The Power of Prompts

A prompt is defined by Oxford Languages as to “assist or encourage (a hesitating speaker) to say something”. Have you ever used prompts in your life? Maybe you’re thinking, “I am not in theatre, or a public speaker, I don’t need someone to help me remember my lines.” While that may be true, I have found the use of prompts to be so powerful in every day life.

Often when we are feeling unsure, or have a decision to make, our thinking seems to get stuck in quicksand. No matter how hard we try to “force” coming to the right decision or to see what the options are before us, we can’t seem to make progress. And, the more we try, the further away the answers seem to get.

When I find myself or my coaching clients in this situation, I will often call upon a prompt. These simple sentences can get our brain out of the quicksand and looking for possibility. I also often pair my prompts with visualization. More on that below.

Here are some of my favourites:

1) When I am feeling unsettled (which has been often during Covid as there have been so many different roles and responsibilities needing my attention at, what seems like, the same time), I often stop and say: “why am I feeling so unsettled?” First, the stopping is key. I remove myself from the current situation and usually go outside. Next, I ask myself, “what is bothering me?” I begin to list in my mind, or sometimes on paper, the areas of struggle. Perhaps a business challenge, a family challenge, or I might have a client who is dealing with something particularly challenging and I am feeling concerned for them.

And then, once I have my list, my next prompt: “what can I do about (insert challenge here)?” Sometimes this answer is “nothing at the moment” and with that, I put it aside for the time being. If there is something that needs to or can be done, I do it. This process might seem like a lot but consider the alternative. For me, that is not being productive with anything at all when I am feeling in that unsettled state.

2) Next, when faced with a tricky situation or challenge, another favourite prompt that I’ve used often with myself (I have two teenagers!) and my clients, is “What do I want the outcome of this situation to be?” This is where I often add visualization. In the parenting teenagers example, when in a conflict, asking myself “what do you want the outcome to be” drives the way I handle the situation. I visualize what I want, which is to maintain a good relationship and open lines of communication with them so that they will come to me when they have something serious to deal with. This helps to remind me that in this moment, it isn’t about “winning”, or “making them obey”, it is about figuring out how how we can both “win”, by finding common ground that fulfills us both.

By keeping the outcome in mind, you can reverse engineer your next steps. That is, for me to get to “z”, what are the “a”, “b”, “c” steps, and so on.

3) Not sure what your next move is in life? What about asking yourself: “wouldn’t it be amazing if I……” Or, “I have always wanted to …….”

4) Looking for growth in your business? Who is the person that you look up to in business? Could be someone famous or maybe a friend that is a successful business owner. Ask “What would this person’s next move be?” “What would Oprah do, or what would Reese Witherspoon do?” (Both are women I admire as they are brilliant businesswomen!)

Whatever the challenge, there is always a solution. Finding that solution often requires a step back from the situation, and asking yourself some questions. Look at challenges with curiosity instead of judgment and you’ll be amazed how new solutions begin to appear!

As always, please reach out if I can help, deanna@deannalangfordcoaching.com.

Have a great day everyone, and get after those goals!

-Deanna