S.T.A.R.T. Formula for Awareness

Core Competency #8: Creating Awareness

Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple sources of information and to make interpretations that help the client to gain awareness and thereby achieve agreed-upon results.

In our coaching practice, we encounter clients with one or more important projects that they want to start, but they find themselves “stopping” instead of “starting.” What if it were possible to support them by providing an assessment of their awareness on whether they are ready to start their projects—and, if not, what is it they need to start working on in order to get there?

In this column, I offer a practical matrix called S.T.A.R.T., inspired by the four quadrants of the dimensions of human attention. To “start” is to begin a movement, making it an apt acronym for this formula.

The Criteria

Each letter in S.T.A.R.T. represents one criterion for the formula:

S—Specify
(area of the client’s focus)

T—Today
(the client’s availability and time frame)

A—Achievable
(the client’s capabilities and talents)

R—Relevant
(what is really important for the client)

T—Target
(the client’s goal)

The Equation

Combining this simple, everyone-can-do-it equation with S.T.A.R.T. criteria makes it easy to assess the client’s awareness of his or her readiness to S.T.A.R.T. or S.T.O.P. the project based on the equation being true or false.

Each of the five S.T.A.R.T. criteria can score 1 or 0. To make the equation true, all the criteria need to be fulfilled and scored as 1 (1x1x1x1x1=1). In this case, the client is ready to move toward the project. However, if one of the criteria is missing, the score will be 0 (1x0x1x1x1= 0), the equation will not be true and it may be time for the coach to support the client in working toward a S.T.O.P. (Solutions Toward Outcome of Project).

Begin by inviting the client to choose the project they want to assess their readiness for. Fill in the top column of the worksheet (on page 11) with the name of the intended project.

Then, ask the client the questions outlined on the worksheet. Except for the first questions (which should be for “Specify” or “Target”), the criteria don’t need to be addressed in a particular order. Feel free to adjust the questions you ask depending on what the client is bringing in the moment.

For each response, invite the client to assess whether it is resonant (moves them toward their intended project) or dissonant (moves them away from their intended project). Resonant responses lead to a score of 1 in the “score” column; dissonant responses yield a 0 score. After the criteria have been scored, multiply the numbers and interpret the results (again, remember that 1=S.T.A.R.T. and 0=S.T.O.P.). Based on the result, ask the client what they notice and offer an opportunity to explore next steps.

As one of many ways to support a client in creating awareness, the S.T.A.R.T. formula is a valuable visual tool coaches can use to help clients make their intangible thoughts and feelings more accessible and empower them to move toward what they know and feel will get them started.

© 2016 Silvia Viola, PCC