A Second Look at Powerful Questions
by Sandee Crowther

In the April newsletter you read the first article on Powerful Questions.  This article will continue to help you understand the important role of asking effective questions.  The ability to use powerful questions to illuminate information, knowledge, or insight provides the greatest benefit to those in a coaching relationship.  Powerful questioning is the ability to ask questions that bring out the information to provide the greatest benefit to the client/coach relationship. Questions demonstrate that the coach has been actively listening and senses the client’s perspective.  Effective questioning and active listening are integrally linked.
Why do questions need to be carefully crafted by the school leader or coach?  For several reasons:

• they can help create a focused state of mind
• they can take the individual to new places, mentally transporting them to new ideas
• they engage the individual
• they help the client look at things in a new way;  for example, pushing toward exploration, experimentation, and a desire for change
• they surface opportunities, strengths, choices, vision and new possibilities. 

The questions school leaders and coaches ask, such as, “What gives you energy right now?” or “What do you look forward to?” helps clients think about their strengths and what really moves them in a positive direction.  Energy from both the coach and client helps to make the conversation flow well and move toward solutions and commitment to action which is what we want in our schools.

A reminder regarding qualities of good questions – Powerful questions…

• assume positive intent and focus on positive connections
• are open-ended
• invite multiple answers, not one correct answer
• act as thought starters to energize the mind and consider new perspectives
• focus on solutions, not problems
• empower, to help the client go to a deeper level and uncover patterns of thinking

How does a coach or school leader know when s/he is getting results from the conversation?  The client/speaker is reflecting, thinking, responding with new ideas, and looking at things in new ways.  The client/speaker may want to reexamine his/her actions and align them with beliefs and values.  There may be an “aha” moment about changing old habits.  At this point a question such as, “How will you know when you have been successful?” can help the client commit to action.  Results from effective questions on one level provide greater clarity, open up new possibilities or cause new learning.  Results on another level evoke insight, commitment, and action.  The client moves forward in a positive direction created by the conversation and new thinking.

What kinds of questions do you want to ask and what kinds of results do you want?  Professional coaching helps school leaders refine these skills and our CSR seminars provide comprehensive training and practice in effective skills for leading and living. 

Sandee Crowther is an experienced leadership coach and consultant with a passion for helping leaders be the best they can be. She earned her doctorate in educational administration from the University of Kansas. After 43 years of service, she recently retired from the Lawrence Kansas Public Schools where she most recently served as executive director for planning and program improvement. She has facilitated learning in the areas of school improvement, quality professional development, evaluating impact and results, leadership development, and instructional improvement. She is past president of NSDC and currently president-elect of Phi Delta Kappa, International.  To find out more about Sandee and our other coaches, go to www.coachingschoolresults.com and click on “coaches.”

*Leaders can learn more about the coaching process and extend skills to implement coaching by attending one of our upcoming seminars. See details below.

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