Powerful Questions #2

The second class of this course was held on Thursday, May 10, 2007. Part of a quote that Joanne shared was “A question that takes your breath away…” This type of question can bring up things that you never thought about before. The question itself might be different for every client but the idea of the client having an “aha” moment is powerful. A powerful question can also be a question that ‘stumps’ you or makes you ponder for awhile. Asking your client “What does that look like?” “When will it be enough?” or other questions that require a thoughtful response can be powerful questions.

We spent some time in class coming up with questions to ask clients in certain scenarios. I actually shared a thought in this class which I normally don’t do because there are always so many people wanting to talk…it was good to wedge my way into the class and speak up regardless of how difficult it is to get a word in at times. It was great to hear other ideas about questions or direction to take with clients in different scenarios. “What does it look like?” What would it feel like?” or “What would you do if…?” are all questions that constantly arose for each scenario. I think these are questions that kept coming up because it helps the client define why they want to reach that goal and also motivates them as to what they would gain from achieving that goal.

I definitely agree that powerful questions are an important part of coaching. I hope that I will continue to challenge myself to be creative and think outside the box about questions that are powerful. With the coaching that I do with highly co-dependent women I would use powerful questions to help them see their own potential and dreams that have most likely been stuffed down inside them or completely forgotten about.