The

TWELVE
most powerful
Get Unstuck questions
in the world
and why they work so well

Michael Bungay Stanier, BA LLB MPhil CPCC

2006 Canadian Coach of the Year
Creator, Get Unstuck & Get Going ...on the stuff that matters

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

Get Unstuck & Get Going

...on the stuff that matters
WE ALL GET STUCK, ALL THE TIME.
Here are just some of the ways stuck might show up for you:
Stuck is when you can only see one way forward and its not the route you want to take
Stuck is when you have many options and the thought of choosing paralyzes you
Stuck is when you know what to do but dont know how to begin
Stuck is when you dont know what to do and you cant quite define the challenge
Stuck is when youre waiting to be rescued and your superhero isnt showing up
Stuck is when youre doing it all on your own and its wearing you out

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE ALL GET UNSTUCK ALL THE TIME.
Were smart, creative people. We figure things out. The situation changes, either because we make
it change or just because time moves on.
These questions are there to help you get unstuck faster and more efficiently.
In writing my self-coaching tool, Get Unstuck & Get Going Going on the stuff that matters,
I collected over 200 powerful coaching questions.
Of those 200, these are my favourite twelve. (Actually, there are thirteen on page 17 Ive given you
the bonus question that makes all the others twice as powerful).

Good luck in getting unstuck!

Michael Bungay Stanier, BA LLB MPhil CPCC

2006 Canadian Coach of the Year
PS you can find out more about me on the last page of this ebook
PPS for even more support in getting unstuck, youre welcome to download
my self-coaching worksheet, The Action Acceleration Sheet. It takes you from stuck
to an action plan in seven simple yet powerful steps. You can download it for free.
Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

The Art of Asking

Powerful Questions
When doing my coach training, it became clear that the art of asking powerful
questions is central to this learning process.
What really amazed me, however, was seeing how many of these questions seemed to work
no matter what the situation or wherever we were in the coaching process.
These were questions that always seemed to shift the moment, shake things up, get things unstuck.
The questions that follow are my favourite twelve, questions that never fail to make stuff
happen. Youll notice some common characteristics:
Theyre short
Theyre open (that is, they dont expect the answer yes or no)
Theyre not easy to answer quickly pat answers just dont wash here
They have a universal quality
Theres a certain, loose logic to the way Ive framed the questions:
The first two help get clear on what your challenge might be, the place where
youre feeling stuck
The next four questions help shine some clarity on whats going on
The next three help you create new possibilities as to what you could do
And the final three questions help you get clear on what you will do to move things forward
Youll see the twelve questions on the pages that follow. Ive also explained just why theyre
as effective as they are.
And dont forget to check out the bonus thirteenth question, a question that will double
the effectiveness of the twelve questions that proceed it.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

The

TWELVE

powerful questions
What do you want?
Whats the real challenge here?
How are you responsible for this?
What are you afraid of?
What do you know to be true?
What do you notice in your body right now?
Whats the rebellious, unexpected thing to do?
If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?
How are you getting in your own way?
Whats becoming clear?
Is this a yes? Or is it a no?
If you say yes to this, what are you saying no to?
Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

What do you want?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

Seneca wrote, When a man doesnt know what harbour he is making for, no
wind is the right one.
Stepping back and getting clear on what you want, on what success looks like,
is the best first step to getting unstuck.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

Whats the real challenge here?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

Sometimes the place where we think were stuck is a red herring, a smoke
screen for what is the deeper, more powerful challenge.
This is a question to ponder, to find out whats the stuff that really matters.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

How are you responsible for this?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

This question gives you back responsibility for whats going on. One common
stuck situation is when they are doing something to you. Because its
about them (whoever they are), you give up all power and responsibility
for finding a solution.
By getting clear on your role in this, you can start finding out whats within
your control and what you can influence in getting unstuck.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

What are you afraid of?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

Many of us manage fear through denial: push it down, push it away, just keep
on moving.
Articulating your fear, speaking it out aloud, both clarifies what it is that youre
afraid of and also draws its sting.
Once you know what youre afraid of, you can do something about it.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

What do you know to be true?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

In the swirl of the moment, the hurly-burly of the battle, its easy to lose sight
of whats important.
This question reconnects you to whats important, whats solid. This question
gets you grounded.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

What do you notice in your body

right now?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

This questions shifts you out of your head and taps into the wisdom of
your body.
Notice your breathing. Notice where youre holding tension in your body.
Notice how youre sitting.
Stay with this. Wheres the wisdom here?

