Definition
CLEAR is a coaching model developed by Peter Hawkins of Bath Consultancy Group in the 1980s. Its five stages are: Contract (explicitly agree on the purpose, process, and limits of the session), Listen (deep, reflective listening to understand the client's world), Explore (explore the topic in greater depth, including underlying emotions and beliefs), Action (move from insight to concrete commitments), and Review (review the learning and the process of the session itself). What distinguishes CLEAR is its emphasis on the explicit contract and making review a conscious practice.
How it's used
The Contract stage is CLEAR's differentiator. Before entering the content, coach and client agree: What is the goal of this session? How will we know it was successful? What process do we want to use? What boundaries or rules do we need to establish? This explicit agreement reduces ambiguity and increases accountability for both parties.
Listen is not passive listening — Hawkins speaks of listening at multiple levels: the content of the words, the underlying emotions, the metaphors the client uses, what is not said. The coach reflects accurately so the client feels understood before exploring.
Explore deepens using powerful questions, hypotheses offered tentatively, and occasionally work with the body or metaphors. The goal is for the client to arrive at their own insights, not for the coach to present them.
Action converts insight into commitment: what are you going to do differently? When? How will you know you did it?
Review is the reflective close: What did you learn in this session? How did the process go for you? What would you change about the contract for the next session?
When to apply
CLEAR is especially useful in executive coaching, where contract clarity is critical for managing expectations of all involved parties (coach, client, sponsoring organization). It is also suitable when the coach wants to ensure an explicit and reviewable process in supervision or coach training contexts.
Historical origin
Peter Hawkins developed CLEAR in the early 1980s as part of his work at Bath Consultancy Group, integrating principles from humanistic psychology, systemic coaching, and organizational learning theory. Hawkins is also the creator of the CLEAR-adapted coaching supervision model, used in coach training worldwide.
How CauceOS supports it
CauceOS includes a CLEAR note template that documents the contract agreed at the start of the session, insights emerging during Explore, and Action commitments. The Review section at close can be recorded directly during the last minutes of the session with the client.
Related terms
- GROW — more goal- and options-oriented framework, less emphasis on contract
- OSKAR — solution-oriented, less emphasis on process
- Executive coaching — context where CLEAR's explicit contract is especially relevant
References
- Hawkins, P., & Smith, N. (2006). Coaching, Mentoring and Organizational Consultancy. Open University Press.
- Hawkins, P. (2011). Leadership Team Coaching. Kogan Page.
- Clutterbuck, D., & Megginson, D. (2005). Making Coaching Work. CIPD.