How do you elicit deeper insights from clients?

1 What are deeper insights?

Deeper insights are those aha moments that your clients experience when they uncover something new or meaningful about themselves, their situation, or their options. They are not just facts or information, but rather, they are revelations that challenge their assumptions, expand their awareness, or inspire them to take action. Deeper insights can help your clients break through their limiting beliefs, overcome their fears, or find their motivation and purpose.

2 Why are deeper insights important?

Deeper insights are important because they can lead to lasting change and growth for your clients. They can help them shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, from a problem-focused approach to a solution-focused approach, or from a reactive mode to a proactive mode. Deeper insights can also help your clients develop more confidence, resilience, and creativity. By eliciting deeper insights from your clients, you are not only helping them solve their current issues, but also empowering them to learn and grow from their experiences.

3 How do you ask powerful questions?

Powerful questions are those that invite your clients to reflect, explore, and clarify their thoughts and feelings. They are open-ended, curious, and non-judgmental; not leading, closed, or suggestive. The purpose of these questions is not to test, advise, or persuade your clients, but to help them find their own answers and solutions. Examples include: What do you want to achieve? What is important to you about this goal? What is stopping you from reaching it? How do you feel about this situation? What do you need to know or do to move forward? What are the benefits and risks of each option? What are you learning from this challenge? How can you use your strengths and resources to overcome it?

4 How do you listen actively?

Active listening is the skill of paying full attention to your clients and showing them that you understand and care about what they are saying. It involves using verbal and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, eye contact, paraphrasing, summarizing, and reflecting. It also involves avoiding distractions, interruptions, or assumptions. Active listening can help you build rapport and trust with your clients, as well as identify their needs, values, and emotions. It can also help you notice any gaps, inconsistencies, or contradictions in their stories, which can lead to deeper insights.

5 How do you use tools and models?

Tools and models are frameworks or methods that can assist in structuring coaching sessions and guiding clients through a process of inquiry and discovery. Such tools can help to clarify goals, assess current reality, explore options, and design action plans. Additionally, they can provide different lenses or perspectives for clients to look at their situations, thereby eliciting deeper insights. Examples of tools and models include the GROW model, which helps to coach clients through four stages: Goal, Reality, Options, and Will; the Wheel of Life, which is a visual tool for assessing satisfaction and balance in different areas of life; the Values Elicitation technique for identifying core values; and the Logical Levels model for exploring identity, beliefs, capabilities, behaviors, and environment.

6 How do you practice eliciting deeper insights?

Eliciting deeper insights from your clients is not something that you can master overnight, but there are some tips that can help you improve your skill. Before each session, take time to set your intention, clear your mind, and review your notes. During the session, be curious and open-minded by asking questions that interest you, listening with empathy, and acknowledging your clients' emotions. Challenge yourself and your clients by asking questions that go beyond the surface, using tools and models that offer new angles, and encouraging experimentation. After each session, review what went well, what could be improved, and what you learned. Lastly, seek feedback and support from other coaches or mentors by sharing experiences, asking for advice, and learning from others.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?