Deep Listening involves deeper inquiry ( JP & TS) Page 97 coaching book

 Deeper listening also involves deeper inquiry.

 This inquiry might be about the client’s use of language and/or the client’s feelings, patterns the coach has noticed as well as how the client processes.

 For example, for language, the coach might ask: “You have mentioned freedom a few times, what does freedom mean to you?” and for feelings the coach might ask:

 “How do you feel when you think about that freedom?” and for a deeper inquiry into how the client processes it could be something like: 

“How will honoring your value of freedom support you in achieving your goal?” Inquiry into client’s emotions can also link to some of the points discussed in competency five around working with client emotions. 

For example, the coach might ask about or reflect back the client’s emotions by noticing their mood, tone, body language, energy etc. 

In this instance, the coach could ask: “When you talk about this, your face lights up and you smile broadly, what does this mean for you?” or

 “I notice your tears, what’s going on for you right now?”

Coach the person not the problem - Jonathan Passmore & Tracy Sinclair book

 At PCC and even more so at MCC level, there is an expectation that the coach will not only hold and work with the client’s topic, they will also focus on how the client thinks, feels, learns, relates and creates. This might also extend to the client’s values and beliefs, how they view the world and how they see or want to be their place in the word. For example, the coach might ask: “How might this new project align with the values you shared earlier?” or “What are the beliefs and values that you will honor when you have that conversation?”

( Coaching the person instead of problem ) could be noticing and inquiring about client emotions or feelings such as: “I’m sensing some disappointment and I’d like to check ...how is this for you?” or “I can see your emotion and I know this is important for you, would you like to explore this further?” This brings us to the topic of the client’s emotions and in particular strong emotions.

A client expressing emotions, for example crying, does not necessarily become un-resourceful, lacking in creativity or broken!