Are you Curious? In your normal every day conversations, do you ask before you tell? Or, do you have the impulse to automatically share your opinion or give a solution, when an issue is presented? If you tend to tell, before ask, you are like most of us in the world; ‘knowing’ answers and having experiences that we filter all of our listening through, and then quickly offering these in support of others, without much further exploration (or curious inquiry).

Now let’s take that impulse and filter it through coaching. In a coach approach to communication, it is an absolute must to stretch our curiosity muscles and become explorers: To step out of our own knowing, and with curious questions, dig for gold in the inherent wisdom of a coachee. The interesting thing is, that the more we are in curious inquiry, the more the coachee comes up with new insights and answers!

For all of the years I have been coaching this has been the key to evoking discovery, insight, and effective, sustainable commitments and action.

Curious Questions then, are questions that act like explorers- supporting others in listening to themselves. And in looking beyond what is current and what they have already thought of, ultimately to discover new ideas for themselves.

Curious questions are the engines that drive coaching! So tune up your engines this week! Challenge yourself to be an explorer committed to discovery! Stretch that curiosity muscle in ALL of your communications.