“If you want to turn your brain inside-out and take an utterly new look at what you think you know about coaching, this is the book for you.”
-Dr. Carol Kauffman, Founder of the Institute of Coaching, Harvard Medical School
Positive Provocation
25 QUESTIONS TO ELEVATE YOUR COACHING PRACTICE
By Robert Biswas-Diener
Available at any of these Shops
About the Book
Take your coaching to the next level with this series of 25 fresh and provocative questions for reflection that challenge the conventional wisdom in the coaching profession.
Positive Provocations offers a unique approach to the method of reflective practice using three distinct techniques—provocation, experimentation, and implementation—to accelerate coach development. This book challenges readers to question the foundational architecture of coaching, promoting seismic improvements.
Biswas-Diener asks a series of 25 provocative questions—are ethics boring? What’s so great about interrupting? What if we used less empathy?—aimed at engaging coaches in reflections about their own practice. Each chapter will introduce coaches to a fresh set of concepts, the research behind them, and practical ways to apply them in real-world scenarios.
It is the responsibility of all experienced coaches to continuously improve the quality of their skills and services. Positive Provocations introduces a method for great coaches to become masterful coaches.
Paperback | $27.95
Published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Jun 20, 2023 | 240 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9781523003938
Praise for Positive Provocation
“This is the most engaging and thought-provoking book about coaching I have ever encountered!”
Dr. Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Professor, Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, Royal College of Surgeons (Ireland)
“What rules need to be followed, and which ones is it time to break? Robert Biswas-Diener brings exactly the right type of provocation to how we practice coaching.”
Michael Bungay Stanier Best-selling author of The Coaching Habit
“This book is unique. Robert Biswas-Diener challenges the status quo in coaching and positively provokes the reader to question some ideas that are usually taken for granted. A must-read for novice and advanced coaches.”
Dr. Andrea Giraldez-Hayes, Programme Director, Master of Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, University of East London
“Being provocative, at its best, invites us to open our minds, to rethink established norms, and ultimately to become better versions of ourselves in the process. Robert Biswas-Diener has delivered another master class in provocation here—challenging some of the most conventional practices in professional coaching with fresh questions, research, and artful storytelling. If you are a coach looking to grow, this book is for you.
Joshua Steinfeldt, PCC, Coach Community Manager, BetterUp
This Book is an Activity
This book is intended to provide opportunities to consider coaching from fresh angles. It raises questions rather than providing definitive answers. Consider forming a book club so that you can discuss the provocations with your colleagues. Download the book club discussion questions below.
Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener
Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener is widely known as the “Indiana Jones of Positive Psychology” because his research has taken him to such far-flung places as Greenland, India, Kenya, and Israel. He is a leading authority on strengths, culture, courage, and happiness and known for his pioneering work in the
application of positive psychology to coaching.
