Coaching sessions can be arranged on a spectrum. At one end we can place what we might think of as 'official' coaching. A quiet room, soft chairs, softer lighting and the time necessary to explore issues in depth. At the other end lies the notion of a quick conversation snatched in a natural moment at work. These types of coaching converations can be just as powerful providing we remember some core principles.

I can understand this viewpoint and I think the coaching profession encourages it; it makes it seem as if coaching must ALWAYS occur at this level to be helpful, but it doesn't. A trained Life or Executive coach may well work at this depth to bring about the significant and permanent change for which they have presumably been hired but the coaching manager is less concerned with causing tearful epiphanies and more concerned with restoring focus and improving performance on the job. This can be done far quicker.

Most coaching is supported by a questioning framework. I devised the coaching ARROW and although this comes with a wide range of sample questions, it can be boiled down to five:

A - Aims - What do you want?

R - Reality - What's happening now?

R - Reflection - How big is the gap?

O - Options - What could you do?

W - Way Forward - What will you do?

These five simple questions give us an opportunity to coach at great speed. On their own they will not create fundamental change or improvement but they will create focus and mobility. These being, in my opinion, the desired outcomes of any coaching conversation that takes place at work. Let's say you had a colleague about to make an important business pitch and you wanted to add a little coaching to the conversation. Asking 'What do you want?' could really get them focused on a positive outcome and ready to bring it about. It's not dissimilar to an athlete mentally rehearsing the race in their mind as they settle into the blocks. Imagine, talking to another colleague who had just returned from a meeting that had gone spectacularly well, but they were unsure why. Exploring 'What's happening now?' immediately afterwards could really bring some insight and learning to bear.

When our team members become used to being coached in this way, they often come with Aims, Reality, Reflection and Options already thought through. They just want to check things out with us and get some 'permission' from us for the way forward.

I think of this technique as Martini coaching: 'Anytime. Anyplace. Anywhere'. This technique makes coaching accessible to managers who don't get much formal time with their team members but who may be able to do some good coaching around the coffee machine, in the lift or on a car journey. Another tip is to have the questions to hand on a small piece of paper so that you can self-coach before you settle down to tackle an important task. It's okay to go for the formal setting for the major converations, but never underestimate the usefulness of a quick, but focused conversation in the moment when it's needed.