Marilyn Taylor’s Adult learning Cycle 1987

'Have you thought of ...?' 'What about ... ?' 'Did you consider ... ?'

Essential Coaching Questions

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change The Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier

The Kickstarter Question

"What's on your mind?"


  • Avoids 'default diagnosis'
  • Observer is in the position of a partner
  • Associate identifies what they think is important


"What should we focus on today?"

The AWE Question

"And what else?"


  • Avoids jumping in with an immediate solution
  • Gives the Associate chance to explore
  • Staying curious!


"Is there anything else?"

The Focus Question

“What is the real challenge here for you?”


  • Focus on the real problem (not the first)
  • Multiple issues ("If you have to pick one ... ")
  • Generalisations ("I sense the overall challenge ... ")
  • 'Coaching the ghost' (another person or situation)


“And what else?"

1-2-3 Compbination

  • "What's on your mind?"
  • "And what else?"
  • “What is the real challenge here for you?”

Riding Faults

Anything an Associate does that you would not do, when riding to an Advanced Standard!

Identifying a fault does not fix it!

The F.I.S.H. Technique

F - Facts

Ask the Associate to list the facts objectively.

  • "What speed were we doing ... ?"
  • "Who had right of way ... ?"

"When we approached the roundabout we were ..."

I - Implications

Ask the Associate to consider the implications of what happened.

  • "What could have happened if ... ?"

S - Solution

Lead the Associate to discovering a solution to the fault

  • "What could we have done differently ... ?"
  • "What other options did we have ... ?"
  • "That's great. And what else ... ?"

H - Help

The Lazy Question

"How can I help?"

  • Direct and clear request
  • Avoids jumping in

The F.I.S.H. Technique

F - Facts
I - Implications
S - Solutions
H - Help

Scenarios

  • following in the overtaking position when the overtake is not available
  • too close to stationary vehicles in heavy traffic
  • filtering too quickly
  • missing head checks when there are following vehicles
  • keeping to the right of centre when approaching a blind crest

The Debrief

The Learning Question

“What was the most useful for you?”


  • Create space for the Associate to retreive
  • Refelection is a form of practice
  • Pre-supposes that the session was useful!
  • The Associate identifies 'the big thing'


"What have you learned since our last ride?"

3Ws

  • "What went well?"
  • "Not so well?"
  • "What might we do differently ... ?"

What was the most useful for you?