Powerful Questions to Ask in Coaching Sessions

Coaching sessions can be powerful spaces for clarity, motivation, and transformation. Great coaching questions can uncover hidden beliefs, reveal new perspectives, and spark real movement towards goals.

Perhaps you’re wondering how to make your coaching sessions more effective, or you’re preparing for your first coaching conversation and want to feel confident. Maybe you’re looking for questions for leadership coaching or life coaching questions that genuinely help people grow. This guide offers a clear overview of the kinds of coaching questions that truly make an impact.

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Questions in coaching are tools for exploration. A well-timed, thoughtful question can help someone shift from feeling stuck to seeing possibilities. That’s the essence of the solution-focused approach — looking forward instead of staying bogged down in problems.

When you're using solutions-focused coaching, you help your clients see what’s working and how to do more of it. It’s about building confidence and clarity by highlighting strengths rather than focusing too long on struggles.

Powerful coaching questions are open-ended, thought-provoking, and focused on possibilities. They help clients reflect, discover insights, and take ownership of their goals and choices. The best coaching questions are clear and simple, but they invite deep thinking. Let’s explore some of the most impactful questions you can ask, grouped by purpose and coaching context.

The first session sets the tone. Good coaching questions at this stage help your client feel comfortable and establish trust. Here are some examples:

These are excellent first coaching session questions because they focus on the client’s hopes and current strengths rather than problems.

Whether you're using growth coaching questions or working through life goals, clear direction is essential. Try these:

These leadership-focused conversations help clarify motivation and vision.

Using a solution-focused approach means guiding clients to focus on what’s working, and how to do more of it. A classic solution-focused approach example is the “miracle question”:

These solutions-focused coaching questions help clients build confidence and momentum.

Great insight often comes from turning inward. Use these powerful questions for coaching to help your clients explore their values, beliefs, and behaviours:

These are also strong motivational questions, encouraging deeper thinking and self-awareness.

Coaching is a great space to grow belief in yourself. Try these questions on self-confidence:

These support clients in recognising their value and reinforcing their belief in their own abilities.

In leadership coaching, the aim is often to help someone lead more effectively, build influence, and align with their values. Here are a few high-impact questions for leadership coaching:

These are good coaching questions for encouraging growth, reflection, and action.

Clients often come to coaching to grow personally or professionally. Use these to help keep them moving forward:

Powerful coaching questions like these help clients take ownership of their development.

You might have heard of the 7 coaching questions popularised by Michael Bungay Stanier in The Coaching Habit. These simple yet potent questions are:

This set forms a strong structure for any coaching conversation, whether you’re new or experienced.

Asking great coaching questions is a skill that takes practice and thoughtfulness. While the words you choose matter, how and when you ask them can make just as much of a difference. Here are a few tips to help you ask more effective, engaging, and supportive coaching questions.

Where possible, you should always use open questions in coaching sessions. Open questions are those that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. They usually begin with words like what, how, when, or who, and they encourage the client to reflect, explore, and express themselves more freely. They’re especially beneficial in coaching because they invite deeper thinking and help clients uncover their own insights. 

Some examples include: “What’s something you’ve learned recently?” and “What’s the first step you could take towards that goal?” Avoid “why” questions where possible, as they can sometimes sound confrontational or lead to defensiveness.

Good coaching questions don’t need to be clever or complex. In fact, the simpler and more direct your question, the more space it gives the client to think. Avoid jargon or overly wordy phrasing. A short, clear question is often far more powerful than a long, loaded one. 

For example, “What do you want?” is more effective than “Could you elaborate on the desired outcomes you wish to explore today?”

After asking a question, pause and give the client a chance to reflect. Silence can feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s often in those quiet moments that meaningful insights emerge. Resist the urge to jump in or rephrase the question too quickly. Let the client take their time; coaching is not about speed, but depth.

A leading question suggests an answer or pushes the client in a particular direction, even if unintentionally. For example, “Don’t you think it would be helpful to speak up more in meetings?” subtly implies what the client should do. Instead, ask something like “What do you think would help you feel more confident in meetings?” This encourages the client to come to their own conclusions, which is far more empowering.

Approach your client’s responses with curiosity, not assumption. Your role isn’t to evaluate or advise, but to understand and explore. This means asking questions from a place of genuine interest, even if the client’s answer surprises you. Phrases like “Tell me more about that” or “What does that mean for you?” show that you’re listening and that their perspective matters.

If this has sparked your interest in becoming a coach or refining your skills, why not take the next step?

The Life Coaching Diploma Course at Centre of Excellence is the perfect place to start or grow your coaching journey. Discover how to support others with confidence, using a wide range of coaching tools tailored to each person. It’s currently available for the discounted price of £29.