What is the best way to counsel soldiers?

For an initial counseling, in a nutshell, tell the Soldier what is expected of them during this rating period.

You should focus on general tasks, specific tasks (if you have any for them) and standards you expect them to meet. You should also give them what your overall 'philosophy' is so that they can use initiative and try to do something the way you would like it accomplished if they have unclear guidance and don't have time to get it from you.

For example - General tasks for a junior enlisted, depending on how much time they've been "in the real Army", would focus on mastering skills needed for their jobs. If there are 'common' requirements they all have to do, mention that (hypothetically, all your Soldiers had to maintain a certain certification). If there are unit tasks that need to be covered, you can cover them here. If there are key policies you think would apply to them as a group, mention them.

Specific tasks - Does PVT Smith need to finish up some type of training that the others don't? Does he have some actions that have to be completed for him to advance (schooling, certification, training, etc). Basically, is there anything that PVT Smith specifically needs to do that doesn't apply to everyone else.

Standards - Operational standards and administrative standards. You want your Soldiers to know what it is that is expected of them. It can be work hours, amount of professional education, when they must get guidance from you and when they don't, etc. Again, what you want to do is cover down on those items that you're not telling them what to DO (like you would with the tasks) but rather what is EXPECTED.

Finally, look over ATP 6-22.1* which covers a lot of the fundamentals of counseling. It's geared towards developmental counseling, but the fundamentals still apply.
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* ATP 6-22.1: https://capl.army.mil/atp-6-22x1/web/counseling.html

SGT(P) (Join to see), I cannot reiterate enough what COL Randall C. and 1LT (Join to see) said about setting expectations.

The initial counseling is really your roadmap to the Soldiers assigned to you for meeting your Commander's intent during the rating period. It is important to know exactly what performance objectives your rater and senior rater have for your section. You should also get a copy of their support form.

The rating period being one year, it sounds like they want monthly counselings on performance. There is an important distinction between the two. The initial counselings sets the expectations and the monthly counselings reference the initial and detail how they are doing.

For example, in the initial you might reference:
SOPs: What time to come to work, uniforms, customs, how the sections runs, etc
standards of conduct: expectations for how the Soldiers treat each other and others, work as a team, etc
And then you set goals for each of your Soldiers to be completed by the end of the rated period, for example:
PME: complete DLC, complete DL courses relevant to MOS (can find in ACT)
Fitness: grab their last ACFT scores and see which events you can have them improve upon
Proficiency: create a job duty rotation plan where people get experience with the different roles and responsibilities in the section.
Long-Term: discuss what education (military or civilian) or experiences the Soldier might want/need to get where they want in the next 5 years.

In the monthly counselings (45 minutes or less) you would address any deficiencies in the expectations. If they are meeting or exceeding expectations, make sure to mention that first. Then you would run through the goals and see how they are progressing and if any goals need to be shifted left or right.

At the end of the rated period you would compile all those monthly counseling to create a trend and final assessment of their performance over the past year and start over (clean slate) for the next year.

Really pay attention to what COL Randall C. said. Tasks, standards, expectations. That your outline. Read the reg, even if it's just a quick glance. Read the reg!

Here's what I can add: be compassionate. Make this a priority, carve out time, fight to protect it, and don't let your Soldier push this off too casually. The Army needs you to sincerely care about your Soldiers. As you know, the initial counseling is your first formal chance to listen to your Soldier's story, goals, and comprehension of their job. Draw them out of their shell, then build a brief roadmap for them, with you right there alongside them. This could take 15 minutes in an office, or it could be 2 hours over some food. But, show up to this initial counseling with a commitment to letting your Soldiers know that you care about them.

I've only done a handful in my day, but enough to have a habit down pat by now. For those who have me as a first-line supervisor, I always prefer the lunch option for our initial. I buy the food, I set the 4856's to the side, and I just listen and ask them questions for a while. I jot down some notes so I don't forget, like where they are from and info about their family. Then, when they have just about finished talking, I bring out the paper. Now, I tailor what is already prepped on my 4856 to the individual, having just heard their life story. Tasks, standards, expectations, and then I usually ask for goals and assign deadlines if needed. Before we leave I offer them a chance to ask me anything they want.

Now, don't do this for your initial, but for your other counselings don't be afraid to use the phone as an option. In-person is always best, but things happen and you can't schedule it. Sometimes it's better to just get it done over the phone, then to keep re-scheduling week after week. I have had a couple phone counselings go really well with NCOs, as what was supposed to be a 10 minute call tuned into over an hour. They both seemed to just open up over the phone and wanted to really dive into a couple of things I said. Made me feel good, seemed to help them too, at least that's what they told me!