7 Coaching Questions

 

The art of asking powerful questions lies at the heart of effective coaching. Whether you’re a seasoned coach or just beginning your journey in professional coaching, mastering the skill of inquiry can transform your practice and deliver exceptional results for your clients.

A fantastic coaching book is The Advice Trap (Be humble, stay curious and change the way you lead forever) by Michael Bungay Stanier, an easy read with some powerful messages and quick wins. This book revolutionises how we approach coaching conversations by emphasising the power of staying curious rather than jumping straight into advice-giving mode.

Michael Bungay Stanier’s Essential 7 Questions

Michael suggests 7 questions that every coach should use in order to achieve results:

1. What is on your mind?
2. And what else?
3. What is the real challenge here for you?
4. What do you want?
5. If you’re saying yes to this, what must you say No to?
6. How can I help? (I prefer ‘How can coaching help?‘)
7. What is most useful or valuable here for you?

These questions form the foundation of what Stanier calls “coaching habit” which is a systematic approach to staying curious longer and rushing to give advice less quickly. Each question serves a specific purpose in guiding the coachee toward self-discovery and actionable insights.

My Personal Coaching Philosophy and Favorite Questions

My favourite 7 questions are:

1. What do you want to have happen / how can you have this happen?
2. What is under your control?
3. What are your thoughts and what are you thinking?
4. What is the real challenge?
5. Who are you when you are at your best?
6. What is stopping you?
7. What else?

My choice of questions have been influenced by positive psychology, NLP, clean language and Nancy Kline’s work on thinking environments. The integration of these methodologies creates a powerful framework for coaching conversations that honor the client’s innate wisdom while providing structure for meaningful exploration.

My favourite questions change from time to time and I go through phases of using some more than others. This change reflects the dynamic nature of coaching practice and the importance of adapting our approach based on client needs and our own professional development. My intent with questions is to build capacity and for the client to resource themselves. I love short questions that hold thinking space with minimal interference from me. You might notice my favourite questions contain little or no metaphor, allowing the client to fully explore their own experiences and interpretations.

These are important skills and questions learned in coaching not only for individuals, but for supervising other coaches (see the Level 7 Coaching Supervision qualification).

The Science Behind Powerful Questions

Research in neuroscience shows that when we ask someone a question, their brain immediately begins searching for answers, activating the prefrontal cortex and promoting creative thinking. This neurological response is why powerful questions can unlock insights that direct advice-giving might miss entirely. For coaches working toward advanced qualifications, understanding this science becomes crucial for developing questioning techniques.

Building Your Coaching Question Toolkit

I have asked fellow coaches to share their 7 questions. I was fascinated to know the results and thought it would be an awesome opportunity to share. 

This collaborative approach to learning reflects the coaching community’s commitment to continuous improvement and knowledge sharing. The diversity of responses demonstrates that while there are fundamental coaching principles, each coach develops their unique style and preferred questions based on their training, experience, and the specific populations they serve.

This exercise assumes that the opening and closing phases of the coaching session are taken care of, therefore the questions do not need to account for beginnings or endings. The focus remains on the core work of the coaching conversation. This includes the exploration, discovery, and action planning that transforms client possibilities into reality.

Insights from Experienced Coaches

In no particular order, here are the results from our coaching community when asked “If you could only have 7 questions in your coaching tool kit, what would they be?”:

Chris

1. How will this impact upon you?
2. What else?
3. What would success look like?
4. What is the spark that lights the fire within you?
5. What are your strengths?
6. What’s stopping you?
7. If you could do anything, what would you do?

Chris’s questions demonstrate a beautiful balance between exploring impact and possibility. The inclusion of “What is the spark that lights the fire within you?” shows how experienced coaches can tap into intrinsic motivation while maintaining professional boundaries.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-restell-24321a23/

Bex

1. Describe what it looks/ feels and sounds like to achieve your aspiration/goal
2. What do you want?
3. What’s holding you back?
4. What else?
5. If you could change one thing right now what would it be?
6. If you’re saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?
7. On a scale of 1-10 where are you with your commitment to achieving xyz? Follow up if needed – what can you do to increase that score?

