It’s Day Nine of my Twenty-One Tools post series! Today, you can download the Discovery Innovation Tool by Judith E Glaser
Coaching is, above all else a conversation. Whether you coach full time as professional, or occasionally as a leader, parent or friend the base concept is pretty simple. It’s a process of discovery. You are connecting with another human being to understand who they are and what they are struggling with. That takes skill and a strong intention to really know another person. This is the essence of what Judith E Glaser calls Conversational Intelligence. According to Judith,
Conversations are multi-dimensional, not linear. What we think, what we say, what we mean, what others hear, and how we feel about it afterward are the key dimensions behind Conversational Intelligence. Though conversations are not simply “ask and tell” levels of discourse, we often treat them as though they are.
Judith is the author of several books. One of my most well-worn and throughly highlighted is Conversational Intelligence – How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results. The quote above is actually the first paragraph of that book. I have it written on a sticky note right by my desk phone as a reminder that the most important conversations are much more than two people taking turns talking.
Judith’s WBECS session was the first one I signed up for during the pre-summit. It was fabulous. I will definitely be attending her session during the full summit.
Alrighty, so let me tell you about why I am so thrilled with the WBECS speaker download I am sharing with you today. Leaders and coaches who strive to be more collaborative often ask me what questions they can ask to to get people talking. Judith’s Discovery Innovation Tool to the rescue! This is a very cool list of questions that you can add to your toolbox. It’s divided into two sections. Questions for discovery and questions for innovation. They will help you to explore assumptions, implications, possibilities and perspectives.
No excuses for just taking turns talking anymore! Judith Glaser defines Conversational Intelligence:
Don’t you just love the possibilities? I do too. That’s why I am delighted to share tool number nine in my twenty-one tools in twenty-one days series, Discovery Innovation Tool by Judith Glaser.
Here’s are some questions from Judith’s free WBECS download:
Discovery Questions for Understanding Assumptions
- What assumptions do you hold about the team?
- What would the situation be like if your assumptions were not true?
- What assumptions do you hold about the project’s success?
- Give the current situation, what assumptions might develop that would get in the way of success?
The Discovery Innovation Tool
- Over 70 thought provoking questions to use with your clients to bring out their best aspirations and shift their perspective
- Questions get to the heart of what is most concerning and important for your client
- Start shifting conversations, upleveling aspirations and changing company cultures
- Easy to use resource, take it with you to all your client appointments
Download the Discovery Innovation Tool
Oh, and you can still get in to the pre-summit, register for WBECS 2018. Come join me!
Remember, this is not the only post with a downloadable professional development tool from WBECS 2018. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled. I’ll be posting 21 tools in 21 days. Enjoy!

Author: Cathy Shaughnessy
Cathy Shaughnessy is an ICF Assessor and PRISM award-winning ICF Master Certified Coach. Cathy mentors credentialed coaches and she creates tools and programs to assist coaches to successfully earn their ICF Credentials. Get more information on Cathy’s group mentor coaching programs here. Check out the latest resource for coaches, How to Learn the ICF Competencies – 32 Fun Activities to Get You Started.
Click the image below to download the Free Easy Tracking Form for Coaches and get tools and resources from Cathy!

Cathy Shaughnessy is an ICF Assessor and PRISM award-winning ICF Master Certified Coach. Cathy mentors credentialed coaches and she creates tools and programs to assist coaches to successfully earn their ICF Credentials. Get more information on Cathy’s group mentor coaching programs here. Check out the latest resource for coaches, How to Learn the ICF Competencies – 32 Fun Activities to Get You Started.
Click the image below to download the Free Easy Tracking Form for Coaches and get tools and resources from Cathy!