ect that we had not considered.

5. How do you know it is right?

So we met for a coffee and talked through my client's notes on her assessment schedule and listed her favoured top-five cars. At this point, I reminded her about the tangible measures we had collected for her objective and we checked how the listed cars measured up.

My client was visibly relieved that her detailed choice satisfied her original objective - so she became d

A key element in coaching people is helping them to decide what they want to achieve so I am never surprised when the first part of my job is to teach my client how to make decisions that satisfy them.

Recently, I worked with a lady who wanted to buy a car - but had not made any progress for three months.

1. What do you want?

My client could easily state her (high-level) objective - to buy a car. I then pushed her to describe what tangible measures would show she had the right car - her successful outcome. I also asked her to set a timescale and a budget for her effort and money.

2. What is important?

We spent a little time listing down all the important aspects of the car - colour, upholstery, engine size, number of doors, CD player and two pages of other details. Next we sorted these notes into must and want items.

Using the musts, we looked through the available vehicles in the newspapers and on the web, to research the most promising choices, collect useful information and filter out the unacceptable cars.

3. How to choose?

By now, my client was really encouraged - she could see she was making progress. Now her task was to weigh up the acceptable cars and to rank them. This was actually the hardest part of the decision, deciding what was more important, less important or made no difference.

4. How to confirm your choices?

Now my client moved from paper to the fun bit: trying out the motors. So we mapped the sales locations, listed which cars were where and planned her assessment schedule.

Several days later, she fedback how trying the cars had changed her perceptions. Interestingly, she was attracted to a car designed to make it easy to top up the water and check the oil level and check the tyre pressures - an aspect that we had not considered.

5. How do you know it is right?

So we met for a coffee and talked through my client's notes on her assessment schedule and listed her favoured top-five cars. At this point, I reminded her about the tangible measures we had collected for her objective and we checked how the listed cars measured up.

My client was visibly relieved that her detailed choice satisfied her original objective - so she became d

sures would show she had the right car - her successful outcome. I also asked her to set a timescale and a budget for her effort and money.

2. What is important?

We spent a little time listing down all the important aspects of the car - colour, upholstery, engine size, number of doors, CD player and two pages of other details. Next we sorted these notes into must and want items.

Using the musts, we looked through the available vehicles in the newspapers and on the web, to research the most promising choices, collect useful information and filter out the unacceptable cars.

3. How to choose?

By now, my client was really encouraged - she could see she was making progress. Now her task was to weigh up the acceptable cars and to rank them. This was actually the hardest part of the decision, deciding what was more important, less important or made no difference.

4. How to confirm your choices?

Now my client moved from paper to the fun bit: trying out the motors. So we mapped the sales locations, listed which cars were where and planned her assessment schedule.

Several days later, she fedback how trying the cars had changed her perceptions. Interestingly, she was attracted to a car designed to make it easy to top up the water and check the oil level and check the tyre pressures - an aspect that we had not considered.

5. How do you know it is right?

So we met for a coffee and talked through my client's notes on her assessment schedule and listed her favoured top-five cars. At this point, I reminded her about the tangible measures we had collected for her objective and we checked how the listed cars measured up.

My client was visibly relieved that her detailed choice satisfied her original objective - so she became d

ble vehicles in the newspapers and on the web, to research the most promising choices, collect useful information and filter out the unacceptable cars.

3. How to choose?

By now, my client was really encouraged - she could see she was making progress. Now her task was to weigh up the acceptable cars and to rank them. This was actually the hardest part of the decision, deciding what was more important, less important or made no difference.

4. How to confirm your choices?

Now my client moved from paper to the fun bit: trying out the motors. So we mapped the sales locations, listed which cars were where and planned her assessment schedule.

Several days later, she fedback how trying the cars had changed her perceptions. Interestingly, she was attracted to a car designed to make it easy to top up the water and check the oil level and check the tyre pressures - an aspect that we had not considered.

5. How do you know it is right?

So we met for a coffee and talked through my client's notes on her assessment schedule and listed her favoured top-five cars. At this point, I reminded her about the tangible measures we had collected for her objective and we checked how the listed cars measured up.

My client was visibly relieved that her detailed choice satisfied her original objective - so she became d

i>no difference.

4. How to confirm your choices?

Now my client moved from paper to the fun bit: trying out the motors. So we mapped the sales locations, listed which cars were where and planned her assessment schedule.

Several days later, she fedback how trying the cars had changed her perceptions. Interestingly, she was attracted to a car designed to make it easy to top up the water and check the oil level and check the tyre pressures - an aspect that we had not considered.

5. How do you know it is right?

So we met for a coffee and talked through my client's notes on her assessment schedule and listed her favoured top-five cars. At this point, I reminded her about the tangible measures we had collected for her objective and we checked how the listed cars measured up.

My client was visibly relieved that her detailed choice satisfied her original objective - so she became d

ect that we had not considered.

5. How do you know it is right?

So we met for a coffee and talked through my client's notes on her assessment schedule and listed her favoured top-five cars. At this point, I reminded her about the tangible measures we had collected for her objective and we checked how the listed cars measured up.

My client was visibly relieved that her detailed choice satisfied her original objective - so she became decisive, picked her best option and my job was done.

When I saw her three months later, she was still certain she had made the right decision - and I was happy because she had made a satisfying decision.