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XPaul Kensett E-mail: paul.kensett@www.thesmartschool.co.uk Info: Posts by the author (4)

10 key questions to kick start your coaching

For those in the know and for those who are interested in the field of coaching one of the key parts of gaining results and helping people to fundamentally transform their lives will be asking simple and purposeful questions.

There isn’t a rulebook of questions that needs to be adhered to or a cheats guide in how to do this.

Once you have established rapport with a client, built on the trust that is on going and essential for coaching to be useful you will need to then work with the client in establishing an arena for change and what they want to gain from working with you.

I have put together 10 key questions that are simple to deliver, purposeful in their aim and allow the client to reflect on what they would like to see change in their life and also lead into further questioning.

Also and very importantly it allows the client to feel the impact of what your coaching could give them in positive ways.

What area of your life causes you the most frustration?

Coaching is best served at the level of most impact, which is where life isn’t “working” for the client, where they might feel stuck or not sure where to go next and how you as the coach can help.

What do you have some of that you would like more of?

This question hones in on the positive aspects of the clients life, it also allows time for them to reflect on how gaining more of the “good stuff” could be useful for them.

If this time next year nothing had changed in your life how would that be for you?

The idea is that people sometimes will resist change (even though things can get bad for them) and by looking at the consequences of not changing this can be a start in the client taking responsibility for how they could be doing things better or differently

If you were operating at your best what could change for you?

Again this looks at the impact of change, utilising resources and the client stepping into their full potential

What do you need to start taking responsibility for your life?

This is a direct and provocative question that can seem quite challenging. The idea sitting behind it is one of ownership. The coaching relationship is about empowerment and bringing about an adult communication, which will frequently produce an element of the client taking responsibility for their choices and actions or indeed non-action. i.e. not doing.

Is there anything in your life that you really want that no one yet knows?

Quite often the very nature of coaching allows the client an unspoken permission to share what they truly desire, what they are passionate about and what they would love to have – even though they may dismiss it as being rather silly or unimportant

What is stopping you living the life you really want?

This is a key exploratory question that can bring up all sorts of answers from the client. It then starts to create a picture of what they see is their problem, whether that be old and withered beliefs that are still hanging on or other key areas that are limiting the client

Imagine you were living the life you want to, what would be in it?

This is bringing in a hypothetical approach to coaching. This can often bypass the negativity that I am sure you know too well and that can surface in coaching sessions with clients and in ordinary conversations of course!

If you were name one thing that gets in your way what is this?

This narrows the focus of the mind, allows the client to get clarity and get focused, which of course can then be built up on and opened up again – this is especially useful for a client who just sees everything as always awful.

Knowing what you know about yourself what are you overlooking that could be useful?

This is an interesting question, it also positions the client as the expert in their life (which of course they are) it will either give you a real insight from the client in how they see themselves or may throw up more to work with – either way it creates a great opportunity for coaching to happen!

This list is not a compulsive tick box approach to coaching and is not exhaustive.

The main part of questions is that they are purposeful, simple and with intention on finding out more from the client.

Good luck and would be great to hear how you get on…

Filed Under Transformational Coaching