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Script text
Hi [Client Name], great to meet you in person. Before we do anything physical today, I want to spend about [Time] just talking — because the best programme I can write for you starts with understanding you, not just your body.
Everything we discuss stays between us. I'm asking these questions to make sure I keep you safe and get you real results.
Let's start: what made you decide to work with a coach right now? What's the thing that finally pushed you to do this?
[Listen — the emotional reason is as important as the physical goal.]
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is no exercise at all and 10 is training like an athlete, where would you honestly put yourself right now?
What's worked for you in the past, even a little bit? And what hasn't?
Are there any injuries, health conditions, or physical limitations I should know about?
What does success look like at [3 months, 6 months, or end of programme]? Be specific — not "I want to feel better." What does feeling better look like for you?
[Dig deeper: "And what will that change in your day-to-day life?"]
Now, I want to ask you one more question, and I want you to be honest: what do you think is the biggest thing likely to get in the way of you reaching that goal?
[Pause. This reveals the real coaching work.]
Okay. Based on everything you've told me, here's how I'm thinking about your programme: [Outline your initial approach — keep it simple, specific, and encouraging].
Any questions before we move to the physical assessment?
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
- Time
- 3 months, 6 months, or end of programme
- Dig deeper: "And what will that change i…
- Outline your initial approach — keep it…
It also contains 2 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 fitness coach: initial client assessment script take to read?
The script runs to about 260 words, which is roughly 2 min 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, Time, 3 months, 6 months, or end of programme, Dig deeper: "And what will that change i…, Outline your initial approach — keep it…. 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.
