Integrating SWOT analysis into your coaching inventory can lead to many insights for your clients. Though commonly known as a business tool, it can be used in any situation that calls for an analytical approach.

Let’s dive into how you can use SWOT analysis for coaching step by step.

What is a SWOT Analysis?

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to identify and evaluate four components of a business, project, or situation:

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

It’s most often used as a business tool to help organizations understand their internal and external environments and develop improvement strategies. However, it’s a simple and versatile tool that can also be used for personal growth.

Here’s a breakdown of each component:

Strengths

Strengths are internal attributes and resources that support a successful outcome. These aspects can give you an advantage over others.

For example:

• Strong brand reputation
• High customer loyalty
• Excellent time management skills
• Resilience and adaptability in challenging situations

Weaknesses

Weaknesses are internal factors that could hinder or limit your ability to achieve goals. These are areas where the business or person may be at a disadvantage compared to others.

For example:

• Limited market reach
• High production costs
• Tendency to procrastinate
• Limited financial literacy

Opportunities

Opportunities are external factors the organization or person can capitalize on or use to its advantage. They can be used for growth or improvement.

For example:

• Emerging trends and markets for expansion
• Strategic partnerships
• Networking events to meet industry leaders
• New job openings or career advancements

Threats

Threats are external challenges that could pose risks and create obstacles for the business, project, or situation.

For example:

• Economic downturn affecting sales
• Regulatory changes
• Health issues that may hinder productivity
• Negative influences from social circles

Identifying these four components helps you and the client develop new strategies for improvement and make informed decisions.

How to Use SWOT Analysis for Coaching

You can use SWOT analysis to help clients gain clarity about a situation and create actionable plans. Here’s how it can become one of your coaching strategies:

1. Define a Focus Area

Help your client identify a specific focus area for the SWOT analysis. It could be a personal goal, a career objective, or a business challenge they can dissect and work on.

The more specific they get, the more effective this coaching exercise will be. For example, they may want to improve their work-life balance or expand their business to a new market. If their focus area is too broad, consider leading them through the SWOT model multiple times, focusing on smaller segments.

2. Fill in Each Component

Guide your client through a series of coaching questions to analyze each of the four components of their focus area.

First, look at the strengths that give your client an advantage by asking the following:

• What unique skills or talents do you have in this area?
• What do others see as your strengths?
• What are you most proud of in this area?

Then, identify the weaknesses that may hinder their progress:

• What areas do you feel you need to improve?
• What feedback have you received about your weaknesses?
• What tasks do you avoid because you don’t feel confident doing them?

Next, look at the opportunities that your client could benefit from:

• What trends in your industry or life could you take advantage of?
• What opportunities are available to you right now?
• What new skills or knowledge can you acquire to unlock new opportunities?

Finally, list down any threats that could cause problems for your client:

• What obstacles are you currently facing?
• Are there any changes around you that could negatively impact you?
• What risks could potentially harm your progress?

3. Review Their Answers

Read each segment of the SWOT grid to your client and help them reflect on their current situation. Here are some guiding questions that will help you do that:

• Strengths: How can you use your strengths to achieve your goals?
• Weaknesses: What strategies can you develop to address or mitigate your weaknesses?
• Opportunities: How can you capitalize on the opportunities you have?
• Threats: What plans can you implement to minimize or avoid these threats?

4. Look for Correlations

It’s important to examine each component of the SWOT analysis separately, but the magic happens when you start to see correlations between them. Here are some coaching questions that can lead to new insights.

• How can you turn your strengths into opportunities?
• Can any of your weaknesses be turned into strengths with a different approach?
• How can you use your opportunities to overcome your threats?
• Is any of your weaknesses posing a threat to your goals? How can you improve on it?
• How can your strengths help you mitigate or overcome potential threats?

5. Set Goals and Priorities

A SWOT analysis can lead to many new insights. This can feel overwhelming to your client, not knowing where to start to grow from their situation.

Help them turn the output of this exercise into action steps and prioritize between them. Here are some coaching questions that will help you do that:

• Based on this analysis, what are the top three goals you want to achieve?
• What immediate actions can you take to start working towards these goals?
• How will you measure your progress and stay accountable?
• What resources or support do you need to achieve these goals?

Make sure these goals are specific and time-bound, and keep your clients accountable in future sessions so that they can take action.

3 Ways to Use SWOT Analysis as a Coach

Using SWOT With a Life Coaching Client

Let’s say your client wants to achieve a better work-life balance. Their SWOT template may look like this:

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
Strong organizational skillsGood time managementSupportive family	Difficulty saying no to work requestsTendency to overcommitPoor delegation skills
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
Flexible work policiesProductivity toolsAccess to wellness programs	High work demandsLack of boundaries between work and personal lifeRisk of burnout

You can help this client achieve a better work-life balance by exploring correlations between their answers. For example, they could use their organizational and time management skills to rearrange their schedule. They could also learn how to set better boundaries and take advantage of flexible work policies.

Using SWOT With a Business Coaching Client

If a business coaching client wants to increase their revenue, their SWOT analysis may look like this:

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
Established brand presenceGreat testimonialsUnique services	Limited marketing budgetInefficient sales processesLimiting beliefs around money
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
Creating a streamlined sales funnelPartnering with other professionalsOutsourcing marketing campaigns	High competitionEconomic downturnsChanging consumer preferences

This client can capitalize on their existing brand presence and client testimonials to increase sales. They can also consider investing in contractors who can create a marketing funnel for them.

Using SWOT for Your Coaching Business

You can also use the SWOT model to evaluate your coaching practice. For example, your answers could look like this:

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
Extensive coaching experiencePositive client testimonialsA degree in psychology	Limited marketing expertiseLack of online presenceTime management challenges
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
Moving sessions onlinePartnerships with coaching blogs and podcastsExpansion into new coaching niches	An increasingly competitive coaching marketAI coaching toolsCompetitive pricing pressures

In this case, you should improve your positioning, capitalizing on your unique expertise and coaching skills. Consider making your packages more comprehensive to respond to changes in the coaching industry.

Free SWOT Analysis Template for Coaching Sessions

Here’s a simple SWOT template with coaching questions you can use with clients to gain valuable insights.

You can print it out or upload it directly to your client’s Paperbell profile, along with your notes for easy access.

SWOT Analysis for Coaching
Internal factors	STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
	What unique skills or talents do you have in this area?What do others see as your strengths?What are you most proud of in this area?	What areas do you feel you need to improve?What feedback have you received about your weaknesses?What tasks do you avoid because you don’t feel confident doing them?
External factors	OPPORTUNITIES	STRENGTHS
	What trends in your industry or life could you take advantage of?What opportunities are available to you right now?What new skills or knowledge can you acquire to create opportunities?	What obstacles are you currently facing?Are there any changes around you that could negatively impact you?What risks could potentially harm your progress?

When and How Often to Use SWOT Analysis With Coaching Clients

A SWOT analysis is most beneficial at the beginning of coaching engagements. It allows you to assess your client’s current situation and set goals to improve it.

You can revisit the results periodically, such as every 3-6 months or during major transitions. This allows you to track your client’s progress, adapt their strategies, and capitalize on newly emerging opportunities.

You can use the SWOT analysis regularly with clients who respond well to an analytical approach. Adjust the frequency based on your client’s needs and the pace of their progress to make it impactful.