One of the distinguishing factors of a coaching conversation and a “regular” conversation is setting the agreement. The session agreement is outlined in the core competency Establishes and Maintains Agreement, standards 6-10. When executed well, you’ll experience a fluid and natural progression in the conversation – it seems very organic as everything “falls into place” and supports the client in identifying what they want/need to address. This is an example of being a coach vs doing coaching. Too often we hear coaches going through the motions, feeling almost robotic or mechanical, demonstrating the science of coaching (they understand process)  vs bringing themselves and having a conversation that infuses the technical aspects, the art of coaching.