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Script text
Welcome, both of you. I'm really glad you're here — and I mean that, because reaching out for support takes courage.
Before we start, I want to set up how our sessions work.
My role is not to take sides, ever. I'm not going to tell either of you who's right. My job is to help you both understand each other better, communicate more effectively, and decide together what kind of relationship you want to build.
Everything said in this room stays in this room. I don't have individual sessions with either of you outside of our work together — that's important for keeping things equal.
If at any point you feel unheard, say so. If you need a break, say so. We move at your pace.
Any questions about the setup?
[Pause.]
I'd like to start by hearing from each of you — separately, without interruption — about why you're here today.
[Partner Name 1], would you like to start? Tell me, in your own words, what's happening for you and what you're hoping to get from our work together.
[Listen fully. Then:]
Thank you. [Partner Name 2] — same question. What's happening for you, and what are you hoping for?
[Listen fully. Then reflect both perspectives back without favouring either.]
Here's what I heard: [Partner Name 1] is experiencing [Theme 1 in neutral language], and [Partner Name 2] is experiencing [Theme 2 in neutral language].
Despite coming at this from different angles, you're both here — which tells me you both want this to work.
Let me ask you both: if coaching goes really well, what's one thing that's different about your relationship three to six months from now?
[Let them each answer. Look for overlap — that's your foundation.]
What you'll need to fill in
This script has 4 details to fill in before you read it. Have these to hand — the customizer above updates the script as you type:
- Partner Name 1
- Partner Name 2
- Theme 1 in neutral language
- Theme 2 in neutral language
It also contains 4 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 relationship coach: couples first session script take to read?
The script runs to about 277 words, which is roughly 2 min 8 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 4 details to fill in: Partner Name 1, Partner Name 2, Theme 1 in neutral language, Theme 2 in neutral language. 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.
