Brief Solution Focused Coaching

In Short

Move clients quickly from problem-talk to solution-building
Best for: Solution-focused coaching model
Brief Solution Focused Coaching is a structured tool for coaching and facilitation. Move clients quickly from problem-talk to solution-building. It provides a repeatable framework that can be adapted to individual, team, and leadership development contexts.
Type of tool: Solution-focused coaching model
Expected outcomes:
- Improved ability to move clients quickly from problem-talk to solution-building
- A concrete action or development plan to take forward from the Brief Solution Focused Coaching process

In Detail

Brief Solution Focused Coaching is a structured framework designed to help coaches, leaders, and facilitators move clients quickly from problem-talk to solution-building. It sits within the category of Solution-focused coaching model, making it particularly useful for practitioners working on capability development, team performance, and individual growth in organisational settings.

In practice, Brief Solution Focused Coaching is delivered as a 7-step process. The process begins by pre-session change question: 'What has changed since you booked this session?' 2. The session closes by do Something Different: assign any small behavioural experiment to break the pattern. The structured approach ensures that participants move through a consistent experience while leaving room for the facilitator to adapt pacing and depth to the group's needs.

Brief Solution Focused Coaching provides a shared vocabulary that persists beyond the session itself. When team members reference the same model in day-to-day work, coaching outcomes become embedded in practice rather than remaining as isolated insights from a single workshop.

How to Use

Brief Solution-Focused tools (from CCL BSFC PDF): 1. Pre-session change question: 'What has changed since you booked this session?' 2. Exception questions: 'Tell me about a time when this problem wasn't happening -- what was different?' 3. Miracle question: 'If a miracle happened overnight and this was solved, what would you notice first?' 4. Scaling questions: 'On a scale of 1-10, where are you now? What would a half-point improvement look like?' 5. Coping questions: 'How have you managed to cope so well given what you're facing?' 6. Formula First Session Task: 'Notice what you want to keep between now and next time.' 7. Do Something Different: assign any small behavioural experiment to break the pattern.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Provides a shared vocabulary that persists after the session and supports ongoing conversations Structured approach ensures consistent application across different cohorts and contexts Directly addresses the challenge of move clients quickly from problem-talk to solution-building through a proven conceptual structure	Risk of over-applying the model — not all situations fit neatly into any single framework Conceptual frameworks require skilled facilitation to connect theory to participants' actual work Some models have limited research evidence; practitioners should be transparent about this

Created by Steve de Shazer & Insoo Kim Berg

When to Use

This tool is suited to the following coaching and facilitation contexts:

Context	Relevant
Individual Coaching	✓
Team Coaching
Leadership Development
Facilitation / Workshop	✓
Online / Virtual

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