A fundamental skill in the coach’s toolbox is the ability to ask powerful questions. Powerful questions evoke clarity, introspection, lend to enhanced creativity and help provide solutions. Questions are powerful when they have an impact on the client which causes them to think.
These provocative queries spark “epiphanies” or “ah-ha” moments within the client which can radically shift their course of action or point of view.
Learning to ask powerful questions will help you augment your personal and business communication. The most effective powerful questions begin with “What” or “How”, are short and to the point. When questioning, be genuinely curious about the person you are speaking to.
Here are some powerful questions that can help you be more effective in many situations.
- What do you want?
- What will that give you?
- What is important about that?
- What is holding you back?
- What if you do nothing?
- What is this costing you?
- How much control do you have in this situation?
- What do you need to say “no” to?
- How can you make this easy?
- What options do you have?
- What will you do? By when?
- What support do you need to assure success?
- How will you know you have been successful?
- What are you learning from this?
What more do you have to add about Powerful Questions?
For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.
Chuck Appleby of Appleby & Associates is a leadership and organization development consultant with over 30 years of management, consulting, and coaching experience. 
Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting, LLC, has decades of experience providing group coaching and Action Learning around the world.
Pam Solberg-Tapper is a highly experienced Professional Certified Coach. Her company, Coach for Success, designs, implements and coaches in a variety of leadership and executive programs.