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# 2 - Asking Too Many Questions?

There are times when a coach or manager-coach will ask too many questions without even realizing it.  No doubt you want the best for the person being coached, and you are cheering them on in support of their vision: you are after all their biggest fan. 

But asking a barrage of questions can actually backfire: He may simply stop answering and withdraw into a shell, OR she will give you an answer she thinks you want to hear.  Most importantly, this person may lose trust in the relationship.

What do you do? 

1. Make sure you only ask one question at a time.  We’ll talk more about the importance of asking open- ended questions in another tip. 

2.  Use questions sparingly. Make sure the session is a mix of coaching techniques, rather than just questions.

3. Create pauses:  Let the question hang in the air and leave a door open for the answer to come. Nine times out of ten, the person being coached will fill in the blank with insights they hadn’t appreciated before.

With these three easy approaches, you’re reassuring this person that she’s in a safe space. You’re also creating invaluable opportunities for “Aha” moments, the gems of a coaching session.  And you will effectively empower him to come up with and take ownership of his own next steps. 

So remember, the key to effectively using questions in the coaching session: make sure they are mostly open ended, use few of them, and pause a lot!

Do you have an example to share with ‘Asking Too Many Questions’? How did you address it?  Let me know.
 
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