LOC Yellow Questions

When coaching, there are three stages represented by green, yellow, and red lights. Green means looking for effort, yellow is progress, and red is continuous improvement. Use questioning skills during the yellow stage to identify areas of progress and areas for improvement. Start with strengths to create momentum and avoid using negative language. Maintain a dialogue and ask specific questions to keep the person willing to improve. The goal is continuous improvement and maintaining a dialogue throughout. Now, when you've been coaching for a while, typically three or four sessions, you're going to enter a zone, and typically the lights of coaching equal the following. When you're at a green light, you're really looking for effort. That's the effort change stage. The yellow light is typically the progress stage. Are we making progress? The yellow light is that caution. Stop yourself as a coach and ask, am I seeing progress? Now it's easy to say the things you're not seeing, but are you seeing progress? And then the red light is obviously we're at a point now that we should really start to see continuous, sustained improvement. So questioning skills at the yellow light moment. If you're not seeing the progress, one of the things that I would encourage you to strongly use is that dovetailing technique. So Bob, what are two areas where you feel like you're progressing and really improving? And honestly, what are two areas where you know that you have an opportunity to raise your game? Notice I stayed away from the words constructive feedback. Notice I used the words raise your game. I also inserted a word before my what question, honestly. Now notice that when I start off with strengths, the reason I love to start off with strengths, it creates momentum. Stay away from but. Don't ask a question such as, Bob, what are two areas that you're really strong? But really, honestly, where are some areas that you're not as strong? That will elicit someone to potentially shut down. Remember you want to maintain a dialogue. The questioning skills are imperative. So when you're at that yellow light moment, ask yourself, am I seeing progress? Ask them. What are the specific areas where you feel like you're really improving and progressing? What are two areas where, you know, honestly, you'd love to raise your game and you know you can improve? What if I were to share with you two areas where I think you can improve and how we could go about sharing in that pursuit? Remember even though it's a yellow light, even though you're at the progress stage, what we want to maintain is a continuous dialogue so they are still willing to improve. Remember the green light equals effort. The yellow light typically means progress. What are you seeing? Are you sharing it? What are you not seeing? Ask your questions. That will position you to maintain the dialogue and a pursuit of continuous improvement.