How do you use reflective questions in coaching?

The famous AWE question - And what else ? I find this as a very powerful question. I have also experienced that there is a pause and silence because it really nudges the coachee to think holistically and examine the issue from multiple dimension.

RQ is a powerful tool, it allows a safe and open space for the coachee to reflect, get deeper inside, and challenge their thinking pattern. It helps the coachee to find solutions on their own as they go deeper and reflect on the questions asked by the Coach. Eg if a coachee is stuck and not getting any solution, a question on “If anything and everything is possible, what will you do?” is a great reflective question to open up the possibilities in such situations. RQ pushes the coachee to think and stretch themselves, the solutions or realizations they come up with have more buy-in and accountability as the coachee themselves have come up with it instead of someone telling them to do something making the solutions long-term sustainable.

“What does that / it mean for you?”, makes a person to reflect and enquire within…. “How can, or can you be more specific….?” is another good one which makes the person to focus… “How will ‘this’ - thinking / decision / actions - will make you a difference when you look back at it ‘x’ years from now?”(and ‘x’ can be 3, 5 or 10). “imagine yourself to be your role model or a favourite nationality - what s/he would do, do that now and what’s stopping or coming in the way of doing that by you, NOW”?

As a best practice, resist the urge to insert yourself into the coachee's story. By remaining openly and non-judgmentally curious, you are better able to act as an impartial observer. In this state you can leverage non-bias reflective questions to help the coachee explore situations and gain further insights.

Reflective questions are open-ended questions that empower one to ponder, notice, consider, and awaken to new possibilities of being and doing. They typically begin with "What" and "How" and encourage exploration to go deeper and arrive at one's own answers.

En lo particular en las sesiones me centro en dos modos para llevar a la profundización. El primero y mi favorito son los 5 ?porqué...? de esta manera buscamos ir cada vez más profundo, quitando las capas de protección una a una. El otro método es pedirle que me cuente la situación que atraviesa como si fuera un guion de una película que esta filmando y yo seré quien actúe en su nombre, esto hace que desde el juego me cuente su rol sin darse cuenta... En ambos descubrimos aprendizajes... ?Cuál método te parece mejor para usar en tu próxima sesión?

Reflective questions are effective in health coaching because they encourage self-awareness and deeper understanding of one's behaviors, motivations, and goals. These questions help clients to pause and think critically about their health choices and habits, uncovering underlying issues and patterns. This introspection fosters personal responsibility and empowers clients to make informed, lasting changes. By facilitating a deeper connection with their own values and aspirations, reflective questions guide clients towards more meaningful and sustainable health improvements, enhancing overall well-being and resilience.

Reflective questions are effective because they come from a lived experience and from the clients own words and standpoint. As people what we think of ourselves we tend to give more weight too. If we have had the realisation ourselves it is likely to be stored in the brain for future use, far more than what someone else said.

Perguntas reflexivas s?o eficazes porque promovem uma compreens?o mais profunda e pessoal dos desafios e das motiva??es. Elas ajudam os clientes a explorar e articular suas próprias solu??es e insights. Em uma sess?o com um cliente que estava enfrentando dificuldades em liderar sua equipe, eu usei a pergunta: “O que você acredita que está faltando em sua abordagem atual para liderar sua equipe de forma mais eficaz?” Isso levou o cliente a identificar áreas específicas para melhorar e a criar um plano de a??o pessoal.

This is about asking the client to reflect back on previous events, or what just happened, and how they feel about it. As a coach you should unpack the presentation as much as possible and explore the outcomes, using open-ended questions, primarily, 'what else does/could this mean?"

No coaching e mentoring, uso perguntas reflexivas para ajudar os clientes a explorar suas próprias cren?as e comportamentos. Durante uma sess?o com um mentorado que estava enfrentando uma crise de confian?a, eu perguntei: “Como você vê suas habilidades e realiza??es em compara??o com as expectativas que você tem para si mesmo?” Esta abordagem incentivou o mentorado a reavaliar suas próprias percep??es e a ajustar sua abordagem de acordo com a realidade.

In my experience, approaching reflective questions in a collaborative fashion builds trust in the coaching relationship. This method also encourages the coachee to explore deeper. For example: "From what you have shared, it sounds as if ______, does that resonate with you?" This gives the coachee the opportunity to gain valuable insights. The coach also gains further information to facilitate the coaching partnership in a manner that honors the coachee's goals.

La mejor solución se encuentra siempre en la respuesta más sencilla, el tema es que muchas veces tanto el coach como el coachee tenemos un plan en la cabeza y queremos cumplirlo a rajatabla. En mi experiencia salir de ese bucle desde el juego es la mejor manera de encontrar nuevas soluciones creativas que antes no veíamos. Hay que animarse a hacer juegos de rol o simplemente contarnos un cuento con el coachee haciendo de mago o superhéroe.

Para aprimorar minhas habilidades de questionamento reflexivo, pratiquei ativamente a formula??o de perguntas que incentivam a introspec??o profunda. Participei de treinamentos e workshops sobre técnicas de coaching e feedback, e comecei a analisar a eficácia das perguntas que fazia em sess?es de coaching. Descobri que ao ajustar minhas perguntas para serem mais específicas e pessoais, como: “Como você reagiu emocionalmente à sua última grande conquista?”, eu consegui obter insights mais valiosos e relevantes dos meus clientes.

El arte del coach es simplemente facilitar el camino hacia el descubrimiento personal, hay muchas técnicas y procedimientos, pero sin dudas, la experiencia, la escucha y empatía son los canales que favorecen la reflexión del coachee. Los coachs somos simples herramientas...

It's always important to be fully present for the conversation. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen and ask clarifying questions where necessary. Consider cultural differences, and language interpretations, especially if English is not their mother tongue.