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Life Coaching Questions For A Powerful Intake

Try using some these 18 powerful, in-depth life coaching questions during your intake process with new clients. They’ll save time on those initial “getting to know you” conversations and give both you and your clients valuable insights—and a strong start to the coaching journey.

I’ll also show you how to enrol your clients in the benefits of answering these questions and share a sample introduction.

Quick Links

1. Why ask intake questions?

2. 18 intake questions

3. Free questions templates

4. Introducng the questions

5. Related Pages

6. Life Coaching Books

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Life Coaching Questions to Include in the Intake Process?

Asking new clients to answer the following life coaching questions as part of your intake process is a fabulous time-saving and efficient way of quickly getting to know them and help identify what issues may need to be addressed and/or goals to set.

Question mark with text: 18 questions to ask new life coaching clients as part of the intake process.

I've had feedback from clients that considering and answering these questions was really valuable in helping them get clarity on where they are and where they want to go with coaching. It added depth to what we may have briefly discussed during their Discovery Session.

Of course you don’t have to stick exactly to the life coaching questions I've suggested, or use them all, so feel free to add your own version which might be relevant to your coaching style, niche or specialty.

I'll also show you further down this page, when and how to introduce the questions to the client.

18 In-Depth Intake Discovery Questions For New Clients

Here are my 18 Intake Questions to adapt and use as part of your intake process. They are open ended questions, requiring more than a simple Yes or No and may be challenging for the client and require thoughtful and revealing answers.

A client may choose not to answer a specific question. Don't force it. Just gently question for the reason they are reluctant to answer with no pressure, or leave it alone. You can always mention it at a later, appropriate, time further down the coaching journey.

Energy and passion:
Where do you get your energy – what motivates and turns you on? What are you passionate about?
Emotion:
What moves you to tears of joy/sorrow?
Pleasure:
How do you like to enjoy yourself? What do you enjoy doing?
Stress release:
What do you find works for you to make you feel better when you are experiencing stress?
Responsibility:
Where are you likely to be most irresponsible?
Control:
What emotion (anger, fear, anxiety, etc) may make you feel most out of control?
Sabotage:
How might you sabotage your coaching progress and our professional relationship?
Results:
How will you know how effective our coaching has been?
Feedback:
Are you willing to tell me if you feel our coaching needs to go in a different direction or give me any other honest feedback?
Coaching preference:
How can I best coach you? For instance, do you like lots of structure or things done informally or a mix of both?
Goals:
Do you understand that I will support YOU, not just your goals?
Values:
What are your values – the things in life that are really important to you? If you are not sure of this, we will find out as part of the coaching process.
Business/career opportunities:
What business/career opportunities are you currently not making the most of?
Personal Aspirations:
What are three personal desires you are currently not pursuing?
Poor relationships:
Is there anyone in your life who is constantly putting you down, making you feel inadequate or whom you feel you have to tread carefully around?
Challenges:
What is the biggest challenge you have in your life right now?
Priority:
What is your most urgent problem?
Regrets: (optional question)
What are the biggest regrets you have in your life?
Include Personal; Career or Business.

Download Your Free First Session Discovery Questions

First Session Discovery Questions for Life Coaching Clients

You can download these Life Coaching Intake Questions in Microsoft Word in a form to give your new client.

I recommend sending them a Microsoft Word document (or similar editable format). This is easier for clients to fill out directly on their device and send back, without needing to print anything. Alternatively, you could use Google Forms to create your own questionnaire.

The editable form provides for the client to be able to add an answer as long or short as they wish and email or bring the form back to you.

Keep a copy of the answers in the client's file so you have a record of the progress and changes during the coaching process.

How Do You Introduce Intake Life Coaching Questions To Clients?

Building rapport with your new client can start with how you present the benefits of answering the 18 life coaching questions.

To reduce any resistance—especially when asking possibly confronting questions before the first session—it’s important to explain the benefits of completing them.

To make that easier, I’ve written this sample introduction to the life coaching questions that you can adapt to suit your style.

Hi ........

"I'd like you to reflect on the following life coaching questions about yourself. They help me get to know you better, save session time and can really get your coaching to get off to a powerful flying start.

Answer what you can the best you can. Even if you find some of these thought-provoking questions challenging, try and answer them anyway.

The answers will allow me to get to quickly get to know you better and enable me to coach you more powerfully. The answers may also give you some great insights into yourself you hadn't realized.

There are no rights or wrongs. Your answers can be as long or short as you like. The purpose is to give us an overview of where you are at in your life/business/profession and to get you thinking forward.

We will debrief your answers, as necessary, at our first session."

When to explain the 18 coaching intake questions to the client?

The best time to explain the intake questions is at the end of a successful life coaching Discovery Session when you set the date for the first official session. Explain the benefits, and ask them to save time to send the answers back before the first session.

Of course, some clients might not send their answers before the session. If so you can go through the questions with them during the session and fill out the form yourself.

It’s also helpful to send a quick text reminder about the session time and the questions.

If you’re unsure what to include in your welcome letter, check out my sample Welcome Letter for New Clients for tips and an example to work from.

My welcome letter included:

My coaching agreement (including a disclaimer)
18 coaching intake questions
My invoice
Any other relevant information and processes specific to that client

I hope these intake Life Coaching Questions and my suggestions have given you some good strategies for easily getting to know the client in that first important session. If you think of another great question to ask, please do let me know using my contact form.

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