Swapping This Question for That Question

This blog was inspired by a very talented, vegan entrepreneur, Leanne, who has recently turned her life inside out and backwards searching for not only what fulfils her deeply but what also makes her healthy and happy.

If you’ve been coaching for any length of time, you likely have your favourite go-to questions; the ones that you use time and time again. You may think the question in your head is the best one to ask your coachee, but sometimes, you need to challenge yourself. You need to swap your beloved ‘next question’ for another, to really open someone up.

One example is we love is swapping, ‘What are you passionate about?’ with ‘What are you curious about?’ Notice the difference in weight. Notice the difference in how it makes you feel when you answer it.

Another example is a classic why question swap. Instead of, Why do you love that?’, you could swap it for, ‘What’s important to you about _______?’  By focusing on importance, making it a ‘what’ question, instead of a defensive ‘why’ question and naming the thing they are talking about, the question goes from interrogative to inspirational.

Our friend, Leanne, prefers to swap the commonly asked, ‘What am I grateful for?’ for ‘What felt good today?’ Asking a question about gratitude directs her focus towards her head, whereas asking, ‘What felt good today?’ directs her attention towards her body. Getting into her body allows her to find answers she wouldn’t find on her own.

What’s challenging about questions is that we often go with what first comes to mind, rather than thinking deeply about what question would resonate most.

So, next time you’re about to ask a question, stop, think and ask yourself: “What would change if I swapped this question for that question?”