Completion Sessions in Coaching with Positive Psychology

The purpose of a Completion Session in Coaching is to ; 

1. Ensure the coachee leaves knowing what they have achieved and feel complete
2. Identify ways to sustain the behaviours and habits going forward
3. Capture key learning from the sessions – their action and learning journey

Keys to Completing Well for you as Coach

Before the completion session capture;

• Actions
• Insights
• Highs and Lows
• Token or gift

During the completion session;

• Acknowledge
• Specifics
• Celebrate

After the completion session ends ask;

• What next?
• Support?

Think about what you need to collate before the session. So after previous sessions, capturing actions, insights, the highs and lows (to show how they overcame the lows). Listen out for a token or gift you can give. I once bought a coachee a small book on Mindfulness to give to them on a session 12 completion session, after they mentioned the topic in session 3. During the session you can then share this information to acknowledge them specifically and celebrate. This then enables you both to think of how they can use this going forward after the session.

Positive Psychology & Completion

Martin Seligman the founder of Positive Psychology looked at how humans can flourish and succeed. He said it held the key to improving the quality of life for people around the world. Coaching allows us to help people explore how they can flourish and succeed. Completion consolidates this as we tie it up in a beautiful bow and present it to our coachee.

Three of the key assumptions of Positive Psychology are;

1. Acknowledgment of free will
2. Authenticity of Goodness and Excellence
3. Focus on “The Good Life”

1. Acknowledgment of free will

We are in charge of our own psychological and emotional well-being. This means that happiness is accessible to all, if we use our strengths and virtues to achieve and be the best we can be. Coaching sessions can enable this to happen. Completion sessions reminds our coachees of their strengths.

2. Authenticity of Goodness and Excellence

The positive approach focuses on positive emotions. Celebrating the good things in life and developing the individual’s positive traits, such as altruism or competence. It looks at the signature strengths, such as love of learning, bravery, humour, creativity and persistence. Completion sessions reminds our coachees of their positive traits.

3. Focus on “The Good Life”

By bettering ourselves, and strengthening our natural qualities, we can live “a good life”. Seligman says there are 3 elements to this;

• The pleasant life – achieving positive emotions and daily satisfaction
• The good life – discovering our strengths and enhancing our lives
• The meaningful life – using our strengths for a greater purpose, which is the peak

Completion sessions remind our coachees of all they have achieved. It is a chance to celebrate. This creates positive emotions, that build and create momentum. This then reinforces the emotions, which then continues to “broaden and build” as the diagram below shows.

Broaden and Build – Frederickson & Joiner

Frederickson & Joiner say this is good for mental well being and physical too!

Completion sessions are one of my favourite part of coaching, It’s a chance to reflect on what has been achieved, overcome, learnt and what next. It’s a privilege to start this journey with someone and set them up feeling empowered for the next part.

What do I need to say to complete? Enjoy the process!