In my last article, I talked about Why You Should Ask These Seven Coaching Questions and How to Answer Them. In the next article, I'll explain the Foundation, Kickstart, Strategic, and Deep Dive questions you should ask your team or clients. I hope you can use them in your coaching conversations and find them helpful. Questions are listed from most important to least important. If you still don't know which one to start with, read the other articles to get an idea of coaching questions.
Why you should ask these seven questions to your coachMichael Bungay suggests that coaches use "7 Coaching Questions" during their sessions. You can get to the heart of the person you are coaching by asking these questions. They help you find out what the person likes, what challenges they face, and what worries them. They can also help you figure out your own style and way of doing things. The first three questions give you a good outline for your conversation with your coach. Pick one, and once you know the answer, move on.
In most coaching situations, emotions are important because they boost motivation and get people moving. During your coaching sessions, asking powerful questions will help you find the work that gives energy. You can also learn from the process, so these questions are useful even outside of coaching sessions. Since you don't have to remember the list in order, you can practice them outside of the coaching session, and they'll never go out of style.
Foundation questionA key tool for coaching is the foundation question. By asking this question, the coachee is forced to really think about the topic and make it personal. A coachee will often give a surface-level answer and then ask, "So what do you really want?" to get to the heart of the matter. The goal of this question is to get past the employee's obvious wants and find out what he or she really needs.
"What is the real challenge for you here?" gets to the heart of a person's problem and slows busy managers down when they're in a hurry to take action. Managers spend their time solving the real problem when they slow down and focus on what's going on. Those three questions make a good script for coaching conversations, whether they are formal or more like a chat around the water cooler. The key is to start strong and get deeper as you talk.
Kickstart questionWith coaching, the "Kickstart" question helps you get to know your client's heart and mind. A Kickstart question can lead to a deeper conversation in less time than talking about the weather or the local sports team. The client may be interested in the topic you've chosen, but there's no point in starting a conversation with a question about the weather. Get to the bottom of things. Your coaching sessions will be based on how your client feels.
"What else do you think about when you think about your students?" - This is a great way to get to know someone. When the teacher asks the question, it will get the teacher and the coach talking. The teacher might be worried about more things than before. This can be a good way for the coach and the student to work together. The Kickstart question is a great way to get the teacher involved and make the coaching process more of a team effort.
Strategic questionHow to ask a strategic question when coaching? When a coaching relationship is at a crossroads, the best coaching question is the one that helps the coachee see things they haven't seen before. By asking a specific question, a coach can make the subject matter to the person being coached and get them more interested in it. Some examples of strategic questions are given below. All of these questions are asked from the point of view of a system. To ask the best strategic question, you need to understand what the client thinks and believes.
To ask a strategic question, it's important to build a strong relationship between the coach and the client. A client must be willing to answer the questions a coach asks. A strategic question is meant to challenge a client's thoughts and actions, and the client must agree to answer it. There are different kinds of strategic coaching questions based on what they are about and how they are asked. Here are some examples:
What would you say no to if you said yes to this?Before you ask someone for help with a task, you should think about what you'll be turning down. Asking someone for help could be a great way to come up with a plan that helps both of you. It's important to remember that you may need to say "no," but you may find other ways to deal with stress. You might even find a way to ask people for help with something you wouldn't normally ask for.
You can be much more effective and productive if you learn to say "no." In the long run, you'll be able to do more when you have the freedom to say "no" and make the best choice you can. When you say no, you won't have to worry about being embarrassed by being rude and unappreciative. You'll also be able to say "no" better if you can figure out what your main goal is, weigh the risks and benefits, and then stick to it. Then, if the other person wants something, you shouldn't base your decision on why they want it. Also, if you aren't sure, you can say "no" without having to say you're sorry.