Many managers struggle with finding the right questions to ask when first starting to coach. Here are four to get you started.

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Complete Video Transcript

Many managers struggle with finding the right questions to ask when first starting to coach. Instead they have a tendency to over engineer the coaching, ask loaded, close-ended questions, that already have the solution baked into them, or go straight into problem-solving mode. In addition, some managers actually believe their people when they tell you, “But Boss, I really don’t know. So what should I do?” It’s at this point when the manager takes the bait and puts the spotlight back on them to share their solution, which they wanted to share in the first place.

Instead, don’t take the bait. Think about it, when someone says they don’t know, is that true? After all, everyone has an opinion, right? Your job is to uncover their opinion or what they know, before sharing your observations.

Here are four low-risk coaching questions that you can use when your people come to you for the answer.

Number 1 – How have you handled a similar situation before?

Number 2 – What have you tried so far?

Number 3 – I wasn’t here, how would you handle this?

Number 4 – I’m happy to share my thoughts on this and I will. However, given your experience, I’m sure you have an opinion on this, and I’d love to hear it. So, what do you think you need to do here?

If you start using these four questions, you are well on your way to facilitating richer, more engaging conversations, that not only empower your people to do the work, but create more value in every conversation.