should provide you with more questions than answers. We normally think that training provides students with answers, not questions. However, coaches should be asking questions, not providing all the answers. Any proper health coach training will not only provide you with skills, techniques, exercises, and methodology, it will also provide you with questions.

Health Coach Training Should Teach You to Ask Questions

The medical profession generally provides answers to patients. Doctors and nurses perform tests, analyze results and then give answers to their patients. In a way, these tests can be thought of as a medical practitioner’s questions. Health coaches don’t perform tests, though they may look at test results. They ask questions of their clients and then listen to their answers. The coaches then use their intuition, their learned skills and techniques, and the fundamentals of coaching to help their clients work toward goals and objectives. But, it all starts with the questions.

The 3 Most important Questions

• What changes do you want to make?
• Why do you want to make those changes?
• What prevents you from making these changes?

Empowering the Clients

Because clients provide their own answers (based on your expert questions), they feel as if they have created their own solutions, which is quite empowering. This empowerment often increases the possibility for success. Your health coach training should teach you how to empower clients through inquiry. Being a good coach is all about knowing the right questions to ask.

Non-compliance with medical advise is a major issue – it is estimated that between 30 and 50 percent of patients ignore medical advice. They don’t take their prescriptions or ignore advice to change their lifestyles. By empowering clients to come up with their own answers, they feel as if they are a part of the solution and are more likely to comply (since it is really their own advice they are taking, not a doctor’s advice).

Your health coach training should teach you how to ask questions and how to continually probe the client with new inquiries. It is like using the Socratic method in your coaching practice – asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and the flow of ideas. Whether it is smoking, drinking, eating right, weight, or fitness, questions will be the core of your practice. Instead of the answer man (or woman), you will need to be the question man (or woman). If your health training doesn’t focus on questioning, it might be time to move to a different training program. Questions are the heart and soul of any good health coaching practice.

Getting the right health coaching training is essential because health coaching is a field that will continue to grow as the population ages and people become even more concerned about health and longevity. The rising costs of health care is also another important impetus for patients, doctors, HMOs, employers, and the government to encourage the use of health coaches. Get your health coach training now and get into this field so you catch a ride on a profitable wave. Good health is empowering and profitable!

Special Bonus – Learn 3 simple ways to become a life coach with the“30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit when you fill in the form at the top right and click the “Watch The Videos Now” button. You’ll learn how to change your client’s life in 45 minutes.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
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