31 Discovery Call Questions Life Coaching
Make sure you ask these 31 discovery call questions life coaching on your next introductory call to set you and your future client up for success!
The point of a discovery call is for you and your potential client to get to know each other. Make sure you are focused on having a good conversation rather than asking all the “right” questions. Remember, this is your opportunity to get to know your client and decide if this is a partnership you find worthy of your time and energy.
This is not an exhaustive list of questions to ask but rather an outline to guide you through the process of how a discovery call may go.
Our Top 31 Best Discovery Call Questions Life Coaching
Greetings
Greet your new potential client. Ask them how their day has been. This is your opportunity to ease into the conversation before diving right into the discovery call questions life coaching.
Overview
Let them know the structure for the call, that you won’t be coaching them today, and that you will be speaking a lot more than in a normal session.
An example structure for the call:
- Discuss what coaching is and isn’t
- Learn about each other and see if you’re a good fit to work together (you will talk about yourself and ask about them)
- Discuss what they are looking for, hope to achieve, or their desired outcome
- Talk about the next steps
Once you’ve gone over the overview for the call, it’s time to jump right in!
About Coaching
Ease into the discovery call question life coaching by asking them what they know about coaching and their experiences.
What do you know about coaching?
This is a great way to ease into the discussion of what coaching is.. and isn’t.
Some follow-up questions may include:
- Have you ever had coaching?
- If so, what type?
- How was it?
- What did you like? What did you not like?
- How would you like to be coached?
What are you expecting?
This is another great question to see what brought them to you today. No matter what they say to this question, this gives you the opportunity to share the type of coaching that you practice and what they can expect from you. You can share the training and certification that you have as well as how you feel qualified to help them.
You can also take this opportunity to tell them how you structure your sessions. Make a point to explain each step. Whether you do something special at the beginning of the session to create a safe space or if you will be asking difficult or pointed questions, your client will appreciate being prepared for what’s coming next.
Do you know the difference between coaching and therapy?
This is your opportunity to make it clear that the two are not the same. If they are looking for more information, feel free to direct them to this article: Do I need a Life Coach, Therapist, or Mentor?
If something feels like therapy, can I bring that up?
It’s always best to ask for permission when bringing up sensitive topics. The discovery call is a great opportunity to get out ahead of things that may come up. If the client says, yes to this question then you know they are interested in your insights around this so you can make a point to call it out. If the client says no, you are now aware this is something you do not need to call out.
Is it okay for me to interrupt a story to bottom line the relevance?
Again, this is a question designed for the first call to gauge how your client will feel about being interrupted. Some people are amazing storytellers and get excited to share every detail, being that sessions are limited by the clock it can be quite useful to interrupt a story to get at the heart of what your client is trying to say.
About Fit
Now that all the coaching clarification is out of the way, it’s time to get to know each other! You can use the following questions to gain a deeper understanding of what brought them to coaching and what they hope to achieve.
- What brought you to coaching?
- What are you wanting to accomplish in engaging in coaching?
- What are you seeking to change?
- What have you tried?
- What worked?
- What didn’t work?
- What were the challenges?
- What do you expect to be different after coaching?
- What needs to be grown, learned, and developed?
Don’t forget to get to know the person! Ask questions like:
- What’s your life like now?
- What are your relationships like?
- How would you describe yourself?
- How would your friends/partner/kids/etc describe you in 3 words?
Get a sense of who they are and how they function in the world by asking:
- What is your learning style?
- How do you take feedback?
- Do you have any boundaries?
- How do you like to be communicated with?
- How do you hold yourself accountable?
Be an open book!
Discovery call questions life coaching doesn’t have to be all about the potential client. It’s important for you to share about yourself as well.
Tell them what brought you to coaching, your experience, and your background.
Make sure you make it clear that after this conversation, you won’t be revealing much more about yourself because the coaching will be focused on them.
Ask: What questions do you have for me?
Final Question of the Discovery Call Questions Life Coaching
A final question about yourself that’s always interesting to ask:
Why do you want to coach with me?
Next Steps
Once you reach the next steps portion of the call you will have a better understanding of your potential client. You can let them know the cadence you’d like to meet, your pay structure, and you can schedule a follow-up call.
Conclusion of Discovery Call Questions Life Coaching
There are endless amounts of questions you can ask during a discovery call. These are just a few that we’ve seen lead to great conversation and deeper understanding. What other questions do you like to ask on a discovery call? Share them with us below or reach out on Instagram @bestlifecoachcollective.
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