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Coaching is one of the most tested leadership competencies because it sits at the intersection of communication, motivation, emotional intelligence, and development. You're not just being tested on whether you can define "active listening"—you're being assessed on how coaching techniques work together to create behavior change and sustained growth. Understanding the underlying mechanisms—why certain questions unlock insight, how trust enables risk-taking, what makes feedback land—separates surface-level knowledge from genuine leadership capability.
Think of coaching techniques as tools in a system, not isolated skills. The best exam responses connect techniques to outcomes: rapport enables vulnerability, questioning drives self-discovery, accountability sustains change. Don't just memorize the GROW model steps—know when to deploy each technique and why it works psychologically. That's what earns top marks.
Before any coaching technique can work, you need psychological safety. These foundational skills create the conditions where coachees feel secure enough to be honest, vulnerable, and open to change. Without trust, even perfect technique falls flat.
Compare: Establishing Trust vs. Empathy—both create connection, but trust is about consistency over time while empathy is about attunement in the moment. FRQs often ask how leaders handle resistance; trust explains why someone opens up, empathy explains how you respond when they do.
These techniques help coachees discover their own answers rather than simply receiving advice. The principle here is self-generated insight creates stronger commitment than externally imposed solutions.
Compare: Active Listening vs. Open-Ended Questioning—listening receives information, questioning generates it. Strong coaches alternate between both: listen to understand the current state, then question to expand possibilities. If asked about developing critical thinking in others, open-ended questioning is your go-to example.
Coaching without structure becomes aimless conversation. These techniques provide scaffolding that transforms good intentions into measurable progress. The mechanism is clarity—ambiguity kills momentum.
Compare: Goal Setting vs. GROW Model—goal setting is a component; GROW is a complete conversation architecture. Use goal setting when you need to establish targets, use GROW when you need to work through a specific challenge from diagnosis to commitment. The GROW model frequently appears in scenario-based questions about structuring development conversations.
Insight without action is just interesting conversation. These techniques close the loop between awareness and behavior change. The principle is that sustained growth requires both honest assessment and consistent follow-through.
Compare: Constructive Feedback vs. Accountability—feedback addresses what needs to change, accountability ensures that it changes. A coach who gives great feedback but never follows up will see little actual development. Exam questions about sustained behavior change almost always require both elements.
These techniques shift coaching from problem-fixing to potential-maximizing. The underlying principle is that building on existing capabilities creates faster, more sustainable growth than constantly addressing deficits.
Compare: Strengths-Based Coaching vs. Reflective Practice—strengths-based coaching is forward-looking (how do we build on what's working?), while reflective practice is backward-looking (what can we learn from what happened?). Both develop self-awareness, but through different mechanisms. Use strengths-based coaching examples when asked about motivation and confidence; use reflective practice when asked about learning from experience.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Building psychological safety | Establishing Trust, Empathy and Emotional Intelligence |
| Generating coachee insight | Active Listening, Open-Ended Questioning |
| Structuring coaching conversations | GROW Model, Goal Setting |
| Driving behavior change | Constructive Feedback, Accountability and Follow-Up |
| Maximizing potential | Strengths-Based Coaching, Reflective Practice |
| Developing self-awareness | Reflective Practice, Open-Ended Questioning |
| Sustaining motivation | Strengths-Based Coaching, Goal Setting |
| Creating commitment to action | GROW Model (Will stage), Accountability |
Which two techniques work together to ensure that coaching insights actually translate into changed behavior? Explain why both are necessary.
A coachee seems resistant to sharing their real concerns. Which foundational techniques would you prioritize, and what's the psychological mechanism that makes them effective?
Compare and contrast the GROW model with simple goal setting. In what situations would you use each, and why?
If asked to describe how a leader develops critical thinking in team members, which coaching techniques would you reference? Explain the connection between the technique and the outcome.
A scenario describes a manager who gives excellent feedback but sees little improvement in their team over time. What coaching technique is likely missing, and how would adding it change outcomes?