Smooth as Butter: Mastering Segues in Coaching Conversations

Like butter curled on a knife, ready to spread—a well-placed coaching segue glides naturally into the next moment.

Close your eyes and imagine: a slice of warm bread, steam rising. You lift the knife, dip into a pat of butter softened just so, and spread. It glides across the surface, melting into every crevice. The first bite is simple yet extraordinary—comfort, richness, ease.

That’s the magic of butter. It doesn’t try to steal the spotlight; it quietly transforms whatever it touches. A sauce without butter feels thin. Pastry without butter collapses. Corn on the cob without butter? Pointless.

Coaching Segues Matter

In coaching, segues are butter. They aren’t the reason a client hires you—no one says, “I’d like to pay for smoother transitions, please.” But they are the invisible ingredient that makes the entire conversation palatable, nourishing, and memorable.

Segues carry us from reflection to action, from heaviness to possibility, from silence to insight. When they’re clumsy, clients feel jarred, interrupted, even torn—like trying to smear a frozen stick of butter onto delicate bread. When they’re handled well, clients don’t even notice the shift. They simply taste the richness.

And here’s the delicious part: butter doesn’t come in just one form. There’s softened, melted, cold, clarified ghee, salted, unsalted, whipped, even honey butter. Each has its place in the kitchen—and in coaching. The artistry of segues lies in knowing which butter the moment calls for.

So let’s step into the buttery pantry and savor the varieties. 🧈

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