{"id":6101,"date":"2026-11-11T18:19:22","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T16:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/softbook.app\/blog\/?p=6101"},"modified":"2026-11-11T18:19:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T16:19:22","slug":"coaching-intake-form-template","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/softbook.app\/blog\/en\/coaching-intake-form-template\/","title":{"rendered":"Coaching Intake Form: Questions and a Practical Template"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A coaching intake form is a short questionnaire that helps a coach prepare for the first conversation by collecting a participant’s goal, context and practical preferences. In the Softbook example below, it is used with people already registered in your school. The original question template gives you a starting point to adapt before building the form.<\/p>\n

Key takeaways:<\/strong>\n– Ask questions that will change how you prepare the first session.\n– Separate a participant’s goal from the situation they want to discuss.\n– Use the template as an editable teaching resource, with optional examples.\n– Restrict this form to existing students in your school.\n– Read the submitted answers before planning the conversation.<\/p>\n

What should a coaching intake form help you learn?<\/h2>\n\n

The form should tell you what the participant wants to work on, what they have already tried and what would make the first session useful. Ask for enough context to prepare a relevant exercise, keeping the detail tied to the work you offer.<\/p>\n

For a US coach helping first-time team leaders, an answer such as “I want to communicate better” leaves several possible starting points. A follow-up question about a recent situation can reveal that the person struggled to explain a task during a short shift handover. Prepare a practice conversation around it.<\/p>\n

After the participant joins your school, send the form before the first session and explain when you will read the answers to prepare for that meeting. Check your understanding during the conversation.<\/p>\n

Start with the program you have built. If the course teaches clear work requests, the form should help you identify a request to examine. The guide to creating an online course<\/a> explains how preparation and assignments can fit into the lesson structure that follows.<\/p>\n

Which questions belong in the template?<\/h2>\n\n

Include questions about the task, a recent example, previous attempts and practical arrangements for the meeting. The table below is an original editorial template for a first conversation with an existing student. Replace the example wording with your subject and remove fields you will not use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Question<\/th>\nSuggested field<\/th>\nWhy ask it?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
What would you like to work on in our first meeting?<\/td>\nParagraph<\/td>\nIdentify the participant’s own starting point<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Describe one recent situation where this came up.<\/td>\nParagraph<\/td>\nPrepare an exercise with a concrete context<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What have you already tried?<\/td>\nParagraph<\/td>\nAvoid asking the person to repeat an unhelpful attempt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What would you like to leave the meeting with?<\/td>\nShort text<\/td>\nAgree on a manageable output<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Which topic feels most relevant today?<\/td>\nSingle choice<\/td>\nHelp organize preparation around the program topics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What should I know about your availability and time zone?<\/td>\nShort text<\/td>\nPrepare to arrange the meeting clearly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Is there a question you want us to discuss first?<\/td>\nParagraph<\/td>\nLeave room for an unexpected concern<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Would you like to share a relevant example document?<\/td>\nOptional file<\/td>\nProvide material for discussion if useful<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

For the topic question, the team-leader program could offer “writing a request,” “agreeing on a deadline,” “discussing progress” and an own-answer option. The options help the participant recognize the subject without having to learn your terminology first. Keep an open question nearby for anything the list misses.<\/p>\n

Explain the document you want. A short draft with names and company details removed can give you enough material to discuss the wording of a work request. You do not need a whole project archive to discuss one sentence in a work request.<\/p>\n

Choose required fields carefully. You might require the meeting goal while leaving the document optional, allowing a person who cannot upload a file to describe the situation in words instead. The template does not assign scores, diagnose a problem or select a coaching method automatically.<\/p>\n

How can you improve a vague intake question?<\/h2>\n\n

Ask about a specific attempt or decision instead of requiring the participant to label themselves. A concrete answer gives you something to discuss and lets the person explain the situation in their own terms.<\/p>\n

In this fictional teaching example, a new supervisor joins a communication program and is asked to rate their leadership. They may choose a number without knowing what the rating covers. That answer offers little guidance for preparing the first exercise.<\/p>\n

You could replace it with “Think of the last task you handed to a colleague. What did you ask them to do, and what did they ask you afterward?” The response may show that the expected result was never stated. During the session, you can check that interpretation together and try a revised request.<\/p>\n

An empty answer needs a follow-up. The question may have been unclear, the person may lack an example, or they may prefer to explain the situation in conversation. Mark it as something to ask about rather than filling the gap with your own account of what happened.<\/p>\n

Read the questionnaire aloud before building it, adding an explanation beside any question that you would otherwise need to clarify for the participant during a separate conversation. The guide to organizing online tutoring<\/a> discusses related choices about teaching formats and working with individual learners.<\/p>\n

How do you create the form in Softbook?<\/h2>\n\n

Create the form, restrict it to students in your school, add the questions and test a submission before sending the link. This walkthrough is for participants already registered in the school and preparing for their first coaching session.<\/p>\n

