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Script text
[Client Name], thank you for coming in today. I know receiving a 360 can feel like a lot — I want us to take our time with this.
Before we look at any specific data, I'm curious: how are you feeling going into this conversation?
[Pause. Name any emotion that arises. Normalise it.]
Here's how I'd like to structure our time: we'll start with what the data says you do really well — because that matters and it's real. Then we'll look at the development areas. And then we'll talk about what, if anything, you want to do with what you learn today.
Does that feel like a good approach?
[Starting with strengths is not flattery — it builds the emotional capacity to hear the harder feedback.]
Looking at your results, the themes that came through most consistently as strengths are [Theme 1] and [Theme 2]. What's your reaction to seeing that in black and white?
[Pause. Let them respond fully before moving on.]
Now — the areas where the feedback is asking you to grow.
The theme that appears most consistently is [Core Development Theme — in neutral language, not judgment]. Here's how several of your respondents described it: [2–3 anonymised quotes or paraphrases].
What's your honest reaction to that?
[Pause. Don't rush to reassure.]
Is this feedback surprising, or is it confirming something you already knew?
If this theme is real — and I'm not saying it's the whole truth, but if there's even 20% truth in it — what's the cost to you and to the people around you?
So: what, if anything, do you want to do with this? Not what you think you should do. What do you actually want to work on?
[The development plan should come from them, not from you.]
What you'll need to fill in
This script has 5 details to fill in before you read it. Have these to hand — the customizer above updates the script as you type:
- Client Name
- Theme 1
- Theme 2
- Core Development Theme — in neutral lang…
- 2–3 anonymised quotes or paraphrases
It also contains 5 stage directions in grey. Those are instructions to you, not lines to say out loud — they mark where to pause, listen, or wait for a response.
That timing assumes about 130 words a minute, which is a normal conversational pace. If you are presenting to a room you will likely go slower; if you are nervous you will go faster. Read it aloud once and time yourself before it matters.
When to use this script
Use this to prepare for the conversations you keep handling inconsistently. Discovery calls, first sessions, difficult feedback, and clients who want to quit all recur across a coaching practice, and improvising each one afresh produces wildly variable results. A script is a rehearsal of the structure, not a text to read to a client.
The value is mostly in preparation. Working through the wording in advance means you have already decided how to phrase the hard question, which frees you to actually listen when the session happens.
Making it sound like you
- Turn statements into questions wherever you can. Coaching works through the client's own realisations.
- Prepare the hard question exactly. Under the pressure of a real session, that is the one that gets softened into uselessness.
- Leave deliberate silence in the structure. The pause after a difficult question is doing the work.
- Adjust the language to your modality and your client. Borrowed frameworks sound borrowed.
Reading it out loud
Never read this to a client — use it to prepare, then keep at most a few prompts visible during the session. If the call is on video, keep any notes near the webcam so glancing at them does not read as disengagement, which in a coaching context is more damaging than in most.
More on the setup side: Teleprompter for Webcam, Teleprompter for Laptop, Moving Text for Scripts.
Questions about this script
How long does this executive coach: 360 feedback debrief script take to read?
The script runs to about 283 words, which is roughly 2 min 11 sec at a normal speaking pace of around 130 words a minute. Your own pace will vary, so time one read-through before you rely on the number.
What do I need to prepare before using this script?
There are 5 details to fill in: Client Name, Theme 1, Theme 2, Core Development Theme — in neutral lang…, 2–3 anonymised quotes or paraphrases. Enter them in the customizer and the script updates as you type, then opens straight in the teleprompter.
Should I read a coaching script to a client?
No. Use it to prepare and to settle the wording of the difficult questions in advance, then keep only a few prompts in view. A coaching session that sounds delivered rather than heard undermines the relationship.
How do I use notes without seeming distracted?
Keep them minimal and positioned near your camera if the session is remote. A few key prompts you glance at are invisible; a full script you track down the page is not.
