2. Coaching Exercise First, grab a pen and some paper It should probably not be something you’ve been wrestling with for years It must be current, and you are still trying to decide what to do It must be something that matters to you Now, think of any issue you are facing, personal or professional Write down in one sentence what you want to think about This exercise will take a maximum of 20 minutes, and it will be worth it Forward the slides manually when you are ready Next

3. For each of the following 20 questions, write the answer down before proceeding… What is it that you are trying to achieve? Next

4. Imagine that you have successfully addressed your issue… What does success look like? Next

5. What does success feel like? Next

6. What do you really, really want? Next

7. What is going on that makes this an issue for you? Next

8. Who is involved? Next

9. What assumptions are you making? Next

10. What – if anything – have you already done to address the situation? Next

11. And what has been the effect of what you have done so far? Next

12. What options do you have? Next

13. What else might you do? Next

14. If you had absolutely no constraints – of time or money or power or health – what would you do? Next

15. If you had a really wise friend, what would they do in your shoes? Next

16. What would Madonna do? Next

17. From your answers to the last few questions you have generated a list of options, some practical, some maybe not so practical! Rate these answers from 1 to 10 on how practical they seem, with 10 being perfectly practical For the remaining questions, think about the options you marked as most practical… Next

18. From your list of options, which options will you actually pursue? Next

19. For each chosen option, what specifically will you do? Next

20. For each chosen option, what specifically will you do? Next

21. What help or support do you need? Next

22. What deadlines will you set for yourself? Next

23. What is the first step you will take? Next

24. Without any knowledge of the issue, simply using intelligent questioning, a good coach can help you to uncover a path forward on any issue If you want to know more about how coaching can help you and your organisation please contact uscontact us Most managers are trained to find solutions, not ask questions But this exercise shows you can help someone without knowing the answer This exercise is designed to demonstrate the power of questioning And if you add feedback, both verbal and visual, the questioning can only be more incisive and therefore more helpful At ACT Now we are trained to ask questions which will help you to find your own solutions * For more on silent coaching please see Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There, by Bob ThomsonDon’t Just Do Something, Sit There, by Bob Thomson