Coach + Consultant: December 2006 Archives

The Wikipedia entry on critical thinking recommends using the Socratic method to evaluate an argument.

You'd do that by asking discerning open questions such as:

* What do you mean by _______?
* Why is this significant?
* How did you come to that conclusion?
* Why do you believe that you are right?
* What is the source of your information?
* What assumption has led you to that conclusion?
* What happens if you are wrong?
* Can you give me two sources who disagree with you and explain why?
* How do I know you are telling me the truth?
* What is an alternate explanation for this phenomenon?

What strikes me about this list is how closely it resembles my list of favorite coaching questions. So can we conclude that coaching is as old as Socrates?

To open the conversation
What's happened since our last call?
Tell me what's going on right now.
What would you like to focus on today?

To explore issues
Can you say more?
What does _____ (insert clients word) mean to you?
What is your intuition telling you? (or your gut)
What do you think accounts for that?
What else? And what else?
What do you enjoy about _____ (the thing they think is a problem)
Is this something you really want, or something you think you should
do?

To share your thoughts
May I tell you what I am hearing?
How does that fit for you?

To hone in on what's most important
What's the worst/best part about this for you?
What is most significant for you about this?
And why is this a problem?
Is it possible that this is a symptom rather than a source?

To refocus
Why is that important?
Is this where you want to be putting your energy?
May I share another way of looking at this?

When the conversation is rambling
Getting back to ______, how can I help?
Are we finished talking about ______?
Earlier you mentioned ________. How does it relate?

When client indicates ready for action:
How can I help?
What do YOU want?
What have you tried already?
What has worked for you in the past?

When you’re stuck
How can I help?
Let me think about that for a minute.
May I tell you what my hunch is?