“A plan (motive, wise counsel) in the heart of a man is like water in a deep well, But a man of understanding draws it out.”
PROVERBS 20:5 AMP
How do we draw out what is hidden deep in a man’s heart? As a coach, we ask powerful questions to draw out what is unconscious in the heart to conscious awareness in the mind and subsequently to responsible action.
We like to share three ways that coaches can ask questions that are powerful :
1. *Ask questions that keep client thinking in the positive direction*
Questions that maintain the momentum of the client’s thinking are powerful. A great coach hears the flow of the client’s thinking and uses a question to support the client in keeping that thinking flowing in a positive direction. It’s far less powerful to ask questions that jerk the client around from one focus to another.
Example: From what you just share, what would be possible?
2. *Ask concise, clear, and one-at-a-time question*
Questions that are easy to understand are powerful. If your client has to figure out the question before responding to it, you have a problem. This is why coaches tend to ask concise, clear, and one-at-a-time questions rather than questions that are long, complex, and/or compounded.
Example: What can you do differently?
3. *Ask not easy to answer question*
Questions that are not easy to answer are powerful. Just because a question is easy to understand doesn’t mean it’s easy to answer. The most powerful coaching questions invite the client to do the hard work of discovering something new. If a question is easy to answer, it’s probably not getting the client somewhere new in her thinking.
Example: What is your responsibility in making this happen?
*Keep coaching to make a difference for God!*