Kimberly A. Scott
Liberty University
4MAT Review: Coaching Questions In order for life coaches to be successful, they must have a “toolbox” full of coaching skills that will enable him or her to effectively help his or her clients. In his book, Coaching Questions: A Coach’s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills, Tony Stoltzful (2008) provides coaches with several types of asking tools and resources that will have a positive impact with his or her client.
Summary
The book is designed to be a handbook for coaches of all stages, whether it is a new coach, a coach in training, or an experienced coach (Stoltzfus, 2008). The book is split into six sections, all filled with sample questions that are designed to strengthen the asking skills of a coach. In addition, each section offers additional resources, tips, or hints that offers the coach an opportunity to delve deeper. The book starts off with an introductory chapter explaining the importance of strong asking skills, how to fix common mistakes, and gives sample questions a coach can use to help build a strong coaching relationship with clients (Stoltzfus, 2008). The second section gives a brief overview of the coaching process, sample questions that help structure the coaching conversation, and details two conversational models: GROW and the Coaching Funnel (Stoltzfus, 2008). Thirdly, Stoltzfus (2008) provides asking tools and exercises that will enable a coach to assist a client in identifying and defining his or her life purpose (Stoltzfus, 2008). Next, the author gives specific tools and sample questions that will allow a coach to help his or her client develop and maintain a balanced, healthy lifestyle (Stoltzfus, 2008). The fifth section provides the coach with advanced asking skills that address difficult topics such as decision-making or challenging the client (Stoltzfus, 2008). The final section gives a brief description of several types of
References: Stoltzful, T. (2008). Coaching questions: A coach’s guide to powerful asking skills [Amazon Digital Services]. Retrieved from www.amazon.com