Maieutics: The Art of Asking to Generate Answers

The Original Meaning and its Relevance

Although maieutics is recognized as one of the most relevant techniques in the practice of coaching, its true etymological meaning is "technique of assisting in childbirth".

This metaphor is powerful and central to understanding its application in coaching: maieutics does nothing more than help a person draw out of themselves what they seek, and do it for themselves.

Just as the midwife does not create the baby, but assists in its birth, the coach does not introduce answers, but facilitates the coachee to "give birth" to his own understandings and solutions.

Socratic Origin and Question-Based Methodology

This technique was the main method used by Socrates in his teachings. His approach was not to impart knowledge directly, but to ask questions and more questions to his students, guiding them through a process of inquiry until they arrived at their own answers and understandings.

It is an eminently dialogical and reflective method, where questioning becomes the fundamental tool to stimulate critical thinking and self-discovery.

Objectives of Maieutics in Coaching

Applied to coaching, maieutics pursues several key objectives to facilitate the coachee's growth:

Encourage the coachee to think differently and to imagine new perspectives on his or her situation.

Seeking to make the coachee aware of his own internal contradictions, so that he can change them.

To try to lead the coachee towards other ways of representing the world that are more mobilizing and that will push him/her to action.

Try to guide the coachee to a space of experimentation in which he/she can develop a process of growth through trial and error, imitation and modeling.

Allow the coachee to bring out the existing resources within him/her, generate the strength to energize them and help him/her to find new points of support that favor his/her development.

The Role of the Coach and the Structure of the Interaction

In the use of maieutics within coaching, it is the coach who helps structure the interaction, guiding the flow of the conversation through his or her questions.

Questions should be powerful, i.e., designed to evoke discovery, awareness, engagement or action in the client. They should reflect active listening and understanding of the customer's point of view.

Ideally, they are open-ended questions that bring greater clarity, possibilities or new learning, and that move the client toward what they want rather than forcing them to justify themselves or look to the past.

Coach Influence and the Need for Neutrality

It is important to keep in mind that, as it is the coach who structures the interaction and asks the questions, the influence of his or her own thought system is great.

There is a risk that the questions, consciously or unconsciously, may be biased by the coach's own beliefs, values or preferred solutions.

Therefore, the practitioner should strive to main