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What are the best open-ended questions to build rapport and trust with clients?

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As a leadership development coach, you know how important it is to build rapport and trust with your clients. Rapport and trust are the foundation of any coaching relationship, and they can make or break your ability to help your clients achieve their goals. One of the most effective ways to establish rapport and trust is to ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are questions that invite your clients to share their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and insights, without limiting their responses to yes or no, or to a predefined set of options. Open-ended questions demonstrate your genuine interest, curiosity, and respect for your clients, and they encourage your clients to explore their own perspectives, challenges, and solutions. In this article, we will share some of the best open-ended questions to use in different stages of the coaching process, and how to ask them in a way that fosters rapport and trust.

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1 What are open-ended questions?

Open-ended questions are questions that begin with words like what, how, why, when, where, who, or tell me. They are designed to elicit more than a simple answer, and to encourage your clients to reflect, explain, elaborate, or clarify their responses. Open-ended questions are different from closed-ended questions, which are questions that can be answered with a yes or no, or with a specific fact or detail. Closed-ended questions are useful for confirming information, checking understanding, or narrowing down options, but they can also limit your clients' thinking, creativity, and engagement. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, can help your clients to discover new possibilities, generate insights, and take action.

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Alvina Nadeem

Transforming healthcare ecosystems by leveraging systems thinking, human-centered design & patient experience | Change Advisor, Coach, Engineer & Ai Innovator | Cancer Survivor & Advocate | Keynote Speaker
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In my experience, the most powerful open-ended questions start with What and How. They invite you to a world of possibilities and potential. I personally avoid Why questions because they can very easily lead us to spiral and lose sight of what we can control in our lives. Sometimes there is no clear answer to Why questions, especially if we are asking why something didn’t go our way. It can lead us to burn valuable energy on finding a reason for something that may have no concrete answer. But I am not ready to completely dismiss Why questions just yet. There are many instances where these questions make sense. One example would be to drill down to a deeper motivation one might need to uncover to anchor themself and stay accountable.

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2 How to ask open-ended questions effectively

Asking open-ended questions is not enough to build rapport and trust with your clients. You also need to ask them effectively, which means considering the timing, tone, wording, and intention of your questions. To ensure your open-ended questions are effective, ask them at the right time when you want to explore a topic in depth or help clients identify goals. Additionally, use a friendly, respectful, and encouraging voice while avoiding judgmental or critical tones. When it comes to wording, use simple, direct language that is clear and relevant to the client's situation. Lastly, make sure your open-ended questions serve a purpose in the coaching process and align with the client's agenda and needs. Avoid asking them with a hidden agenda or with the intention of imposing your own opinions or expectations on the client. Use open-ended questions to help clients explore their reality, potential, and resources so they can make their own decisions and actions.

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Alvina Nadeem

Transforming healthcare ecosystems by leveraging systems thinking, human-centered design & patient experience | Change Advisor, Coach, Engineer & Ai Innovator | Cancer Survivor & Advocate | Keynote Speaker
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I agree! I would also add that one important element to keep in mind is language. It’s crucial to mirror the language of your client. If you try to hard to sound intellectually interesting, you’ll come off as pompous, a know-it-all, but if you don’t try enough, you risk losing their trust in your ability to follow their train of thought. It’s an art, a dance really. We have to meet our clients where they are, both in terms of their pace but also the language we use to ask questions that will be powerful for them.

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3 Examples of open-ended questions for different stages of the coaching process

The coaching process can be divided into four main stages: contracting, exploring, action planning, and reviewing. Each stage requires different types of open-ended questions to build rapport and trust with clients. During the contracting stage, for example, questions such as “What are your goals for this coaching program?” and “How do you prefer to communicate and receive feedback in this coaching program?” can help to understand clients' needs, motivations, and expectations. Exploring questions such as “What are the main challenges or obstacles that you are facing in this situation?” can help clients gain awareness, insight, and clarity about their current situation. Action planning questions such as “What are some possible options or solutions that you can think of to change or improve your situation?” can assist in brainstorming and creating a realistic action plan. Finally, reviewing questions such as “What did you learn from your achievements or accomplishments?” can help to monitor progress and identify learning and feedback. By asking open-ended questions during each stage of the coaching process, you can demonstrate professionalism, curiosity, empathy, and commitment to your clients.

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4 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?

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Alvina Nadeem

Transforming healthcare ecosystems by leveraging systems thinking, human-centered design & patient experience | Change Advisor, Coach, Engineer & Ai Innovator | Cancer Survivor & Advocate | Keynote Speaker
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Coaching is a co-creative process, meaning, it’s a partnership between two parties to build something together. This may seem obvious but if this point is not fully understood it can lead to pushback and resistance from clients that are not ready to put in the work and be challenged. Coaches don’t write prescriptions, we co-create action plans within a partnership with our clients.

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What are the best open-ended questions to build rapport and trust with clients?

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1 What are open-ended questions?

2 How to ask open-ended questions effectively

3 Examples of open-ended questions for different stages of the coaching process

4 Here’s what else to consider

Leadership Development Coaching

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What are the best open-ended questions to build rapport and trust with clients?

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1 What are open-ended questions?

2 How to ask open-ended questions effectively

3 Examples of open-ended questions for different stages of the coaching process

4 Here’s what else to consider

Leadership Development Coaching

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