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Stephanie Soler offers a range of key questions to ask that will improve your coaching techniques and outcomes.

Whether you’re a manager leading a team, a parent raising a child, or a really good friend, someone is looking to you to help guide them on a path. You’re a coach.

Most people think of coaching as telling and giving instructions. Indeed, you have valuable experience and expertise to offer.

Telling others what to do only goes so far. It works well when the question is straightforward and the answer is obvious. More often, the situation is complex, and there is often more than one right answer. Your job is to help your coachee think, rather than think for your coachee.

The good news here is that you don’t have to have all the answers. Great coaches inquire, asking powerful questions to uncover what’s really important, and enable others to tap into their own knowledge and expertise.

What is a powerful question? It is NOT a “statement disguised as a question,” like this one: “Have you tried working from home one day per week do 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 perfectly fine to make a suggestion; just don’t mistake it for a powerful question.

Powerful questions are open-ended, and asked with genuine curiosity. The next time you feel compelled to jump in with ideas and suggestions, consider getting curious instead, and help someone develop their own insight. Here are some powerful questions to get you going. 

Powerful 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 attachments to the answers. Here are some powerful questions to get you going.

Key points include:

• Open dialogue
• Setting direction
• Defining next actions

Read the full article, Coaching 101: Ask Powerful Questions, on LinkedIn.