100 Powerful Coaching Questions for Your Clients
Dec 30, 2024
100 Powerful Coaching Questions for Your Clients
Powerful coaching questions are the cornerstone of effective coaching, unlocking the wisdom within clients rather than simply providing answers. Questions are one of the most powerful tools a coach can utilize. When used effectively, these supporting questions can bring surprising new awareness to the client.
The ‘most powerful’ questions always vary depending on your context. As a coach, I often wonder which question I should ask. Every question has the capability of taking you in a different direction. Questions play a crucial role in coaching for several reasons. Throughout different stages of the development journey, they may serve different functions, but overall – questions invite the client to find the answers themselves.
Asking questions and listening carefully to the responses allows a coaching
conversation to flow properly in the right direction – whether that’s discovering values or
barriers, looking for insights or new solutions, or moving toward setting goals and
planning specific actions.
Remember — your job is to help your client think, rather than think for your client.
A powerful coaching question ignites the imagination of your client. When the client
comes up with the solution, the likelihood of implementing that solution or achieving that
goal is far greater than if a coach gives them a solution. Even if their answers seem less
powerful than yours, if they have come up with the solution, they will likely achieve it.
Any step toward their goal is better than the best idea that was never implemented. As they find their answers and see progress on their goals, they become empowered with their own success.
Let’s go over some important principles about powerful questions and then I will share 100 Coaching Questions you can use in different categories.
Good coaching questions can do the following:
• Generate curiosity
• Stimulate reflective conversation and thought
• Surface underlying assumptions
• Invite creativity and new possibilities
• Generate energy and forward movement
• Channel attention and focus inquiry
• Touch a deep meaning
• Evoke more questions
What is a powerful coaching question?
Powerful questions are NOT “statements disguised as questions,” like this one: “Have you tried working from home one day per week to give yourself more time for strategic thinking?” Notice that this is a closed, yes-or-no question, and the questioner probably has a “right” answer in mind. It’s a suggestion, not a question. It’s OK to suggest things with your client’s permission; just don’t mistake it for a powerful question.
Powerful coaching questions are open-ended and asked with genuine curiosity.
The next time you feel compelled to quickly jump in with ideas and suggestions, first get
truly curious. Ask questions without an attachment to the answer. This will help you
uncover the real issue and can also help your client develop their own insight.
SILENCE is a powerful and important part of asking questions.
Ask a great question, and then remain silent. The silence allows the client time to ponder, react, and answer. Breaking the silence breaks their train of thought.
Slow down in your speaking and pause between thoughts. Give yourself time to come up with the right question. It will give your client permission to slow down too and really do some deep thinking.
The mind moves quickly from thought to thought, but the heart has a gentle, slow pace. Slow down and match the pace of the heart to create a better conversation.
Always listen to serve, and not just listen to answer back.
Only ask a question once. Let the client hear the question, process it, take their time and then answer before you speak. Only re-frame the question if they ask for clarification. Don’t assume that silence means that they do not understand the question.
SCALING QUESTIONS & MEASUREMENTS
Asking powerful questions is one of the most important skills in coaching and counseling. The right questions help your clients to get clear on their goals, as well as to find answers and solutions to their problems. Knowing the right types of questions and asking them at the right time is the key to a successful coaching process.
Scaling Questions: “On a scale of 1 to 10” questions
Scaling questions in coaching are a good tool to find out things that are subjective or difficult to measure. They help quantify intangible things. They allow the client to answer the question and give it a certain value without having to define and express what exactly that means for them. They encourage self-monitoring. Scale questions are a good starting point for a deeper conversation. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how well did you do since our last session?” If the client’s answer is a 5, the next question could be, “Why just a 5? And what would have made it a 7?”
Examples for Coaching:
- On a scale of 1(low) to 10(high) how motivated do you feel?
- How would you rate the importance of the problem on a scale of 1 to 10?
- Where would you rate your relationship on a scale of 1 to 10?
- If you gave your performance a rating on a scale of 1 to 10, what would it be?
- On a scale of 1 to 10: How happy are you with this decision?
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
6. What has happened since the last time to change your rating from # to #?
7. What exactly needs to happen to make it from # to s #?
8. Why did you reduce your rating from # to #?
9. What would moving from a # to a # look like for you?
10. Has this issue been at this number before?
STRATEGIC QUESTIONS
Circular Questioning: What would your (insert relationship) say?
Circular questioning helps to change perspective and gain a new point of view. It helps
break free from old thought patterns and creates new ideas and solutions. It also helps
the coach gain information about circumstances and processes.
11. How would your (partner) answer this question?
12. How does this behavior look from the perspective of your (husband)?
13. Why did your (friend) react as she did and not like you expected her to do?
14. How would your (colleague) evaluate the situation?
15. What would your (co-workers) say if you represent this point of view?
Hypothetical Coaching Questions: “What if” questions
Hypothetical questions are usually future-oriented and give the client the option to think about a different point of view and new solutions. They stimulate creativity in a client when they search for ideas and possible solutions. The coach can use the answers to evaluate the next steps in the process.
Usually, the questions start with “what would you do“ or “what if”:
16. What would you need to do if you want to accomplish this goal faster?
17. What if you could come up with solutions of what to do?
18. How would you solve this problem if time were not an issue?
19. What would your partner do if you put this plan into practice?
20. What if you don’t solve this problem within six months? What are the
consequences?
