Challenge
Challenges have similar outcomes to questions – they are often more confrontational and may push the coachee out of their comfort zone into the learning zone. For example, a challenge may require the reassessment of a firm belief. Both questions and challenges are designed to encourage deeper self-reflective (SR) silence by the coachee.
Challenges can be offered as statements or questions – they can be especially helpful where a coachee is very stuck in a pattern of negative thought. Here are examples:
Giles: “I’m useless at presentations!”
Coach: “So, you are the worst presenter on the planet?”
Giles: “I’m not that bad.”
Coach: “What are you ‘not that bad’ at, in presentations?”
Here, the aim of the challenge is to encourage the coachee to reframe their perception of their abilities so that they may have the confidence to do something about their skill level. The next intervention provides a base for that by exploring positives.
John: “The problem is insurmountable!”
Coach: “You are probably right. Let’s ignore it and work on something else.”
John: “I cannot ignore this, I must do something!”
Coach: “If I had this problem, where would be the best place for me to start now?”
Here, the challenge is ‘discounting’ the enormity of the issue and very likely to get a reaction. In this case, luckily perhaps, the effect is to accept action. The coach’s question is designed to get the coachee to disassociate emotionally from the issue and appeals to their ability to ‘observe’ from outside the problem and at the same time to ‘help’ the coach.
See also the article: ‘Provocative Coaching’ – this term was first coined by Angus McLeod in 2002 in Rapport 58, 17.
