Johari Window online

What is the Johari Window?

The Johari Window is a self-awareness model created in 1955 by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham; its name combines both authors’ first names. It represents what is known about a person as a four-pane window, based on two questions: does the person know it about themselves? Do others know it?

The classic exercise is simple: the person chooses from a list the adjectives that describe them, and other people choose from the same list the ones they see in that person. Depending on where they overlap, each word lands in a different pane.

The four areas of the window

Open area

What the person knows about themselves and others also see. The larger it is, the smoother communication and trust tend to be.

Blind area

What others see and the person does not. This is where feedback adds the most value, because it shows something that cannot be seen from the inside.

Hidden area

What the person knows about themselves but does not show. Sharing part of this area, when it is safe to do so, brings others closer.

Unknown area

What nobody knows yet. It may hold abilities or traits that emerge through new experiences.

How to use it with your clients in CoachPro Tools

This free version lets you try the exercise. In CoachPro Tools you have the Johari Window to work through with your clients: from the client record you choose it and assign it to that client.

During the session. Complete it with the client live, in person or by sharing your screen in the platform's video call, and note in Live Session Notes what they discover in their blind area, what they want to share from their hidden area and the feedback they will ask for.

Afterwards. Save the result, download the PDF and it stays in the history of their client record. If you share it, the client sees it in their client space alongside the actions you agreed on.

Between sessions. The client tells you in the Client Log what feedback they received and what surprised them. In the next session you open their client record and pick up from there.

What it is used for in coaching

• Self-awareness. It contrasts the self-image with how others see the person.
• Uncovering blind spots. It gives a simple language for talking about what the client does not see.
• Building trust. It shows that opening up and asking for feedback enlarges the open area.
• Teams. It is a widely used exercise for helping team members get to know each other better.

How to do the exercise, step by step

1. Choose your adjectives. Between 5 and 8 from a shared list.
2. Ask others to choose. From the same list, the ones they see in you, without seeing your choices.
3. Build the window. Overlaps go to the open area; others-only to the blind area; yours-only to the hidden area.
4. Look at the proportions. Which area is largest? What surprises you?
5. Talk about the blind area. What others see, and why.
6. Choose an action. Ask for feedback or share something from the hidden area with a specific person.

How to widen the open area

• Asking for feedback shrinks the blind area: others tell you what they see.
• Opening up shrinks the hidden area: you share what you know about yourself.
• Trying new things lights up the unknown area: traits you did not know you had come to the surface.

Powerful questions for the conversation

• Which word in the blind area surprises you most?
• Why do you think others see you that way?
• What from your hidden area would you like to show more?
• What stops you from sharing it today?
• Who would you ask for feedback this week?

Common mistakes

• Arguing with what others chose. It is their perception; the value lies in understanding it.
• Showing your own choices before others choose. It biases their answers.
• Trying to eliminate the hidden area. Everyone has things they choose not to share, and that is fine.
• Stopping at the drawing. The window is the starting point for a concrete action.

Frequently asked questions