Podcast Notes

Episode 465 Creating Space for Awareness Hosts: Brian Miller, PCC and Chad Hall, MCC Date: May 15, 2025

In this episode of the Coach Approach Ministries podcast, Brian Miller and Chad Hall dive deep into the core coaching competency of evoking awareness. They explore how the International Coaching Federation reframed this concept to shift the focus away from simply asking questions and toward generating new insight and understanding for clients. The conversation includes practical strategies, mindset shifts, and real-world examples to help coaches foster meaningful breakthroughs.

Key Highlights

The Evolution of a Core Competency: The ICF shifted from emphasizing “powerful questioning” to “evoking awareness,” highlighting that questions are just one of many tools to spark insight.
The Role of Deep Listening: Evoking awareness begins with truly listening — not just to words, but to tone, patterns, and what's left unsaid — with a deep sense of curiosity.
Avoiding Entrenchment: Coaches should be careful not to challenge clients in ways that provoke defensiveness; gentle observations or reframing can lead to more open exploration.
Multiple Paths to Awareness: Beyond questions, awareness can be evoked through metaphors, observations, reframing, or offering models and distinctions (like the “3 Ps” for leadership issues).
Shifting the Coaching Mindset: Tools like the hourglass model are not instructions for the coach but frameworks to understand and support the client’s thought journey.

Takeaways

Awareness is the goal, not the question itself — be flexible in your approach.
Curiosity is foundational: great coaches listen beyond the surface.
Evoking awareness means meeting the client where they are, even if that’s uncertainty or resistance.
Effective coaching requires patience — allow clients the space to discover rather than forcing insights.

Evoking Awareness eCourse Available for $79 at http://coachapproachministries.org/awareness

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