Cathy Liska 
When you ask people what their biggest barrier to success is, how often will they respond with, “me”? What is it that has us limiting ourselves? And, more significantly, how can we change that? Changing it for ourselves and helping change it for others is one of the reasons many enroll in coaching certification.
Because coaching focuses on the future and is intended to create meaningful change, the coaching process serves to create possibilities. A trained coach works with clients to move past limiting themselves so that they do expand their options.
How do coaches create this shift? Coaches listen to their clients deeply, develop rapport, and ask powerful questions. Through this process clients discover their own answers and build their confidence for moving forward. Next the coach partners with the client to develop strategies and define action steps.
Because coaches are in the moment and truly present with their clients, the questions they ask are formulated based on the conversation. Examples of questions coaches ask to shift someone from limiting themselves to creating possibilities include:
- How are you holding yourself back?
- How are you limiting yourself?
- How do you want to empower yourself?
- How do you want to give yourself space for change?
- What change do you want to create?
- What are your resources for change?
- What are your opportunities?
- What are your options?
- What additional possibilities do you want?
- If it is possible, how is it possible?
- How will you create possibilities?
- How will you open doors?
A challenge for you: journal your answers to these questions!
