The purpose of the Balance Wheel Exercise is to assist clients with prioritizing their work/life in order to ensure greater balance and increased overall satisfaction. Fundamentally, the wheel is a quick and powerful way to prioritize any client request. The Balance Wheel is a Coaching Exercise that can be used for the “Create an Experience” section of the Coaching Arrow and to answer the Planning Questions: “How might you get it?” and “How might you commit to this?”
Contract and rapport
Once the contract and rapport are established, begin by inviting your client to think of a number of categories of their work/life in which they are currently engaged. Examples are finances, elationship, family, health, leisure, career, etc. Aim for eight categories.
Create a wheel
Draw a circle and divide it into eight sections. Ask your client which section should represent which category, and write the category along the outside edge of each section.
Scale
Then invite your client to rate each of the categories in terms of their current satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10. As the client provides a number, shade in that amount in the appropriate section.
Overview
Invite the client to look at the wheel overall and ask them what they notice.
Prioritize
Ask the client the following: if they were to be more satisfied with one category, would that positively impact the other categories? Ask the client to indicate the chosen category, and then highlight or put a star in that section. (More than one category can be chosen.)
Action steps
Ask the client to consider three or more action steps that would raise their satisfaction with their chosen category or categories.
Wrap-up
Complete the session with the remaining Coaching Arrow elements by reiterating the Action Steps, asking for the Value of the session and expressing Appreciation.
Additional Questions
What categories fit your key interest areas?
What other project areas might you explore using the Balance Wheel Exercise?
Which area do you want to work with today, and why?