Powerful coaching questions, grouped by what they do

A list of good questions only helps if you know when to ask them. "What will you do first?" is a strong question near the end of a session. Ask it in the first five minutes and the client plans an answer to a problem nobody has understood yet.

What makes a coaching question powerful

• Open. It starts with "what" or "how" and can't be answered with yes or no.
• Short. One question, about ten words or fewer. A long question tells the client what you think.
• In the client's words. If she says "stuck", ask about "stuck", not about "feeling blocked".
• About the client. "What do you want?" helps more than "What does your manager want?"
• Without a hidden answer. "Have you tried delegating?" is advice with a question mark.

Use "why" with care. "Why did you do that?" can sound like a judgement and make the client defend themselves. "What was important to you about doing that?" asks for the same thing without the blame.

Questions to open a session

Use these in the first minutes, to agree what the session is for. Stay here until you and the client both know what the client wants to leave with.

• What would you like to talk about today?
• What would you like to have by the end of our time?
• How will you know this session was worth it?
• What makes this important to you now?
• What would make the biggest difference to you today?
• Of everything you've said, where shall we start?

One to avoid: "So what's the problem?" It frames the topic as a problem before the client has said what they want.

Questions to clarify

Use these when you don't yet understand what the client means, or when the client doesn't seem sure either. Clarifying is for the client's benefit as much as yours. Ask only what helps them, not every detail of the story.

• What do you mean by "stuck"?
• What does that look like on a normal day?
• Can you give me an example?
• What is the part of this that matters most to you?
• What have you tried so far?
• Who else is involved?

One to avoid: "And then what happened?", asked again and again. A long story can feel like progress. Usually the client already knows the story, and only the coach is learning.

Questions to deepen awareness

Use these when the topic is clear and the client is ready to look at it in a new way. These are the questions that make a client stop and think. Leave silence after them.

• What are you assuming here?
• What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
• What is in your control in this?
• If a friend told you this, what would you say to them?
• What are you not saying?
• What does this tell you about what you value?
• You called it "a cage". If it's a cage, where is the door?

One to avoid: "Don't you think that's because you're afraid of conflict?" It gives the client your insight and asks them to agree. If you notice a pattern, say what you noticed and ask what they make of it.

Questions to move to action

Use these when the client has a new view of the situation and wants to do something with it. The client designs the action, not the coach.

• What will you do?
• What is the first step?
• By when?
• What could get in the way, and what will you do then?
• What support do you need, and from whom?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how committed are you to this? What would make it a 10?

One to avoid: "So you'll speak to her on Monday, then?" It is a closed question that puts your plan in the client's mouth. The client can only say yes or no.

Questions to close

Use these in the last minutes, to check the session against what the client wanted at the start and to help the client name what they learned.

• What are you taking away from today?
• How does that compare with what you wanted at the start?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• How would you like to follow this up?
• Is there anything you still need before we finish?

One to avoid: "Was this helpful?" It asks the client to reassure you. Ask what they are taking away instead.

A question is not a script

Pick one question, ask it, and then listen. The next question should come from what the client just said, not from your list. A list like this one is a place to learn the shapes. To see questions in the order a session needs them, read GROW model questions, with a worked example and a coaching session example, start to end.