Coaching \u2018homework\u2019, sometimes referred to as coaching \u2018commitments\u2019, \u2018action\u2019, \u2018experiments\u2019 or \u2018practice\u2019, or more formally as inter-session activity, is a widely used coaching practice.<\/p>\n\n\n
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While coaching conversations can create powerful insight, much of the change is thought to happen between sessions. This is where clients begin to apply their learning, try out new approaches, and begin to embed new ways of thinking and acting. In many ways, this is the work of coaching.<\/p>\n
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Yet despite its importance and prevalence, there is surprisingly little research on coaching homework, and there is ongoing debate among coaches about what it should look like in practice. Some coaches actively assign homework, while others prefer for actions to emerge organically from the session. There are also differing views on how much structure, accountability or follow-up is appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n
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The language itself is not neutral. The term \u2018homework\u2019 can imply a hierarchy of power, which may sit uneasily within a partnership approach to coaching. At the same time, coaches can feel challenged when clients do not follow through, raising questions about what influences completion and the impact this has on coaching outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n
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This article draws on a systematic review of inter-session activities across coaching, counselling and therapy to explore what the evidence tells us about what works, who should decide, and what matters most.<\/p>\n\n\n
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