Coaching questions are used to prompt someone to reflect, clarify, and draw conclusions for themself. They may be used by coaches, mentors, or leaders to encourage a coachee to approach a challenge with a new perspective and find their own route to success.

A coach’s most important skill is communication. They must be able to understand what a client is telling them, directly and indirectly, and then know the right questions to ask to move the coachee towards a mental unblocking. Instead of a coach forcing their ideas or conclusions onto a coachee, a great coach knows how to guide their client to find their own answers.

Every coaching situation is unique with different niches, clients, and stages of coaching. These 100 coaching questions have been designed to delve deeper and trigger coachee-led breakthroughs under a coach’s supervision.

Coaching Questions for Different Client Stages

The Consultation Call

Have you worked with a coach before?

What are your coaching expectations?

What would you like to achieve through coaching?

Are there any obstacles you are facing right now that I can help you with?

Do you have any boundaries you don’t want us to cross during coaching?

The First Session

How are you feeling today?

Can you tell me about your dream life?

What are your biggest life goals?

What would your ideal life look like in one year?

What is an achievable goal we can set for our next session?

During Hardships

What is your energy level today?

Is there anything on your mind you would like to share with me?

How would you one year ago have dealt with this situation differently?

What does failure mean?

What is one act of kindness you can do for yourself today?

In Response to Success

What brought you to this success?

Who have you shared this win with and how did they react?

What challenges did you have to overcome to reach this point?

Do you feel proud? Why/why not?

What’s one thing you want to take away from this success?

Off Boarding Clients

Are you comfortable reflecting on our work together in this session?

What has been your biggest takeaway from coaching?

What have you learnt about yourself through our work?

How did you know now was the right time to bring our sessions to an end?

Would you like to stay in touch moving forward, and in what capacity?

Coaching Questions for Different Coaching Niches

Creative Coaching

What is your current relationship with creativity?

Are you comfortable with expressing yourself?

Tell me about your current creative process. What works and what doesn’t?

Do you like the things that you create?

Who are some creatives that you aspire to be like?

Leadership Coaching

Tell me about the people that you are currently leading.

Who are some people in your life that you consider to be great leaders?

When do you feel most confident as a leader?

When do you feel the most uncomfortable as a leader?

Do you know how to take time away from your responsibilities?

Executive Coaching

What is the size and scale of your company right now?

What are your specific goals for your work within the next 12 months?

Do you have a team that you feel you can trust and that trusts you?

Can you share an area of your work that you feel insecure about?

Tell me about a recent failure. What can we learn from it?

Career Coaching

What do you like about your current role?

What is the biggest energy drainer in your current role?

Can you list the skills that you feel most confident in?

What do you think is your biggest strength?

How would you describe your biggest weakness?

Performance Coaching

What goals have been set for you by your supervisor, manager, or boss?

What personal goals would you like to add to this list?

What’s stopping you from achieving these goals this quarter?

Can you identify some time wasters in your work life?

How would you describe your work/life balance?

Coaching Questions for Different Clients

First Time Coachees

What area of your life or work are you most looking to improve?

What inspired you to start coaching?

How do you learn best?

Are you looking for a specific type of support?

Do you have any fears or apprehensions entering into the coaching process?

Self-Improvement Enthusiasts

Tell me about some of the books, people, and stories that have inspired you most.

At what point in your self-improvement journey are you at right now?

Why do you feel the need to change?

What are some ways you like to ground yourself in the present?

What would happen if you stopped trying to improve?

High-Level Executives

How would you describe yourself?

Do you have any boundaries in what you can discuss with me?

How much time can you realistically dedicate to coaching?

Can you put these in order of priority for you: Progress, success, and balance?

What areas do you currently not feel in control of?

Closed Books

What can I do to make sure you feel safe in this conversation?

Can you share with me a win from the past month?

What does growth mean to you?

I can sense you’re uncomfortable talking about this, can I ask why?

What’s a lesson you have learnt about yourself in the past year?

Empaths

Who has the most power over your emotions?

What is your energy recovery routine?

How do you know your emotional bandwidth is full?

What helps you feel taken care of?

Do you believe your feelings are valid?

Coaching Questions for Different Energy Levels

High Energy Sessions

Tell me about your day and what had led to this session.

Would you like me to take notes for you during this session so you can focus on your flow?

What would you like to channel this energy into?

Is there a mental block you would like to tackle during today’s session?

How would you describe the way you are feeling at this moment?

Steady Energy Sessions

Do you have any reflections on how our work together is going so far?

Is there anything in particular you would like to focus on today?

In what ways have you moved closer to your mid-sized goals?

What’s something you wish had gone differently this year?

Where have your energy peaks and troughs been in the last week?

Low Energy Sessions

How is your day going so far?

What is something you are looking forward to in the near future?

Who have you been spending the most time with recently?

When was the last time you felt like yourself?

What are some self-care practices you can do after this session?

Coaching Questions to Ask Yourself

Before a Session

Where am I energetically today?

How can I adjust this to a neutral level?

What do I need to be aware of in myself during this session?

Do I need to take a moment to ground myself?

Am I holding onto any expectations for this session, and if so how can I let them go?

After a Session

Where am I energetically now?

How can I let go of my client’s energy?

How do I feel that session went?

Was I able to offer meaningful advice and insights?

What is something I can improve on for my next session?

These questions can also be used in non-formal coaching conversations such as offering advice to a friend or supporting a colleague. They are intended to be used to help someone better understand their own thoughts and opinions, all with the fundamental belief that we already have everything we need to succeed – sometimes we just need someone to remind us.

If you are interested in starting coaching or want to learn more about what it means to be a coach, please check out my Coaching Services, or reach out directly with your questions.