Generate Options before evaluating any
Brainstorm all possible paths before judging — then the coachee, not the coach, narrows them.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Brainstorm all possible paths before judging — then the coachee, not the coach, narrows them.
- Why it works: Evaluating options during generation collapses the option space prematurely. People under stress or habitual framing typically surface only two or three options and mistake that narrow set for all available paths. Separating generation from evaluation — and insisting the coachee generates rather than the coach — produces more options, more unusual options, and higher ownership of whatever is ultimately chosen.
- Evidence: Plausible mechanism, limited direct outcome data.
- Avoid: The coach offering an option ("have you considered…?") during generation — which shifts ownership to the coach and often short-circuits the coachee’s own generative process.
Why it works
Evaluating options during generation collapses the option space prematurely. People under stress or habitual framing typically surface only two or three options and mistake that narrow set for all available paths. Separating generation from evaluation — and insisting the coachee generates rather than the coach — produces more options, more unusual options, and higher ownership of whatever is ultimately chosen.
How to do it
- 1Ask: "What could you do? What else? What if there were no constraints?"
- 2Record every option without evaluating — keep generating until the person is genuinely empty.
- 3Only after the list is full, ask: "Which of these options feels most alive to you?"
- 4Let the coachee evaluate and narrow — offer a perspective only if directly invited.
What the evidence says
MechanisticBrainstorming research shows separating generation from evaluation increases the quantity and novelty of ideas. Self-determination research supports coachee-generated options as more intrinsically motivating when implemented.
Honest caveat: Group brainstorming evidence is mixed (social loafing effects reduce group quantity); individual generative questioning as in GROW is less studied but avoids those group dynamics.
Common mistake
The coach offering an option ("have you considered…?") during generation — which shifts ownership to the coach and often short-circuits the coachee’s own generative process.
IX Coach holds back suggestions during the options stage, prompting you to generate more before it offers any perspective, then invites you to evaluate on your own terms.
Practice this with IX Coach →