The Miracle Question: A must-have in your toolbox
The miracle question is a great thought experiment in coaching. The focus is on the
future, on the goal the client wants to achieve. Instead of thinking how bad the situation
is right now, the client switches attention to how life would be after the problem is
solved. This question makes the client think about what the perfect solution would look
like to a difficult or “hopeless“ situation. The miracle question helps to find new
motivation and provokes positive thinking.
21. What if this problem could disappear from one day to another?
22. How would the following day look (without this problem)?
23. How would you realize that this problem disappeared?
24. How would it change the relationship between you and your child?
25. What would change if you woke up tomorrow and accomplished your goal?
Paradox Coaching Questions: What could you do not to…?
Paradox means contradictory. Paradox questions in coaching aim to surprise the client by aggravating the problem. The question exaggerates the situation and gets the client thinking about new ideas and possible solutions. Paradox questions are a powerful tool whenever the client is stuck. The client will be forced to imagine how she completely loses control over the situation, which oftentimes leads to valuable reactions and statements.
26. What more would you need to do to have a burnout?
27. What needs to happen until your boss fires you?
28. What would you need to do to get your husband to divorce you?
29. What could you do to escalate the situation with your kids?
30. What could you do to make the problem worse?
Solution-Focused Coaching Questions: Focus on strengths
The focus question in coaching puts the client’s focus on strengths, instead of weaknesses. The focus is on competencies, not inadequacies; on “what can” rather than “what can’t” be done. The focus is on the solution, not the problem. Solution-focused questions give you the possibility to steer the conversation in a positive direction. They help to find out which strategies and options have already been tried and which capabilities and chances are still undetected.
31. Did you overcome similar challenges in the past? How did you do it?
32. What is different in these situations?
33. How could you avoid these concerns during a positive period?
34. What do you need to change to have these positive periods more often?
35. Who could help you with this?
THE BEGINNING
Different questions will be more appropriate and hold more power at different points in the coaching session. These are great questions for the beginning of your session:
Build Understanding | Uncover what is important
36. What’s on your mind today?
37. What challenges are you facing?
38. What matters to you right now?
39. What opportunities are you seeing?
40. What else?
Establish Intent | Understand what your client hopes to achieve from their session
41. What do you hope to have accomplished by the end of our session(s) together?
42. How will you specifically know what success looks like for you?
43. What would be the most significant success you could hope for from our
meeting?
44. What is it costing you to not [be/do/have] that?
45. If your [life/relationship/job/health] were exactly how you want it, how would it be?
46. How will you measure the success of your session goal?
Set Direction | Shift focus from what’s wrong to what’s possible
47. What is the best possible outcome?
48. What are you trying to achieve?
49. What do you want to happen next?
50. What does success look like?
51. How will you know if you’ve succeeded?
Tapping into Values | Dig just a bit deeper to tease out a compelling why
52. What other aspects of your life do you feel will be improved by accomplishing
this?
53. Why is this meaningful to you?
54. How will achieving this goal help others around you?
55. What would happen if you [did/didn’t] do that?
56. Why is this important in your life to solve right now?
THE MIDDLE | These are great questions for the middle of your session:
Shape Options | Use to generate ideas
57. What have you tried?
58. What options do you have?
59. How possible is each option?
60. What would you have to believe for this option to be right?
Encourage Self-Inquiry | Invite clients to take a good look inside at their perspectives
61. How do you feel you could best motivate yourself?
62. What are the best ways for you to support yourself at this point?
63. If you had no restrictions at all, who would you be?
64. If you couldn’t fail, what would you do?
65. How would becoming [X] enrich your life?
Clarifying Coaching Questions | Dig deeper and gain clarity
66. What’s the real challenge here for you?
67. What do you mean by that?
68. How do you feel about this?
69. What would you like to see happen?
70. Describe your ideal outcome.
Context | Help client gain more awareness of their existing situation
71. What matters to you most concerning this?
72. At this point, what’s happening now? What impact or influence is this having?
73. What do you feel you need to achieve your goal?
74. I’m curious about what you did…How did it go for you?
75. Where do you feel you are now concerning your life goal? Rank this out of 10.
Barriers | Explore obstacles and challenges
76. Have you considered the potential barriers?
77. Tell me how you plan to overcome these obstacles.
78. In the past, what has worked for you? What did you learn from that?
79. Tell me what you think would happen if you tried doing that.
80. What do you feel you should do differently?
THE END | These are great questions for the end of your session:
Generating Solutions | Think outside the box
81. What do you want?
82. What has worked for you in the past when it comes to your personal/professional
growth?
83. How might you draw on that same approach in this case?
84. Tell me about the resources that would be helpful.
85. How or where might you acquire those resources?
Way Forward | Explore the way forward
86. What data/information do you need to make a decision?
87. What do you see as the first step to accomplish your goal?
88. How committed do you feel to this opportunity, out of 10?
89. What resources would you need to achieve your goal?
90. What barriers might come up as you move forward?
Summarize Session | Reinforce the learning
91. What did you learn about yourself today?
92. What did you learn about your situation?
93. What are you taking away from this conversation?
94. What were your most powerful insights today?
95. Can you summarize what you gained today?
Encouraging Accountability | Support their level of commitment
96. If you’re saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?
97. What are some concrete steps you could take to achieve this goal?
98. How will you be accountable to yourself?
99. How will you know you’ve achieved your goal?
100. How would you like to end our session today?
As you carefully consider which questions to use to move your client toward success,
make sure to tap into your heart. The wisdom of your own heart can guide you in this
process. Coupled with active listening, a curiosity to dig deeper, and a genuine desire to
help others, coaching questions can be a powerful way to create success.
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