Scenario

Instead of asking…

Try powerful questions…

The team has been in conversation for a while and you think they need to hear a specific team member’s opinion.

What’s your opinion?

What do you make of it?

What is possible here?

What is the part that is not yet clear?

What else?

The team is diving into solution details and you think they should stay in the “visioning” state longer.

What are other options?

What is here that you want to explore?

What other angles can you think of?

What is just one more possibility?

The team has decided on a solution but isn’t moving into action. 

What do we need to do to get started?

Is this a time for action?

If your life depended on taking action, what would you do?

If you had free choice in the matter, what would you do?

Scenario

Instead of asking…

Try powerful questions…

A team member is rehashing a story of something that happened in the past.

Why does this keep coming up?

What is the essence of that?

What do you make of that?

A team member is unsure about a course of action.

What do you need to be sure about this?

What will this get you?

What is your prediction?

The team keeps coming around to the same conversation.

Why are we talking about this again?

What seems to be the main obstacle?

What concerns you the most about…?

The team is evaluating options.

Is this a viable option?

What is the opportunity here? What is the challenge?

What is your assessment?

The team is stuck.

How do we get past this?

How else could a person handle this?

If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?