How should I contract for a coaching assignment?

Contracts are an essential agreement in the work we do with clients; both the organisational clients who pay for most business coaching, as well as individual clients (clients). Many coaches either do not use assignment contracts at all, or rely on a verbal agreement with the client or the organisation. This leads to the potential risk of misunderstanding of what coaching is, how we work, what the client or sponsor can expect and what we can expect from them. More importantly, it also fails to provide a means for clients to hold their coach to account: what ethical standards can the client expect, and how should they complain about their coach if they are unhappy? In this chapter we will examine the role of assignment contracts and how coaches can contract with both individuals and organisational clients.