The Power of Powerful Questions

When I started my coaching journey, I truly did not know what to expect. I deliberately did not indulge in a lot of reading, research on what coaching is about. The thought process was to embark on this journey with an open mind – free of any preconceived notions, biases, beliefs, or perceptions that I could have had. So far this decision of mine is paying off ����.

As I am now at the halfway point of this coaching journey, the one thing I am beginning to realize and truly believe in is The Power of Powerful Questions. I specialize in soft skill training and have run umpteen number of communication-oriented modules where I have always propagated to the audience the value of powerful questions and taken them through the regular sequence of the types of questions, how to frame them, and so on.

It is only now though through my coaching journey do I realize the true value of powerful questions. I realized that what I had been propagating was stemming from my bookish knowledge of questions and not from what I have seen or experienced as the value of powerful questions. That was mostly because I had not experienced this value.

But today, things are different. Through my own limited experience of peer coaching, some bit of client coaching, learnings through the sessions, and observing master coaches, I now am beginning to wrap my head around the value that powerful questions bring. One question can unravel so much for a client, One question can lead to that “a ha” moment for the client, One question can open up a completely different way of thinking for the client, one question can make the client go to places where they have never gone to before! And as a coach you kind of know when you have broken through with that one question – the client will let you know, if not directly, they will let you know indirectly through the response they give or the verbal and non-verbal cues, they are sending through their body language.

And here is the interesting part, what could be a powerful question for one client may not be a powerful question for another. This is why I don’t think I will ever go with a “List of top ten questions to ask during a coaching session”, sure there could be some standard stuff here and there, but that’s standard stuff. It’s not going to give you those breakthroughs, it’s not going to feel powerful, and this is where the other competencies of coaching come into play. You will only be able to reach that powerful question if you have created that trust, truly listened to your client, maintained a presence, and evoked awareness for them. A powerful question is only powerful because it is customized for that client.

 About the Author:

Kanav works as a consultant with a global hospitality consulting firm and comes with 17 years of experience across the field of hospitality and learning and development. In his current role, he works with brands and organizations to bring service excellence to the forefront of their differentiating strategy.

• Program Attended with CTT: Coach Certification Program (Level 1)

• Reason for taking this program: A growth mindset is what I firmly believe in. Learning is a continuous process and at different stages, in life, you need to take a deep breath and ask yourself – What do I need to grow? I asked myself this question and the answer was evident (that is why I am here ����).

• What worked for you: The facilitative and collaborative approach to learning has worked well for me. As much as it is about learning from the mentor coach, it is equally about learning from your peers and learning from yourself. It is those conversations and discussions during the session that holds so much more power than what is up there on the slides.

• What benefits you got: I feel that I am still unpacking this for myself. There is no doubt that I am seeing a change in myself, the way I approach situations, the way I want to solve problems. That is coming from a focus on myself, but If I look outward, I am seeing the ability to bring about true change in others.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Coach-To-Transformation or its parent company.