Questions coaches ask about what to ask
These are the questions coaches and team leaders ask when they want the next question to be a better one.
Each answer gives you one move from the guides. Use it in your next session.
What makes a good coaching question?
A good question hands the thinking to the other person. It has five marks. It is open, so it starts with what, how, where, who or when. It is short, usually under twelve words. You ask one at a time, then stop. It is curious and not leading. And the answer is theirs, because the person owns the topic, the thinking and the outcome.
The fuller answer is in How to Ask Coaching Questions.
How do I stop my questions from turning into advice?
If you already know the answer you want, it is not a question yet. It is advice with a question mark on the end. Rewrite it so the answer stays with the person. Instead of asking whether they have tried talking to her, ask what they have tried so far. When you hear advice forming, turn it into an open question and ask that one.
The fuller answer is in How to Ask Coaching Questions.
What do I ask in the first five minutes of a session?
Start warm and short. Find out where the person is before you find out what they want. Ask what is good in their world today, or what progress they have made since you spoke last. Then find the topic: how do they want to use the time. Agree the outcome in their words. If it is still vague after two questions, say so and ask again.
The fuller answer is in Coaching Questions for Session Openers.
What do I ask when a client is stuck?
Stuck rarely means someone lacks ideas. It usually means the same few moves keep getting made. Help the person name what kind of stuck this is: a skill to learn, a mindset challenge, or something that is just hard. Then ask what they have done that has not worked, and where else it shows up. The way out is usually in what has already been tried.
The fuller answer is in Coaching Questions for Stuck Clients.
How do I help a client follow through?
Accountability works best when the person designs it. Settle the smallest clear next step and a date. Ask what might derail them this week and who can help. Ask how they want to follow up, and write it where both of you will see it. Start the next session with what happened. A missed step is information about how the work runs, not a verdict on the person.
The fuller answer is in Coaching Questions for Accountability.
What do I ask when the same problem keeps coming back?
Map what was tried before you look for anything new. An attempted solution is any step people have taken to deal with a problem. A step that helps for a day can still feed the problem a year later. Ask what they are doing about it right now, what that approach has done so far, and who else has tried to fix it. Then ask what each step set off.
The fuller answer is in Attempted-Solution and Reframe Questions.
How do I give feedback to someone on my team?
Your first questions are for you. Write down what you saw, not what you decided it meant, and look at your own part in it. In the conversation, ask for their reading before you give yours. Then name what you saw once, with the date, in plain words, and stop. Ask one or two questions from a section, not all of them.
The fuller answer is in Feedback and Hard-Conversation Questions.
What do I ask in a one-on-one with someone I am growing as a leader?
Look at the floor and the numbers before you ask the person anything, and write down what you saw. Then let the person choose where the hour goes. Listen for the first thing they bring, not the thing you planned. It is usually the thing that matters most to them. Pick the set that fits where the person stands, and ask one or two questions, not all of them.
The fuller answer is in One-on-One Questions by Leadership Stage.
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