Bex’s approach incorporates sensory-rich questioning and scaling techniques, tools that are particularly effective for helping clients create vivid mental representations of their desired outcomes and assess their readiness for change.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bex-whitehead-b5561810/

Bill

1. What would you like to be different by the end of our time?
2. Who is not in the room that you need to listen/speak to?
3. What happens if you do nothing?
4. Who can help you?
5. If there were no constraints, what would you do right now?
6. As we are talking, what has given you energy?
7. If your colleague or partner were in the room, what challenge would they set us

Bill’s questions reveal a systems thinking approach, acknowledging that coaching rarely happens in isolation and that sustainable change often requires considering stakeholders and relationships beyond the coaching room.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-moore-executive-coach/

James

1. What’s something on your mind right now?
2. And what else do you want to tell me about this?
3. If you had a magic wand, what would beautiful look like if you did this?
4. What implications/challenges are there for you in doing this?
5. What will you commit to first? By when?
6. What help do you need to make this happen?
7. What is your key takeaway from today?

James’s sequence shows a natural progression from exploration to commitment, demonstrating how skilled coaches can guide clients through a complete coaching conversation with clever questioning.

Karen

1. What do you want to achieve now, next month, next year, etc?
2. What is holding you back?
3. What is within your power to change or influence?
4. How will you know when you have achieved a good result?
5. What else do you need to get there?
6. What else?
7. How can you get what you need?

Karen’s questions emphasise temporal dimensions and personal agency, helping clients think strategically about their goals while maintaining focus on what they can actually control and influence.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-walters-ab5a5388/

Developing Your Questioning Skills Further

The questions shared by these experienced coaches represent years of practice and refinement. For those looking to deepen their coaching expertise, formal training and supervision provide essential frameworks for developing these skills systematically.

Professional coaching qualifications such as the ILM Level 7 not only teach the technical aspects of questioning but also help coaches understand the ethical considerations, cultural sensitivity, and psychological safety required for effective practice. The ability to ask powerful questions and then practice deep listening is developed through supervised practice, reflection, and continuous learning.

The Role of Supervision in Coaching Excellence

Advanced coaches understand that their questioning skills continue to evolve throughout their careers. Coaching supervision qualifications provide opportunities to explore our use of questions, examine our assumptions, and refine our approach based on feedback and reflection.

Quality supervision helps coaches notice patterns in their questioning, identify blind spots, and develop greater sensitivity to client needs. This ongoing development is particularly important for coaches working with complex organisational dynamics or sensitive personal issues.

Take Your Coaching to the Next Level

If you’re inspired to develop your questioning skills and coaching expertise further, consider advancing your qualifications with professional coaching programs. The ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching & Mentoring qualification provides comprehensive training in advanced coaching techniques, including sophisticated questioning methodologies that can transform your practice.

For experienced coaches seeking to support others in their development, the ILM Level 7 Supervision of Coaches program offers specialised training in coaching supervision, helping you develop the skills needed to guide other coaches in refining their questioning techniques and overall practice.

Conclusion: The Ongoing Journey of Inquiry

The coaches who contributed to this collection demonstrate that there’s no single “right” way to ask questions in coaching. What matters is developing your authentic voice, maintaining ethical boundaries, and continuously refining your skills through practice and reflection.

Thank you to all the contributors above. If you’d like to add your 7 favourite questions, just get in touch! The coaching community thrives on shared learning and mutual support.

Whether you’re just beginning your coaching journey or looking to refine your advanced practice, remember that great coaching starts with great questions. Invest in your development, seek quality supervision, and never stop exploring the art of inquiry.

Ready to elevate your coaching practice? Explore our ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching & Mentoring program or discover how our ILM Level 7 Supervision of Coaches qualification can help you support other coaches in their development journey.

Clare Smale
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-m-smale/