How To Facilitate An Aha Moment (It’s easier than you think)
Ahhh…. That glorious “Aha moment”!
This is the actual moment in time when someone sees something differently for the first time. It could be that they:
- recognize a dream
- identify and obstacle
- own a viewpoint
- see a way forward that they never saw before
The Aha Moment is a hope and joy for every coaching leader, and truly for every person being coached!
The Aha Moment brings clarity, hope and vision that were not there before it happened.
The Aha Moment is the first step in getting unstuck.
So, how do we get there? How can we facilitate an Aha Moment?!
The best thing we can do as coaches is to provide a safe place for processing. This opens the door of opportunity for two things to happen.
1) The person being coached gets the floor.
Simply allowing someone “air time” to verbalize what they are going through can produce an Aha Moment. I can think of a number of times I was going through something, took it to a friend or leader and as I talked out what the situation was and what I needed I talked myself through to a new perspective. Just having space to verbalize took me through to an answer.
2) The person coaching asks questions.
Powerful questions can also bring a perspective shift and then forward movement. Here’s some of my stock questions:
- Of the things you just mentioned, which is the most important to focus on right now?
- What would the WIN look like – if that situation were resolved what would your life look like?
- What has been holding you back?
- What is one small step forward you could take?
Jesus loved using questions and was a master of facilitating the Aha Moment! The best learning comes not through teaching but through self discovery. Why do you think Jesus almost always used stories instead of directly teaching?
Where do you need an Aha Moment?
What kind of perspective shift could you bring to another?
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