Powerful questions should be concise and so clear and relevant that they need no explanation or elaboration.
Powerful questions are often open-ended questions. Questions that can be answered with yes or no do not generate new ideas. Most open-ended questions begin with how or what. You might think why questions would fit this category, but often they lead to defensiveness so why questions are best avoided.
Coaching Caution
If you have an answer in mind, don’t try to put it in the form of a question. That’s a leading question, and it hampers the PBC’s thought process. Asking leading questions is more like manipulating than coaching.
Before you ask each question, ask yourself, Who will benefit most from it? The questions benefiting the PBC most are ones that spark new thinking and, therefore, new actions that can actually move the PBC forward.
Give the PBC time to answer. He or she may need time to think before responding. A great coaching question will get a response like, “I’ll have to think about that,” or, “Good question. I don’t know.” Either of these answers is your cue to be quiet and let the PBC’s think things through.
Consider these examples of average questions and powerful
Average vs. Powerful Questions
Average: What does your to-do list look like today? (no new info for the PBC)
Powerful: What are the three to-do’s on your list that will have the greatest impact when completed? for the company? for yourself?
Average: Can you do that? (closed question)
Powerful: What will it take to do that?
Average: Why did you do that? (creates defensiveness)
Powerful: What were your underlying assumptions? Which of those assumptions need challenging?
Average: Have you tried this idea? (your idea, not the PBC’s)
Powerful: What can you try next?
Average: How might changing your mind help you move forward? (leading question, maybe their mind doesn’t need to change)
Powerful: How do you need to think about this to move forward?
This blog was very helpful–powerful! Thank you.
Mickey Burnim