Are you harnessing the power of a good question?
I was with a group of retail store managers recently working on how they show up as coaches.
We were talking about coaching in the moment – the small things you can catch in the moment and use as a coaching opportunity. E.g, not labelling discount specials on the appropriate section of the product or not walking a customer to a product that they’re asking about.
Those things we see in the moment and often think “I don’t have time to deal with that now”.
Part of the method is to discuss the ‘why’ or the impact of making the change.
Basically, we ask a series of open questions to get them to come up with the answer themselves instead of giving them the answer.
This is beneficial for 2 reasons:
- When we come up with the solution ourselves, we’re more likely to be bought into it and more likely to remember it. It helps us understand WHY something should be done a certain way and we understand the impact it has when we do it incorrectly.
- It allows us to identify knowledge gaps. If someone doesn’t know why they’re being asked to do something in a certain way, there’s a clear knowledge gap and coaching opportunity. When we give someone the answer, we don’t get the opportunity to understand why they were doing it incorrectly in the first place.
Are you harnessing the power of your questions or are you missing opportunities to coach and get the best out of your team?
Do you want to understand how you can utilise the power of questions in your conversations?
Our next Effective Communication session is on Tuesday 9th May. For only $300, you’ll walk away armed with the skills to ask better questions and be a better listener. Places are limited and we’re only offering 3 of these sessions all year, so click here to secure your spot before you miss out.
