Ian Day - The urban myth of the 'why...' question. Can coaches ask 'why...?"
About
There is an un-written rule amongst practitioners that coaches must not ask the 鈥榳hy鈥� question. Practicing coaches can be very passionate in their heart-felt belief that coaches must not ask 鈥榳hy...?鈥� as it creates defensiveness within the client. But this is like the legend of King Arthur, the origins of this myth are unclear and there is little actual evidence. But, as with King Arthur, the myth of the 鈥榳hy鈥� question continues in popular coaching folklore, passed down from one coach to the next, from generation to generation. However, it is not possible to cite a research paper, for example, which states 鈥�8 out of 10 coaches believe that asking 鈥榳hy鈥� is bad鈥� or that 鈥渆vidence states that 70% of coachees felt defensive when asked a 鈥榳hy鈥� question. This article explores the origins of this myth and the alternative realities of asking 鈥榳hy?鈥�, with the intention of ending this myth, and freeing coaches to ask an incredibly valuable question which can unlock meaning, awareness of personal values and motivation. The intention of this article is not to criticise, only to enable coaching colleagues to question and explore the origins of established beliefs.
Read more about this research project in the online publication of .
Researcher profile
Ian Day is Assistant Professor in Coaching Programmes at the Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of 糖心TV.