Focusing on Solutions and not the Problem

One approach that I find useful is to support a client focus more on solutions rather than the issue that they’ve come to a coaching session with. At the beginning I do this is by ensuring that the majority, if not all, of the questions I ask are future-focused and oriented towards the client discussing possibilities rather than what happened. Note that this can be tricky particularly as we might not know the ins and outs of the situation the person is in. Through this dialogue pattern I also help coachees explore transferable skills and ways how they could overcome and cope with obstacles. In fact I regularly ask clients to ‘play’ and experiment with preferred futures states and potential outcomes.