Meaningful questions for self-discovery.

Meaningful questions are one of the most valuable resources a coach has when conducting discovery sessions with clients. These questions are asked in order to induce deep analysis and self-discovery. Through them, answers are formulated that help the client to achieve key objectives for his or her personal development.

Meaningful questions can be used at any time during the coaching session, however, their use is usually generalized during the primary sessions, since they have a significant weight in their cognitive contribution.

During the development of this guide we will be addressing some of the most important elements related to this topic, so that you learn to distinguish meaningful questions from common questions, knowing how to use them in each case to achieve the desired effects.

Differences between meaningful questions and common questions

Common questions are the ones we usually ask when we have a doubt or question we want to satisfy. A common question has no other intention than to know the answer and satisfy the concern, it does not cause secondary effects and it does not have to be directed towards a deep analysis, since when we ask a common question we assume that our interrogator knows the answer.

Meaningful questions, contrary to common questions, are intended to provoke a secondary effect. Their function is not to satisfy a doubt or seek an answer, but is directed towards the client's self-discovery. This type of question induces deep analysis and the raising of issues that are necessary to form well-defined criteria. We do not ask a meaningful question hoping that the answer will be simple or easy to formulate, but that it will provoke our client to question and think about different aspects, in order to be able to answer himself first of all.

How to formulate a meaningful question?

When formulating a meaningful question, what we are looking for is to make the client notice some elements that he/she usually ignores naturally. We do not want the answers to be predefined by common sense, but rather to be analyzed in depth and to open a debate if necessary. An example of a meaningful question might be: What do you think are your three most negative traits that you should work on?

Asking your client about his or her negative traits, and forcing him or her to identify three of them, has a very powerful effect on the process of self-discovery and inducing self-criticism. To answer such a question, the client should take the time for honest self-perception, as it is difficult to identify all three traits, because the act of finding negative aspects is extremely complex and attacks our ego.

Take enough time to formulate your meaningful questions in the best possible way. Keep in mind what you want to encourage in your client and use them as an intelligent resource to promote deep thinking and self-discovery.

How many meaningful questions can I ask in a single session?

Although the simplest answer would be that you can ask as many meaningful questions as you wish, there is a reality that must be taken into account. Contrary to common questions, meaningful questions demand a much higher state of concentration and energy expenditure than common questions. When the client is faced with a meaningful question, he must bring into play all his analytical skills on topics that can easily exhaust him.

Bearing this in mind, do not abuse the number of questions of this type that you ask in the same session, and evaluate the mental state of the client so as not to saturate him or her and not to cause the effects to be unexpected.