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

10

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

Whats the rebellious,

unexpected thing to do?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

We all carry rules around in our heads about what were allowed and not
allowed to do.
Asking this question opens up new possibilities.
It also uncovers (and helps you question) these rules, rules that you may
find are just begging to be broken!

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

11

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

If you knew you could not fail,

what would you do?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

Put aside all those limitations, both real and self-imposed.
Now, from this new place of great possibilities, what could you do?
This question helps you be your boldest and bravest self.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

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The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

How are you getting in your

own way?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

We are so often the source of our own limitations. We sabotage our own
attempts at change and at greatness.
Our inner critic, that gremlin in our heads, keeps whispering, You cant
do it who are you to even try?
Knowing how you get in your own way helps you start looking for the
support you need to get beyond it.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

13

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

Whats becoming clear?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

Another way to ask this question is, Are we there yet? This question
helps you stop trying to figure it out, and gets you clear on what youve
already figured out.
This question allows you to mark off (and then protect) progress.
Sometimes this is the last question you need to ask.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

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The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

Is this a yes? Or is it a no?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

This question pulls you out of the minutiae, and makes you ask on a gut
level feel, whats going on.
(Gut level isnt necessarily the truth but it is a useful perspective to test
out and to get clear on.)

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

15

The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

If you say yes to this,

what are you saying no to?
(If you say no to this,
what are you saying yes to?)

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

In all the work Ive done with clients on strategy, on branding, on innovation, as a coach its been clear that often the critical challenge has been
to articulate the no. Saying yes can be easy. But the no is required to
provide balance.
This question makes your choices real. You cant just add the yes; you
need to create space for it by saying no.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

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The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

And your special, bonus

powerful question is

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

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The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

And what else?

WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

Theres always more to be said beyond the first answer.
This question begins to uncover all the extra, juicy stuff.
Keep asking it until you run out of answers.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

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The Twelve Most Powerful Get Unstuck Questions In the World and why they work so well

Michael Bungay Stanier

BA LLB MPhil CPCC

2006 Canadian Coach of the Year

Michael is the Principal of Box of Crayons, a Toronto-based company. He has held senior positions in the
corporate, consultancy and agency worlds. He works with clients around the world to get unstuck, get
going on the stuff that matters and discover whats possible. These clients range from blue-chip organizations
across all sectors to individual entrepreneurs.
He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, and holds an M Phil from Oxford, and a law degree and
a BA with highest honours from the Australian National University. He is a certified coach and the 2006
Canadian Coach of the Year.
Michael is the author of Get Unstuck & Get Going on the stuff that matters a self-coaching tool that
has been enthusiastically taken up by people and organizations across the world.
He is also the creator of The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun, an internet flash movie thats been seen
by tens of thousands of people across the world.
He is a well-known and popular professional keynote speaker and workshop leader. He has lectured at
universities in the UK and in Canada, and has spoken at business and coaching conferences across the
world. You can find out more about his keynote speaking topics here.
Michael has also published numerous articles on diverse subjects in the business, academic and lifestyle.
He writes a bi-weekly newsletter, Outside the Lines.
Michael loves adventures and is a firm believer in life-long learning. Some adventures so far include skydiving, teaching children in Chile to sing Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, and rappelling off an
aqueduct in a Welsh snowstorm. He has trained with individuals and organizations such as the Coach
Training Institute, Edgar Schein, The Bigger Game and The ManKind Project.
Michael serves on the board of Addus, a non-profit organization supporting adults with developmental
disabilities, and on the Constituent Advisory Committee for About Face International, a non-profit organization
working with people with facial differences. He also works with The World Council, an organization that
helps enroll youth in a vision for global harmony.
His motto is WHATS POSSIBLE?

Michael Bungay Stanier, Box of Crayons 2006

Michael Bungay Stanier

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