Summary: Coaching can happen in everyday workplace conversations. This resource explores three moments when talking something through can help you prepare, get unstuck, or learn from experience, with examples of how to ask for and offer that support.
“Can I run something by you?”
A colleague listens as you explain a challenge. They ask a question that helps you see it differently. You leave knowing what you’ll try next.
That can be a moment of coaching.
Coaching may bring to mind scheduled sessions, development plans, or a professional coach. But it can also happen in ordinary conversations with a manager, a project lead, or a colleague.
You may already be doing it without realizing it. Recognizing these moments can help you ask for and offer useful support more often, so you feel more prepared, get unstuck, and handle something better next time.
What makes it coaching?
The coaching part is helping someone think through a situation and find a way forward. Listening, exploring their approach, and reflecting together can help them see something they hadn’t considered.
Sometimes people need an answer, instructions, or advice. Other times, they benefit from talking it through. You don’t need to announce a coaching conversation to make space for one.
Here are three everyday moments when it can help.
1. Before trying something new
Talk it through so you feel more prepared.
You’re about to lead a meeting for the first time. You have an agenda, but you’re unsure how to keep the discussion focused.
A short conversation with someone who has done it before can help you think through your approach and anticipate where you might need to adjust.
To ask for support:
“Could I run my plan by you? I’d like to think through how I’ll keep the discussion on track.”
To offer support:
“Would it help to talk through how you’re planning to approach it?”
The value is leaving with a clearer idea of what you’ll do and more confidence to begin.
2. When you’re stuck
Get another perspective and work out your next move.
You’re waiting on input from several colleagues. You’ve sent reminders, but the work still isn’t moving.
Talking it through with someone can help you look beyond another follow-up email. Perhaps the request needs more context, the deadline is unclear, or there’s a competing priority you haven’t considered.
To ask for support:
“Can I talk this through with you? I’ve tried a few things, and I’m having trouble seeing what to do next.”
To offer support:
“Talk me through what’s happening and what you’ve tried so far.”
The conversation may help you see an option you missed. If you uncover a practical obstacle, such as missing information or a decision outside your authority, the next step may be getting that addressed.
3. After finishing something
Use the experience to make the next attempt easier.
You’ve finished a busy project. Before moving straight to the next one, a colleague asks how it went.
A few minutes of reflection can help you recognize what worked and what you’d change. Perhaps agreeing on responsibilities early saved time, or leaving a review until the end created extra work.
To ask for support:
“Could we take a few minutes to talk through how that went? I’d like to work out what to carry into the next project.”
To offer support:
“Looking back, what helped, and what would you approach differently next time?”
You leave with something useful to repeat or adjust, while the experience is still fresh.
Put it together: An everyday coaching moment
You’re preparing to present a recommendation and ask a colleague, “Can I run this by you?”
As you explain, they ask what you want the group to decide. You realize your presentation includes plenty of background, but the recommendation comes too late.
Talking it through helps you decide to lead with the recommendation and use the background to support it.
Your colleague hasn’t rewritten the presentation. They’ve helped you see your approach more clearly. You leave with a next step and an insight you can use again.
Recognize the next opportunity
The next time you’re preparing for something unfamiliar, feeling stuck, or finishing a piece of work, consider whether a short conversation would help.
You can ask for one. You can also offer one when someone comes to you.
“Would it help to talk it through?” can be enough to start.
