Online or in-person coaching: how to choose? Five criteria and the questions to ask

Choose in-person coaching when the topic calls for physical presence (posture, voice, a team in one room) and a suitable coach works near you. Choose online coaching when your schedule, your location or the specialty you need requires it. Available studies do not show either format to be more effective, so start from your real constraints.

Is online coaching less effective than in-person coaching?

Research does not support that claim. The meta-analysis by Rebecca Jones, Stephen Woods and Yves Guillaume, published in 2016 in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology and listed by Aston University, pools 17 studies of workplace coaching. It reports a positive overall effect (δ = 0.36) and finds that the effect does not vary with format, when face-to-face coaching is compared with programmes that blend face-to-face and remote coaching.

Two limits are worth keeping in mind: 17 studies is a small base, and the comparison covers blended formats, not coaching delivered entirely by video. No observed gap is not the same thing as proven equivalence in every situation.

A more recent synthesis shifts the question. According to the meta-analysis by Erik de Haan and Viktor Nilsson (2023, Academy of Management Learning and Education), as presented by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 37 randomized controlled trials covering 2,528 participants give an estimated effect of g = 0.59, which the authors place in the moderate range, with indications of publication bias. Its abstract does not address how sessions were delivered. It does report larger effects with qualified coaches in non-leadership applications. So before comparing video and office, look at who will work with you: the quality criteria for a professional coach and the scope of ICF, EMCC and HEC certifications are checked the same way in both formats.

Five criteria to decide between video and in-person sessions

Since the studies do not settle it, the decision comes down to your situation. Five criteria help you frame it.

Criterion	Leans in-person	Leans online
Topic you are working on	Public speaking, posture, voice, a team gathered in one room	Thinking through a decision, interview preparation, following up an action plan
Place available	No quiet, closed space at home or at work	A room where nobody can overhear or interrupt
Local supply	A coach with the right specialty works near you	No coach with that specialty, or in your language, nearby
Schedule	The trip fits into your week	Frequent travel, irregular hours, family constraints
Screen tolerance	Days already full of video meetings	Comfortable on video, decent equipment, stable connection

Local supply is often the first filter. In a large city, start by looking at who works near you, for example among coaches in Geneva or coaches in Montreal. If the specialty matters more than distance, search by field instead, for example a career coach for a professional transition, then ask which formats that coach offers.

The place is the easiest criterion to overlook. A session means speaking freely about your job, your manager or your doubts. An open-plan office, a glass-walled meeting room or a shared living room does not allow that. Without a closed room at a fixed time, the coach's office gives you a setting that video cannot.

Then there is the screen. After a full day of video meetings, one more session in front of the camera can take extra effort to stay focused. If that describes your days, book the session in the morning or go in person. Our other article explains what changes between a video session and a session in the coach's office.

Confidentiality: what should you check before a video session?

In an office, confidentiality comes down to a closed door. Online, it depends on the tool, on your connection and on what the coach does with their notes. France's data protection authority, the CNIL, in its guidance on videoconferencing tools published on 9 April 2020 (in French), recommends choosing systems that protect privacy and always reading the terms of use. Its advice translates into a few simple habits:

• check that the tool provides end-to-end encryption of communications;
• download the application from a known source, never from an unknown site;
• protect your Wi-Fi with a strong password and WPA2 or WPA3 encryption;
• turn off the microphone and webcam when they are not in use, and close the application after the session.

On the coach's side, the ethical framework does not change with the format. The Code of Ethics of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), in effect since April 1, 2025, asks for the strictest level of confidentiality with all parties, a clear agreement about what information is exchanged and how, and records (electronic files included) that are kept and disposed of in a way that promotes confidentiality, security and privacy. The text also covers the technology systems a coach may use, artificial intelligence included. This code binds coaches who come under the ICF, not the whole profession: ask your coach which code they follow.

If your employer is paying, clarify from the start what is reported back to the company. A session taken from a work computer, on the company's video tool, deserves a question to the coach and to HR before you begin.

Mixed format: which questions should you ask a coach before committing?

The choice is not binary. Video became part of coaches' practice during the pandemic. On May 20, 2021, the ICF released the results of a survey conducted by PwC from January 18 to February 22, 2021 among more than 10,400 respondents in 148 countries and territories. According to the information available in that 2021 release, coaches' use of audio-video platforms rose by 83 percent and in-person sessions fell by 82 percent. These figures describe the Covid-19 period, not the present, but they show that the coaches surveyed worked remotely on a large scale at that time.

A mixed format is therefore a reasonable request: a first meeting in person, then remote sessions, or the reverse when a trip makes it possible. Use the first conversation (on EraCoach, check the coach's profile to see whether a discovery session is offered and on what terms) to ask these questions:

1. Which formats do you offer, and can we switch along the way?
2. Which video tool do you use, and are sessions recorded?
3. Where do you keep your notes, and for how long?
4. Is the fee the same online and in your office?
5. What happens if the connection drops during a session?
6. Which code of ethics do you follow?

For an HR manager, the question is settled programme by programme. Group work often lends itself to a shared room, at least for the kick-off: raise it with a team coach. One-to-one coaching for a manager fits more easily around a fragmented diary and remote sessions. Format is also part of the quote: our articles on what professional coaching costs and on how many sessions to plan for help you prepare that discussion.

Sources

• Aston University: Jones, Woods and Guillaume, meta-analysis of workplace coaching (2016).
• Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: de Haan and Nilsson, meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2023).
• CNIL: guidance on using videoconferencing tools (9 April 2020, in French).
• ICF: Code of Ethics in effect since April 1, 2025.
• ICF: Covid-19 snapshot survey conducted by PwC (May 20, 2021).

Frequently asked questions

Is online coaching cheaper than in-person coaching?

Not necessarily. In France, each coach sets their own fee and, according to the information available, no rule requires them to price the two formats differently; in another country, put the question to the coach directly. What video does remove is your travel time and travel cost, and any room hire. Ask for the fee per format before you book, and compare sessions of the same length.

Can you switch format partway through a coaching engagement?

Yes, if the coach offers both and you have agreed on it together. The simplest route is to write it into the initial agreement: usual format, conditions for switching, notice period. Two possible set-ups: start in person and continue remotely, or keep in-person meetings for the review sessions.

Does online coaching work for a team?

It can suit a team spread across several sites that already works remotely day to day. For a team based in the same office, meeting in person avoids putting everyone behind a screen. A mixed format is possible: kick-off and review in a room, interim check-ins by video. Ask the team coach for a set-up that fits your constraints.

Is video coaching suitable during severe distress or exhaustion?

Coaching, online or in an office, is not a form of care: it makes no diagnosis and replaces neither a doctor nor a psychologist. If you are experiencing psychological distress or marked exhaustion, see a health professional first. Our article on the differences between coaching and therapy helps place each approach.