Are you asking the wrong questions in your de-briefs?

"Why did you do that?" "Why are you feeling nervous?" "Why can't we get this right?" They seem like logical questions, but research suggests that "Why?" questions are actually the least effective way to build self-awareness in your riders.

In a fascinating study by Dr. Tasha Eurich (which we’ve been discussing in the Hub), it was found that people who are highly self-aware rarely ask "Why?". Instead, they ask "What?". "Why" questions often lead us to a "rabbit hole" of self-blame or fabricated reasons that aren't actually true.

At Centre10, we teach our coaches to facilitate the Observing Self by using "What" questions: "What did you notice about your hands as you approached the jump?" or "What was the thought that just went through your mind?" This moves the rider away from the emotive "Why" and into a productive, non-judgemental space of discovery.

• Member Exclusive: The Advanced Self-Awareness Toolkit. A guide on transitioning your coaching de-briefs from "Thinking" to "Observing."

• Recent Event: We recently shared a deep-dive video on this topic, looking at how "Social Licensing" and emotive topics require us to be the "Observing Self" more than ever.

• The Hub Technique: Our coaches are currently trialling the "Refocus and Action" method to disprove limiting beliefs in real-time.

Ready to master the art of the 'What' question? Find out more about becoming a Centre10 coach on our website!