable to your own development and ensures you are practicing ethically and professionally.
  
  
• Peer learning groups
  Being part of a Peer Learning Group enables you to share experiences, ask for advice and receive feedback. These groups provide a sense of community and an opportunity to learn from others who may be facing similar challenges.

6. Continued Professional Development: staying current

The field of coaching is constantly evolving, and professional coaches make a commitment to lifelong learning. This involves staying up to date with the latest research, tools and methodologies in coaching including:

• Workshops and Training
  Attending workshops, conferences and additional training allows you to learn new techniques and expand your knowledge base. By integrating new skills into your practice, you ensure that your methods remain fresh, effective, and aligned with best practices.
  
  
• Certifications and credentials
  You can pursue advanced certifications through professional coaching bodies such as EMCC Global. These certifications require continuous learning and recertification, ensuring that you remain current in your practice.
  
  
• Reading and research
  Coaches also stay informed by reading books, articles, and research related to coaching, psychology, leadership, and personal development. This ongoing education enriches your understanding of human and organisational behaviour — and provides new insights that you can integrate into your coaching practice.

7. Ethical considerations and integrity

Finally, part of evaluating coaching involves considering whether you have a professional practice and are adhering to ethical guidelines and acting with integrity. We would encourage you to regularly reflect on questions such as:

• Am I respecting my client’s confidentiality and boundaries?
• Am I maintaining objectivity, or am I allowing personal biases to influence the coaching process?
• Am I staying within my scope of practice, and referring clients to other professionals (e.g., therapists) when appropriate?

Maintaining ethical standards is critical for the credibility and effectiveness of coaching and self-evaluation in this area ensures that you provide responsible and trustworthy services.

(We would also recommend taking these reflections to your coach supervision sessions.)

As you can see there are multiple strands of evaluative data that can inform your coaching practice and your growth areas — and most importantly help you acknowledge the impact of your work as a professional coach.