Macro Coach Certification Coaching Techniques & Methodologies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The 'empty chair' technique used in Gestalt-informed coaching primarily helps clients:
- Practice presentations in front of an audience
- Dialogue with an absent person or unresolved part of themselves (Correct answer)
- Identify negative self-talk patterns in writing
- Rehearse difficult conversations with a peer coach
Correct answer: Dialogue with an absent person or unresolved part of themselves
The empty chair technique creates a symbolic space for clients to express feelings toward an absent person or inner conflict, facilitating resolution.
Question 2: Which principle underpins the use of 'powerful questions' in coaching?
- Questions should provide the coach's perspective as a guide
- Questions should provoke thought without implying a preferred answer (Correct answer)
- Questions should be closed to keep sessions structured
- Questions should reference research to establish credibility
Correct answer: Questions should provoke thought without implying a preferred answer
Powerful questions are open-ended and curiosity-driven, designed to expand the client's thinking rather than steer toward the coach's conclusions.
Question 3: A coach who uses the 'appreciative inquiry' approach begins by:
- Diagnosing the client's primary problem areas
- Exploring what is already working well and at its best (Correct answer)
- Setting measurable KPIs for the first session
- Assessing the client's cognitive distortions
Correct answer: Exploring what is already working well and at its best
Appreciative Inquiry focuses on strengths and peak experiences as the foundation for envisioning and building a desired future.
Question 4: In NLP-informed coaching, 'perceptual positions' involves asking clients to view a situation from:
- A scientific, data-driven standpoint
- First (self), second (other), and third (observer) perspectives (Correct answer)
- Past, present, and future time frames
- Emotional, logical, and intuitive lenses
Correct answer: First (self), second (other), and third (observer) perspectives
Perceptual positions in NLP shift the client's vantage point to generate empathy, objectivity, and new insight about a situation.
Question 5: What does 'holding the client's agenda' mean in professional coaching practice?
- Keeping a written record of client goals for legal compliance
- Ensuring the coaching content and direction stay focused on what the client wants (Correct answer)
- Scheduling sessions according to the client's calendar
- Presenting the coach's recommended action plan at each meeting
Correct answer: Ensuring the coaching content and direction stay focused on what the client wants
Holding the client's agenda means the coach resists imposing their own goals or solutions, keeping the client's stated objectives at the center of every session.
Question 6: The 'wheel of life' coaching tool is primarily used to:
- Track financial progress over a 12-month period
- Create a visual snapshot of balance across key life domains (Correct answer)
- Map career milestones from entry-level to executive
- Assess a client's preferred learning style
Correct answer: Create a visual snapshot of balance across key life domains
The Wheel of Life rates satisfaction across domains like health, relationships, and career, revealing imbalances that inform coaching priorities.
Question 7: When a macro coach reflects back a 'double-sided reflection,' they are:
- Giving both positive and constructive feedback simultaneously
- Acknowledging both the client's ambivalence and their desire for change (Correct answer)
- Summarizing two separate sessions in one statement
- Sharing two possible solutions for the client to choose between
Correct answer: Acknowledging both the client's ambivalence and their desire for change
A double-sided reflection in Motivational Interviewing acknowledges both sides of a client's ambivalence, validating resistance while amplifying change talk.
Macro Coach Certification Coaching Techniques & Methodologies 3
The 'empty chair' technique used in Gestalt-informed coaching primarily helps clients: