Coaching & Mindset
Two Short Whys And Two Short Sos Find The Goal A Client Can't Say First, And Core And Pelvic Floor Teaches The Method
From the FASTER syllabus: this article is taught in full in Core & Pelvic Floor, where this lesson lives →
In short: The Core & Pelvic Floor course teaches a questioning method called Why, Why, So, So. A client's first goal is often a popular one such as losing weight or a stronger core, because they feel vulnerable or embarrassed. Two Whys ask what the goal means to them. Two Sos ask how life changes if it happens. In a few questions the trainer reaches a goal that carries real meaning, such as more active time with family. The same lesson gives five ways to read a client's confidence: direct questions, watching how they approach new exercises, past successes, their feedback and how they react to setbacks.
A first goal is often the popular one
A client sits down for their consultation and says "lose weight" or "get a stronger core". Those are the goals most people say out loud. The Core & Pelvic Floor course points out why: a client may feel vulnerable or too embarrassed to say what they really want, so they repeat a popular goal.
The Core & Pelvic Floor Specialist course teaches a short way to find the one underneath. It is called Why, Why, So, So.
How the four questions work
The first two ask Why. The trainer asks why that goal matters to the client, then asks why it has stopped them doing something they used to do. Each answer opens a little further.
The next two ask So. The trainer asks how it would feel if things stayed as they are, then how life would change if they improved.
The course works through an example with a parent. In a handful of questions the trainer learns the client wants to be more physically active with their kids because quality family time matters to them. The popular goal was the doorway. The meaningful goal was behind it.
A programme built around "more time with the kids" looks different from one built around "a stronger core", and the client can tell the difference.
Reading a client's confidence
The same lesson adds self-efficacy, a client's confidence in their ability to do the thing. The course gives five ways to read it:
- Ask directly, such as how confident they are from 1 to 10 that they can follow the routine three times a week, then ask for the reasons behind the score.
- Watch how they approach a new exercise.
- Talk about past successes.
- Invite feedback on which parts of the programme feel most and least confident.
- Notice how they react when something does not go to plan.
It keeps going
The course is clear that the consultation is an ongoing process. You keep learning about a client as you work together, and their goals might change.
How the course teaches it
FASTER courses are visual and interactive. You read, listen, and answer in writing or by dictating your answers.
Where to go next
The lesson sits in Core & Pelvic Floor Specialist. PT Manager is free with any FASTER course and holds consultation forms and client records, so what a client tells you has a home.
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You just read one answer. The course is all of them.
Core & Pelvic Floor, where this lesson lives — taught by the people who wrote it, with free return access for life. The price is on the page, payment plans at checkout, no sales calls.
Also worth a look: PT Manager, free with any FASTER course.
See what the course covers →Frequently asked
What is Why, Why, So, So?
A questioning process from the Core & Pelvic Floor course. Two Why questions ask what a goal means to the client, and two So questions ask how life would change if it happened.
Why do clients open with popular goals?
The course says they may feel vulnerable or too embarrassed to say what they really want, so they repeat goals like losing weight or a stronger core.
What is self-efficacy?
A client's confidence in their ability to do something, such as following a routine three times a week. The course gives five ways to read it.
Is the consultation a one-off?
No. The course says it is an ongoing process and a client's goals might change.
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