Coaching Tool : Powerful Questions

Powerful questions do not mean lengthy and confusing questions, they are questions that bring impact to the client at that particular point of time. It must be straight to the point and allow time for the client to answer. Stacking questions is also not allowed during a coaching session as it will make the client confused and, in a hurry, to answer a few questions. A Coach must be able to pose questions as calm as possible and must be seen to the client as someone who is very patient to await his response.

Below are some examples of questions that can be used in coaching sessions. There are no restrictions or any specific section of the entire process for you to ask the questions. These are just examples of the questions that a coach can ask during coaching sessions to get the best out of the client.

Question to Start the Session

• What is your goal for this session?

· What has occurred since we last spoke?

• What would you like to talk about?

• What’s new/the latest/the update?

• How was your week?

· What would you like to achieve from this session?

• Where are you right now?

Question to Anticipate

· What is possible?

· What if it works out exactly as you want it to?

· What is your wish?

· What is exciting to you about this?

· What is the urge?

· What does your intuition tell you?

· What would be the best possible way?

Question to Evaluate

· What is the opportunity here?

· What is the challenge?

· How does this fit with your plans/way of life/values?

· What do you think that means?

· What is your assessment of this situation?

· What do you feel about this?

Question to Understand

· If you could do it over again, what would you do differently?

· If it had been you, what would you have done/say?

· How else could a person handle this?

· If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?

· What if it was you in that position?

Question to Assess

· What do you think of it?

· What do you think is best in that situation?

· How does it look to you?

· How do you feel about it?

· What resonates for you?

Questions to Clarify

· What do you mean?

· What does it feel like?

· How does it look like?

· What is the part that is not yet clear?

· How can you describe it?

Question to ask for Elaboration

· Can you tell me more?

· What else?

· What other ideas/thoughts/ feelings do you have about it?

· Can you describe the taste/colour/feelings?

· What would be the best example?

· If you could compare it to a shape, would it look like?

Question to ask for Example

· What is an example?

· For instance?

· Like what?

· Such as?

· What would it look like?

Question to Explore

· What is here that you want to explore?

· What part of the situation have you not yet explored?

· What else can you think of?

· In the scale of 1 to 10, where do you rank that matter?

· What other angles can you think of?

· What is just one more possibility?

· What are your other options?

Question to understand situation

· What does fun/sad/happy mean to you?

· What was humorous/sad/tragic about the situation?

· How can you make this more fun?

· How can you remove the sadness?

· How do you want it to be?

· If you were to teach people how to have fun/stop being sad what would you say?

Question to understand History

· What caused it?

· What led up to it?

· What have you tried so far?

· What do you make of it all?

· What would you have done differently?

· Having this information that you have today, what would you do differently?

Question to Integrate

· What will you take away from this?

· How do you explain this to yourself?

· What was the lesson?

· How can you make sure you remember what you have learned?

· How would you pull all this together?

Question for Learning

· If your life depended on taking action, what would you do?

· If you had free choice in the matter, what would you do?

· If the same thing came up again, what would you do?

· If we could clean the slate, what would you do?

· If you had it to do over again, what would you do?

Question to Get Alternatives

· What are the possibilities?

· If you had your choice, what would you do?

· What are possible solutions?

· What will happen if you do, and what will happen if you don’t?

· What options can you create?

Question to Get Outcomes

· What do you want?

· What is your desired outcome?

· If you got it, what would you have?

· How will you know you have reached it?

· What would it look like?

Question to Get Perspective

· When you are eighty years old, what will you want to say about your life?

· What will you think about this event five years from now?

· How does this relate to your life purpose?

· In the bigger scheme of things, how important is this?

· So what?

· How do you describe yourself in this situation?

Question to Plan

· What do you plan to do about it?

· What is your game plan?

· What kind of plan do you need to create?

· How do you suppose you could improve the situation?

· Now what?

· Who else can help you to achieve your plan?

Question for Predictions

· How do you suppose it will all work out?

· What will that get you?

· Where will this lead?

· What are the chances of success?

· What is your prediction?

Question for Resources

· What resources do you need to help you decide?

· What do you know about it now?

· How do you suppose you can find out more about it?

· What kind of picture do you have right now?

· What resources are available to you?

Question for Summary

· What is your conclusion?

· How is this working?

· How would you describe this?

· What do you think this all amounts to?

· How would you summarize the effort so far?

· How would you summarize what happen today?

Question for Taking Action

· What action will you take?

· What will you do? When?

· Is this a time for action?

· What action?

· Where do you go from here?

· When will you do that?

· What are your next steps?

· What date or time will you complete these steps?

Question for Implementation

· What is the action plan?

· What will you need to do to get the job done?

· What support do you need to accomplish it?

· Who can support you?

· What will you do?

These are just examples, of course, the manner the question is asked plays an important role as well. Be curious of the client's goals and expectations. Ask questions to understand.