A one-page list of example questions which can be used to improve coaching conversations

1. Effective Coaching Questions
 What’s the issue?
 What makes this an issue now?
 Who owns this issue?
 On a scale of 1 – 10 how important is this issue?
 On a scale of 1 – 10 how much energy do you have to find a solution to this issue?
 What have you already tried?
 What haven’t you tried yet?
 Imagine it solved, what do you see / hear / feel?
 What’s standing in the way of an ideal outcome?
 What responsibility do you take for what’s been happening?
 What would be the early signs that things are getting better?
 Imagine yourself at your most resourceful. What would you say to yourself about
this issue?
 If I had a pill containing all the courage and insight that you need to resolve this
issue; what would you do after you’ve taken the pill?
 If you were not holding back, what would you do / say now?
 What question are you hoping that I do not ask you?
 If you knew that you could not possibly fail, what would you do next?
 What question shall I ask you next?
 What are you putting up with at the moment?
 If you do not take action on these points by the next time we meet, what excuses
will you give me?
 What are you thinking and not saying?
 What else? What else? What else?
 And if you did know, what would it be?
 When you have this ................ what will that get you?
 What’s the shift in you that you need to make to create the shift you want to see in
him / her / the team?
 What are we avoiding?
 What’s the bold thing to do?
 What’s the crazy thing to do?
 What’s the simplest thing to do?
 What action will you take next, and by when will you do it?