Coaches Ask Probing Questions

Listening well (July 23rd post) and asking probing questions may make up as much as 80% of good coaching.  But just as listening well is harder than you think, so is this second core function of coaching.

Probing questions don’t lead others to find the answer you were looking for; instead they are genuine, open-ended questions that help others discover their own truth.

Four Examples of Probing Questions:

Supply Your Own Caption – Family Photo

My son…what can I say???

Evan Almighty Asks Is Sunday Morning “Worshipped?”

On Sunday, July 1, Northeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky
cancelled their morning worship to show the movie “Evan Almighty.”  Church Newsletter.

Sunday, July 1
Evan Almighty
9:00 and 11:00 am
$5.00 per person
No Sunday Services!
Click here to order tickets online.

It does sound shocking, I know, but if you want to crucify them

The Discovery Process of Coaching

Coaching Acrostic:
W.A.I.T. = Why Am I Talking?

Coaching is most different from other forms of mentoring in one way:  treating people as the expert of their own lives and goals for their future.  So, the first step in coaching is listening to the “expert.”

Listening is perhaps the most challenging shift for those of us who are in the business of telling others what they need to do; listening instead of telling.  In fact, many coaches seek to employ an 80/20 approach:  80% listening, 20% talking.

So what do you say, when you talk? 

Answering Five Objections to Christians Hedonism (Part 4)

The final Objection to Piper’s Christian Hedonism is summed up in a parable:

Piper shows up to his front door, rings the bell, and his wife opens the door.  She is surprised to see him there, and he has something behind his back.

“Happy Anniversary, Honey.  These flowers are for you, they’re your favorite color.”

“You shouldn’t have.  Why did you do this?”

Piper blankly replies, “It’s my duty.”