Coaching works best when planned in advance or executed in a timely manner after something has happened. Leave it too long and the moment will be lost. Examples for opportunistic coaching using the GROW model could include a dispensing error or a poorly handled interaction with a customer.

What to say to the person you wish to coach:

'Let's go back to what happened this morning when...'

[Goal] 'What might you do differently next time?' 'What might a more successful approach be?'

[Reality] 'How do you think it went? Why was that?' Refer to specific events where you can: 'What about ...?' 'What was your view on...?' 'Why do you think that might have happened?'

[Options] 'What could you do differently next time?' 'How would you approach a similar situation in the future? Can you see a better way?' Remember it is fine to tell people what they should have done and why.

[Will] 'Tell me what you will do differently next time.' 'When are you going to do that?' 'What have you learnt? Tell me why this is important to our pharmacy and our team?'

Then to summarise: 'So what we have agreed is...' 'Let's review progress on...' 'Is there anything else you think we should discuss?'