Asking Great Questions
So why do coaches ask questions anyway?
John Whitmore in his ‘Coaching for Performance’ book says about questions;
“the answers are of secondary importance. The information is not for me (the coach) to make use of and may not have to be complete. I only need to know that the coachee has the necessary information. The answers given by the coachee frequently indicate to the coach the line to follow with subsequent questions, while at the same time enabling him to monitor whether the coachee is following a productive track, or one that is in line with the purpose or goals”
Here are our top tips for developing your questioning skills as a coach...
Use effective questions – telling or asking closed questions keeps people from having to think
Ask open questions as it causes them to think for themselves
Ask questions that generate awareness and responsibility
The most effective questions begin with “WHAT” “WHEN” and “WHO”
“WHY” is discouraged
Powerful coaching questions have 5 key characteristics:
They usually begin with the word ‘what’
They lead to action
Oriented towards goals rather than problems
Future focused rather than past
Contain powerful assumptions that are helpful for the coachee
Components of questioning:
Break the habit of only making statements
Ask questions that invite exploration and produce a solution
Avoid asking questions that lead the person to your conclusion
Use neutral non-judgemental language
Develop your own list of good open questions
Practice, practice, practice
Types of questions:
Leading questions – prompts or encourages the answer wanted – not effective when coaching
Closed questions – commands a yes or no answer – less effective when coaching
Open questions – gets people thinking – effective when coaching
Probing questions – gets people thinking more deeply – effective when coaching
Neutral questions – does not direct or bias the answer – effective when coaching
The most effective questions...
Compel attention, observation and thought
Focus for precision and detail
Generate a rich feedback loop
Constructing questions:
Ask open and probing questions (for facts and details, use caution when asking ‘why’ and ‘how’)
Start broad, then narrow to generate focus
Follow their interest and use their words
Be non-judgmental
Process:
For a list of powerful questions to ask at each stage of a coaching conversation click on the button below:
