Tools for the Discovery Stage in Appreciative Coaching: Identifying Resources

Although it originated in the organisational development field, Appreciative Inquiry is also a powerful approach for one-to-one coaching.

Just as in regular Appreciative Inquiry for organisational development, when we use Appreciative Inquiry in one-to-one coaching the Discovery stage is about finding what’s already working and what has worked in the past.

We’ve already looked at appreciative interviews and scaling questions as ways of uncovering resources and strategies that have worked in the past, but that the client may have discounted or forgotten about.

Another way of uncovering the resources and successful strategies that the coaching client already has is just simply to ask questions that look for what’s already working, what they’ve done that worked in the past, and also any possibilities for change in the future.

I tend to use these questions as follow-ups and supplementaries to the what the client says in the appreciative interview or in response to the scaling questions. You can also use them conversationally, where it seems appropriate and natural.

Example Questions

• What’s already working?
• How did you make that happen?
• Where is the solution already happening – even if it’s only partially?
• When have you achieved similar things before?
• What resources are you bringing to the project? (these could be skills, strengths, personality traits, plus external resources like finances, specialist knowledge, or contacts who can help)

Questions That Work for Pessimistic Clients

Of course, some clients are more optimistic and excited by possibilities than others. If your client seems to be in a particularly problem-focused mood, you can ask about resources and what’s working, without losing rapport by seeming (from their point of view) overly positive, by asking questions like these:

• When is the problem not so bad?
• How have you overcome a problem like that before?
• What have you been doing that’s stopped the situation getting worse?

This form of question respects the way that the client is seeing things at the moment, while inviting them to look for positive exceptions and times when things have worked in spite of everything.

Open vs. Closed Questions

Notice how the ‘open’ questions above assume that some things are already working, that they have achieved similar things before, and so on. Questions that make these assumptions allow the client to spend a bit of time searching for the answers.

Contrast this with ‘closed’ questions (which expect ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers), and give the client the option of giving an immediate ‘no’ answer without spending any time exploring what has actually happened, and then clamming up:

• Is anything already working?
• Are any parts of the outcome happening anywhere?
• Have you achieved similar things before?

I’ve noticed when teaching Appreciative Inquiry as a coaching method on the past that some participants don’t find it easy to stay in ‘open question’ mode, and find themselves slipping back into closed questioning.

The easiest way to ensure that you stay asking open questions is to assume that there will be some resources there to find. If you take that as your guiding assumption, then it wouldn’t make sense to ask a closed question that assumes the possibility that there might be nothing to find. Consequently, you’ll find yourself asking open questions naturally, and persisting, respectfully and with rapport, until you’ve found what you’re looking for.

Questions for Follow-up Sessions

In subsequent coaching sessions or follow-ups, you can use questions like these to follow up on progress:

• What’s been better?
• How did you make that happen?
• What have you learned since last time?

I’m starting a new?Practical Appreciative Inquiry facilitator training?soon. If you like my materials and the way I approach things, this is pretty much the only training I’m doing these days – and it gives you a great method for coaching teams and small groups!

“It was a fantastic course. Andy facilitated our learning ensuring we came away with knowledge and tools that we could immediately use in our consultancy and leadership coaching client work.” – Rita J Bailey, Coach, Facilitator, Mediator, MBTI Practitioner, UK

Get information about the course, dates, and how to book here