Short answer
The Coaching Question Bank, developed by Dr. James Liu, is a curated collection of coaching questions organized into four categories — Visioning, Planning, Obstacle, and Action. With 15 questions, it helps managers and coaches structure effective coaching conversations. The report includes a conversation summary and follow-up recommendations. It is free and takes about 8 minutes.
↓ See typical profiles & try it yourself below
Figure 1. Illustrative profile: {{ activeProfile.label }}. Values are representative, not your personal scores. Your custom profile — drag the sliders below to explore how each dimension shapes the radar.
Typical profiles
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What this shape suggests: {{ activeProfile.insight }}
Try it yourself
Read it. Try it. Get your result.Reading about coaching question bank is useful, but seeing your own result is more concrete. Take the free assessment — it takes a few minutes, your answers stay private, and the result renders your personal profile.
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Your preliminary lean:
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Best for
Coaching Question Bank is most useful when you want to:
- Understand your profile across 4 dimensions rather than being assigned a single type.
- Reflect on your tendencies — for self-awareness, not diagnosis.
- Compare your results with research findings in this area.
It is not designed to tell you who you "really are," to predict your future, or to replace professional advice.
What it measures
Visioning Questions is one of 4 dimensions measured by this assessment. Each dimension is a spectrum — you can be high, low, or anywhere in between.
Visioning Questions
"What would success look like?" — expanding the horizon of possibility.
Planning Questions
"What is the first step?" — converting vision into actionable plans.
Obstacle Questions
"What might get in the way?" — anticipating and removing barriers.
Action Questions
"What will you commit to?" — securing accountability and follow-through.
Explore the dimensions
Drag any slider — the radar above updates in real time.
Click "Try it" to drag the dimension sliders and watch the radar chart reshape in real time.
How it works
- 15 items — drawn from Dr. James Liu Original.
- Open-ended — rate each item on the scale provided.
- Approximately 8 min — no right or wrong answers; answer as you truly are.
- Scoring — responses are calculated to produce your personalized report.
- Results — a coaching conversation summary with follow-up recommendations.
What it cannot tell you
This is a descriptive framework for self-reflection, not a clinical or diagnostic tool.
This assessment is a descriptive framework for self-reflection, not a clinical or diagnostic tool. It cannot:
- Replace formal coaching certification or training.
- Predict coaching effectiveness or leadership outcomes.
- Diagnose interpersonal or psychological issues.
- Provide a formula for complex human conversations.
Evidence and sources
Coaching question frameworks draw on several established traditions in coaching psychology.
The quality of your questions determines the quality of your coaching.
- Whitmore, J. (2002). Coaching for performance (3rd ed.). London: Nicholas Brealey. (GROW model)
- Stober, D., & Grant, A. M. (2006). Evidence-based coaching handbook. Wiley.
- Whitworth, L., et al. (2007). Co-active coaching. Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black.
What you take away
A result from this assessment is not a verdict — it is a starting point for noticing patterns. Here is what a thoughtful reading of your profile can offer:
- Coaching conversation summary — your responses organized by the four question categories.
- Coaching strengths — which types of coaching questions you use effectively.
- Follow-up recommendations — which question categories to develop further.
Next step
If you want to go deeper, consider these next steps:
- Explore other assessments in the Career Direction zone.
- Reflect on how your profile interacts with your values, skills, and context.
- Use your results as a conversation prompt — not a label.
Insight is only useful when it changes your next step.