Ask Great Questions
You cannot have great
coaching without the ability to ask great questions. Great questions
cut to the heart of the issues and behaviors that need to be
addressed—either for resolution or for enhancement. However, it’s
difficult to ask great questions without being a great listener. You
need to be able to listen to what people say, to understand their
feelings as well as their content, and to listen to what is not
said. In other words, “squint with your ears!”
Your takeaway value
from this strategy is two fold. First, is the value of a
brief listening audit to assess the
areas in which you need to improve your listening skills.
(see below) As you
improve your ability to listen with care, you’ll hear information
that is critical for asking focused questions that enhance team
performance and team goal achievement.
A second piece of
value to you is a list of great questions. Asking these
thought-provoking questions and capturing responses gives you rich
information for understanding your team’s motivations, behaviors,
strengths, and concerns. When you understand issues and behaviors in
more detail, you can offer counsel that is more specific and
relevant for ever increasing work and team performance.
*A sample of great questions for you and your
teams:
-
How focused are you?
-
To what extent are you leveraging your
strengths?
-
To what extent are you managing your
weaknesses?
-
What specific changes, individual or as a team,
will take you to your dream goal?
-
What is your best contribution to the team
right now?
-
What is the best use of your time, energy, and
talent to make progress towards our great goal?
-
How are you building trust by your thoughts,
words, and actions?
-
How can I be helpful to you?
-
What did I learn today that will make me 1%
better tomorrow?
-
How did you
GOMO® today for
the good of our team?
-
How is our team building the WOWsm
that matters? (WOW = Words of Wonder)
-
What change in your behavior will give you
greater performance?
*Develop your own set of great questions to
meet the needs of your team.
Call Susan at
(269) 408-1525 if you need
assistance in developing great questions to ask your "team" or would
benefit from having some great questions asked of you!
Listening Audit
Listening is an
essential and invaluable skill to learn. The following audit will
help you identify potential blocks to your listening as well as help
you to discover ways to become a more effective listener.
Do you….
|
Know why you are listening? |
YES |
NO |
|
Do all you can to minimize distractions? (Reduce
noise, adjust temperature, close door, turn off cell phone, turn
off computer, hold calls etc.) |
YES |
NO |
|
Reduce physical barriers between yourself and the
person you are listening to? |
YES |
NO |
|
Avoid making quick judgments about the speaker? |
YES |
NO |
|
Avoid interrupting? |
YES |
NO |
|
Seek the major points/ key thought(s) of the speaker’s
content? |
YES |
NO |
|
Control your emotions? |
YES |
NO |
|
Rephrase, in your own words, what you believe the
speaker is saying? |
YES |
NO |
|
Avoid giving advice unless invited to do so? |
YES |
NO |
|
Pretend to be attentive? |
YES |
NO |
|
What are 3 specific behaviors you need to change in
order to become a more effective listener?
1.
2.
3.
By whom are you willing to be held accountable? |
|
|
|