Softbook is a platform for online schools: courses, sales, CRM, email and Telegram campaigns, and a website builder in one place. You can add unlimited students, and the platform takes no commission on your sales.<\/p>\n

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  1. Create and name it.<\/strong> Open Forms, then All forms, and add a form. Give it a name that identifies the program and purpose, such as “Team leader program, first session.”<\/li>\n
  2. Explain the request.<\/strong> Add a short description telling participants why you are asking and when you will review their answers. State the next step after submission, without implying that sending the form books a meeting.<\/li>\n
  3. Set access and identity fields.<\/strong> In form settings, enable the option restricting access to students of your school. Enable the system name, surname and email fields if you need them to identify responses. Save the settings.<\/li>\n
  4. Add your questions.<\/strong> Use short text for a brief answer and a paragraph field for a situation description. Single-choice, multiple-choice and dropdown fields are available when defined options help. A file field can collect a relevant example.<\/li>\n
  5. Choose required answers.<\/strong> Use the required switch on the questions that are necessary for this intake. Leave supporting material optional if you can prepare from a written description. Save the completed form.<\/li>\n
  6. Test and share the link.<\/strong> Copy the form link and place it in the relevant lesson or send it through your agreed communication channel. Submit a test response from the participant’s side, then open it in Responses.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    With the school-student restriction enabled, people outside that audience encounter the school’s login or registration page. Use the intended participant access for the test.<\/p>\n

    The basic intake workflow here does not need to enroll anyone again or add them to another group. If you separately choose automatic course enrollment or group assignment after submission, the system name, surname and email fields must be enabled. Check that setting deliberately instead of treating it as part of collecting answers.<\/p>\n

    The online course platform<\/a> holds the learning space around this process. Check the pricing page<\/a> for current account features when deciding how to set up your program.<\/p>\n

    What happens after a participant submits the form?<\/h2>\n\n

    Open the Responses section to review the answers and identify what to prepare for the first session. You can see the respondent, the form and the submission date and time, then open the individual answers. Filters help you view a particular person’s responses or responses to one form.<\/p>\n

    Write a short preparation note. For the fictional supervisor, it might read: “Wants to rewrite a task request. Previous attempt left the expected result unclear. Ask which part of the request can be shared for practice.” Check that interpretation with the participant.<\/p>\n

    A participant might report three questions from a colleague. Those questions do not necessarily mean the request failed. In the conversation, ask which questions were useful and which revealed missing information before deciding what to practice.<\/p>\n

    Read the answers in Responses. If your team also keeps preparation notes in its CRM, record the details it needs through your established working process. Keep the original response available so the coach can distinguish the participant’s words from the notes written while preparing the meeting.<\/p>\n

    Before the meeting, choose an opening question and a possible exercise, leaving room to change that plan once you have heard the participant explain the situation. You can put the agreed task in the course after the conversation, once you both understand what they will try next.<\/p>\n

    How much information should you request?<\/h2>\n\n

    Request the information you will use to prepare and arrange this coaching conversation. For a practical communication session, a recent situation and a desired output may be enough. Add a question only when its answer will change your preparation or the next step.<\/p>\n

    Review each optional field, including whether another phone number would help arrange this meeting when you already have a contact method that the participant uses. If you want an uploaded example, describe the relevant section and let the participant provide a written explanation instead when that works for the exercise.<\/p>\n

    Avoid collecting unrelated detail simply because a field type exists. A file upload can help with a draft request, but the exercise does not need all the documents connected with the participant’s workplace. Keep your instructions specific about the material you want to discuss.<\/p>\n

    Try the form on a phone. Read the longest question and submit an answer, then check whether the message tells the participant what to expect after completing the questionnaire. If you promise a follow-up from the coach, confirm that someone has time assigned to review the answers and send it.<\/p>\n

    What should you check before using the intake template?<\/h2>\n\n

    Review the questions and access settings together. Assign someone to read the answers. The form should ask about the program you deliver and lead to a preparation task someone on your team will complete.<\/p>\n

    Start with the required fields. Submit a response with the optional file left empty and check that the remaining answers provide enough context. Read any question that caused hesitation again, then shorten it or add a concrete example before inviting the full group.<\/p>\n

    Next, inspect the response as the coach. Can you find the participant and the relevant form without guessing? Open the answers and write the first question you would ask in the session. If the form gives you several labels but no situation to discuss, revise the questions before adding more fields.<\/p>\n

    Finally, compare the next-step message with your actual arrangements. Sending an intake form should not be described as a confirmed appointment unless you have confirmed that appointment through your own process. The guide to choosing an LMS<\/a> can help you compare the learning functions around this workflow when selecting your school’s system.<\/p>\n

    Build a short intake form for your existing students, test one response and use it to prepare the first conversation. Try Softbook free for 30 days, no card required.<\/a><\/p>\n