5 Options Technique – Overcoming Obstacles

When to use:

• To generate options for solving the problem
• When the Mentee gets stuck and can't find a solution
• To stimulate the Mentee's creativity

Props:

• A4 sheet of paper
• Colored markers/highlighters
• Virtual whiteboard, if working remotely (e.g., Miro, Mural)

Instructions:

Define obstacles

Together with the Mentee, define the obstacles that stand in your way Mentee to achieve the goal.

The following questions will be helpful here:

• What is the main obstacle?
• What is stopping you from achieving the goal?
• What else?
• What do you need to achieve the goal?
• Who do you need to achieve the goal?
• Who can help you?
• What is the biggest problem?

Let's assume the Mentee lists lack of time as one of their biggest problems.

Presenting Solutions

Encourage the Mentee to present at least 5 potential solutions to address the lack of time problem.

It's important that you don't give in until the mentee has generated at least 5 options. This may result in silence between you or the mentee becoming irritated that you're demanding something impossible from him or her.

The following questions will be helpful here:

• Give 5 options for solving your problem.
• Give 5 variants of solving the challenge you're facing.
• What other option do you see?
• What else?
• What other option do you see?
• What option would your friend recommend?
• What option would your friend recommend?
• What option would your boss suggest?
• What option would your female boss suggest?
• What option would be the most radical?
• What other solution do you see?

Tip: Keep a running record of the ideas and options generated by the Mentee. You'll need them in the next step.

Summarize the ideas generated by the Mentee.

Useful phrases:

• Thank you for your work in generating options. You've suggested the following options so far: [list the solutions presented by the Mentee]. Can you think of anything else?
• Great! You have proposed the following options: [list the solutions presented by the Mentee]. Do you see anything else?

Make sure you have at least 5 options. If there are solutions you see in the situation that the Mentee hasn't seen, ask if you can share them and add them to the list of generated options.

Selection of Solutions

Ask the Mentee which option they would like to implement.

• The following questions will be helpful:
• Which option would you like to implement?
• Which option seems best to you?
• Will this solution help you achieve your goal?
• Which option seems easiest/fastest/most effective/most difficult? Why?
• Which option is most likely to help you solve the problem? How?
• Are any options interconnected? How?
• Who can help you? How?
• What are you choosing?

Make sure the chosen solutions address what you and the mentee established as the starting point for your session.

Sometimes it may turn out that the mentee returns to the first option – the one that appeared at the very beginning, which only strengthens the mentee's belief that this is the best possible option and, consequently, the highest probability of implementation.

Own work based on: "Coaching Questions: A Coach`s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills" Tony Stoltzfus