Lesson 5: Coach for performance (3.10)
Coaching questions
Kirstan spoke about the questions that great coaches use, for example, "What would you love to do?" or "So what else are you going to do?" These are good examples of open-ended questions that don’t have a desired or "right" answer.
Think back to the analogy of the golfer, who struggled with his swing at certain times of day. That coach is not going to ask the golfer, "Don’t you think you should stop swinging to your right?" or “Do need a better pair of sunglasses?" Instead, he is going to ask probing questions about the golfer’s experience, for example, "How do you see the ball when the sun is at your left?" or "Tell me about the shadows on the green at that hour of the day." The coach doesn’t know the answer to these questions—he is engaging in a real exploration.
Like that coach, you too can ask open, exploratory questions, for example:
• What takes up the most hours in your day?
• How do you feel right before a big presentation?
• What’s your process for….?
• What would success on this project look like?
• At what point in the day do you feel the most energized?
• What resources might help you to….?