The Craft of Asking Questions with Stephen Nock

A coaching podcast with Stephen Nock and Tobias Weghorn about sharpening your coaching skills through better questions and a stronger coaching presence. Using the episode’s intro as a starting point, Stephen and Tobi get practical about what makes a good coaching question (hint: it’s often less about the “perfect” wording and more about curiosity, tone, and timing). You’ll hear why what vs why questions can reduce defensiveness, how “And what else?” opens up new thinking, and how The Coaching Habit 7 questions can work as an everyday toolkit for coaches and leaders. They also explore journaling with coaching questions and Stephen’s And What Else coaching cards as a simple way to practice asking cleaner, more useful questions.Key Learnings:Build coaching skills by swapping “why” for “what” when you want depth without defensiveness (e.g., “What makes this important to you?” instead of “Why is this important?”).Use “And what else?” as a repeatable prompt to move beyond first answers—especially for idea generation and getting to the real challenge.Practice powerful coaching questions through journaling with coaching questions: write your first answer fast, then ask yourself what else is underneath it to find the question you’re really trying to answer.Resources:Find your Coaching Tool: https://metaFox.euTry the metaFox Strengths Discovery: https://strengths-discovery.comConnect with Tobi on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tobiasweghornConnect with Stephen Nock on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/stephen-nockGet your own "And What Else?" Coaching Cards: https://metafox.eu/en-int/products/and-what-else-coaching-cardsFind out more about &joy Coaching: https://andjoy.coachNewsletter "And Now What?": https://andjoy.beehiiv.com/The Coaching Habit (Michael Bungay Stanier): https://www.mbs.works/the-coaching-habitThe Advice Trap (Michael Bungay Stanier): https://www.mbs.works/the-advice-trapEpisode Chapters:00:00 What Do You Want? Why “What” Questions Matter01:00 What Makes A Good Coaching Question?06:00 What Vs Why Questions (And When “Why” Backfires)15:00 The Coaching Habit 7 Questions As A Coaching Toolkit17:00 “And What Else?” For Idea Generation And Deeper Insight28:00 And What Else Coaching Cards: A 4-Step Question Flow33:00 A Live Coaching Demo: Enoughness, Trust, And Not Knowing41:00 Foster Trust: Working With Uncertainty In Coaching46:00 Presence, Calm, And The Coach’s “I Don’t Know” Mindset51:00 Where To Find Stephen + Journaling With Coaching Questions