Facilitation Techniques & Coaching Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Facilitation Techniques & Coaching Skills flashcards as text
A CST notices that a Scrum team consistently agrees with whatever the Scrum Master suggests. This pattern is BEST described as:
Answer: Groupthink, which inhibits genuine empiricism and healthy conflict
When teams default to agreement without genuine debate, groupthink suppresses the empirical, inspect-and-adapt foundation that Scrum depends on.
Which ICF core competency is MOST directly demonstrated when a coach summarizes what a coachee just said and reflects it back without adding interpretation?
Answer: Active Listening
Reflecting back without interpretation is a hallmark of active listening, which ensures the coachee feels heard and helps them hear themselves more clearly.
During Sprint Planning, the team is unable to forecast a Sprint Goal because requirements are unclear. As a facilitating CST, the BEST action is:
Answer: Help the team craft a learning-oriented Sprint Goal focused on the uncertainty itself
When requirements are unclear, a learning-oriented Sprint Goal ('we will know X by end of Sprint') aligns with empiricism and allows the team to move forward productively.
A coaching agreement at the start of an engagement should include all of the following EXCEPT:
Answer: A detailed script of questions the coach will ask in each session
Coaching is emergent and coachee-led; pre-scripting questions removes the responsiveness that makes coaching effective.
A CST is running a training class and notices half the room has disengaged. The MOST likely root cause to explore first is:
Answer: The training design may not be meeting the learners where they are
Disengagement most often signals a mismatch between training design and learner needs — the facilitator should adapt before attributing the problem to learners.
The coaching mode that involves sharing observations and suggesting options without directing is BEST described as:
Answer: Coaching
Pure coaching holds back advice and uses questions, but sharing observations while leaving choices to the coachee is the coaching mode distinguished from consulting or mentoring.
A Scrum team says they 'don't need retrospectives because everything is going fine.' As a CST, the MOST appropriate coaching response is:
Answer: Ask the team what evidence they have that nothing could be improved
Asking for evidence of their claim invites reflection without being directive, helping the team discover blind spots they may not know they have.