How to Keep Coaching Clients Engaged Over the Holiday Break
You keep coaching clients engaged over the holiday break with small, achievable assignments: one reflection question per week, a short personal year review, one action with a reminder and a fixed restart date in January. The goal is not for the client to keep working, but for the thread not to break.
Between mid-December and mid-January there are often three to four weeks without a session. That is a long time. Without anything in between, the first session in January regularly starts with "where were we again?". A few small steps prevent that.
Why a Break Can Also Be Good
First, a break is not necessarily bad. Rest gives new insights room to settle, and for many clients the holidays are a period of family, conversations and patterns that show up precisely then. Those experiences are valuable material for January, as long as the client notices and records them.
7 Ways to Keep the Program Alive
1. One Reflection Question per Week
Give one short question, for example: "When did you feel most like yourself this week?" One question is doable. Five questions get ignored. Reflective journaling works well for clients who like to write.
2. A Personal Year Review
Ask the client to write down three things: what went well this year, what was hard and what they want to take into next year. That connects nicely to the first session in January.
3. One Small Action With a Reminder
Choose one action together that fits the goal and is realistic during the holidays. A reminder halfway through the break helps. Read more about tracking homework and action items.
4. Observe Instead of Change
Is a client working on a pattern in relationships or boundaries? Then do not ask them to do something differently, but to notice when the pattern shows up. The holidays are an ideal moment for observation.
5. A Fixed Restart Date
Schedule the first session in January before the break. An appointment in the calendar gives structure and keeps the program from getting buried in the January rush.
6. Clear Agreements About Contact
Agree whether a client may send a message in between and when you will respond. That gives the client certainty and gives you rest.
7. A Short Question at the Restart
Start the first session after the break with: "What did you notice about yourself over the holidays?" That makes the break part of the program instead of an interruption. More ideas in how to keep coachees engaged between sessions.
What Not to Do
- Hand out a pile of exercises "because there is time now"
- Send reminders on Christmas Day or New Year's Eve
- Make a client feel that taking rest is failing
Setting Up Assignments in FocusCoachee
In FocusCoachee you prepare a reflection question, a method or an action with a reminder for each client before the break. The coachee actively takes part: adding reflections, checking off actions and following their own progress. When you restart in January, you immediately see what happened during the break, without having been online in between.
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