What intake questions should you ask?
Ask one question before booking and save the rest for the first session. One question is answered; a form of fifteen is abandoned. Ask what they want from the work, in their words. The rest, such as history, context and constraints, comes out better in conversation.
The one question, by kind of work
- 1
Coaching
“What do you want to work on?” Short, open, and it tells you where to start.
- 2
Design and creative
“What are we making, and by when?” The thing and the deadline, which decide whether you can take it.
- 3
Consulting
“What should I read before we talk?” A report, a website, last year’s numbers. You arrive having read it.
- 4
Tutoring
“Which subject, and what’s the next exam or test?” A date gives the lessons a shape.
- 5
Fitness and movement
“Is there anything you’d like me to know about an injury or a health condition before we start?”
Save these for the first session
- What they’ve tried before, and what happened.
- What a good result looks like in three months.
- What might get in the way: time, money, people around them.
- How they like to hear feedback: straight, or with the context first.
Therapy is different
A therapy practice usually has a formal assessment, which is clinical and belongs in the first appointment, not a booking form. The therapy setup on WorkWith starts with no intake question for that reason.
Checked 2026-10-11.