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Empowering Questions

 

Techniques > Questioning > Empowering Questions

Challenging limiting belief | Exceptions to extremism | From possibility to action | See also

 

Sometimes, when people are acting in unempowered ways that diminish their ability to act, you can help them get their life back with empowering questions.

Challenging limiting belief

Many of us have limiting beliefs which stop us from thinking and acting in ways that could help us achieve our potential. Questions that can help here should highlight the belief and offer challenges to help the person consider limitations and alternative.

Why do you think that?

Do you really believe that?

Who else believes that?

What else could you believe?

What if you believed something different?

What's the worst thing that could happen if you did? What's the best thing?

Exceptions to extremism

When people do not want to argue about something they tend to use comments that push everything to extremes. This is in order to send a message that their case cannot be challenged.

Everybody's got one.

You always do that.

I'm totally depressed.

Finding the exception

A way to address extreme statements is to find one or more exceptions. This is best done by asking questions:

Is there anybody (other than you) you who hasn't got one?

Do I always do it? Every time? Can you remember me not doing it?

Could you be even more depressed? Might there be someone more depressed than you?

From possibility to action

Sometimes people deal in impossibilities. Perhaps because they are afraid or failure or maybe due to other limiting beliefs or maybe even laziness, they just declare things impossible.

Jeff wouldn't like that at all.

We just don't have the time.

It'll cost far too much.

I'm not good enough for that.

I just don't know.

A simple way of breaking this mindset is to inch forward into possibilities.

What if we could find another person to help?

How can we do it for less money?

What if you just did it anyway?

If you did know, what would you say?

See also

Limiting Beliefs

 

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

 

 

Please help and share:

 

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

+ Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

About
Guest Articles
Blog!
Books
Changes
Contact
Guestbook
Quotes
Students
Webmasters

 

| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links |

© Changing Works 2002-
Massive Content — Maximum Speed