Picture this: a world where your dreams and aspirations come to life, where positive change is not just a distant fantasy but a tangible reality. That’s what visioning is all about – helping our clients paint vivid mental images of their desired future. By harnessing the power of imagination, we can maintain optimism, build strength, and inspire our clients to make their dreams a beautiful truth.

Coaching Through Visioning: Key Questions to Unlock the Path Ahead

When guiding our clients through visioning activities, it’s essential to ask the right questions. Start by encouraging them to imagine themselves living the changes they wish to make. What do they see? What sounds surround them? What actions do they take? By probing their thoughts, feelings, and intentions, we can foster a profound connection between their vision and desired change.

What to Listen for, Ask or Say, and Helpful Approaches:

Type One: Embracing Flexibility in Visioning

Listen For: A rigid view of what constitutes a “right” future and an overly critical inner voice.
Ask or Say: Can you explore alternative perspectives for your vision? How can you be more flexible in your approach to change?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to embrace open-mindedness and challenge their inner critic.

Type Two: Validating the Vision from Within

Listen For: A reliance on external feedback for validation and approval.
Ask or Say: Your vision matters just as much as anyone else’s. How can you validate and trust your own desires for change?
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards self-validation and acknowledging their intrinsic worth.

Type Three: Defining Success on Their Terms

Listen For: A vision based on external measures of success and recognition.
Ask or Say: What does success truly mean to you? How can your vision align with your authentic self?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to explore their inner values and redefine success on their own terms.

Type Four: Embracing Growth without Envy or Shadow of the Past

Listen For: Comparisons with others and referencing of past goals that didn’t match their ideal of success.
Ask or Say: How can past “failures” be stepping stones to growth? How can other’s successes inspire you on your own path toward change?
Helpful Approaches: Help them recognize what they have learned from the past and focus on their own personal growth.

Type Five: Balancing Intellect and Emotion in Visioning

Listen For: A preference for intellectual analysis over emotional intuition.
Ask or Say: How can you tap into your emotions while envisioning change? Embrace the full spectrum of possibilities in your vision.
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards a harmonious balance between intellect and emotions.

Type Six: Cultivating Positivity Amidst Uncertainty

Listen For: Worries and doubts clouding the visioning process.
Ask or Say: Focus on positive possibilities and trust in your resilience. How can you overcome the “what ifs” and embrace hope in your vision?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage optimism and provide reassurance.

Type Seven: Choosing Focus Amidst Abundance

Listen For: Difficulty in selecting one vision from a multitude of possibilities.
Ask or Say: Out of all your exciting visions, which one resonates the most? How can you prioritize and focus your energies towards it?
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards clarity and decisiveness.

Type Eight: Embracing Vulnerability and Authenticity

Listen For: Hesitancy to embrace vulnerability or perceived weaknesses in the vision.
Ask or Say: Vulnerability is a display of strength. How can you envision a future that honors your authentic self without fear?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to step into vulnerability as a pathway to true empowerment.

Type Nine: Empowering Action and Risk in Visioning

Listen For: Reluctance to imagine taking action and embracing risks.
Ask or Say: Envision the rewards of positive change. How can you find the courage to pursue your vision with determination?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to overcome passivity and embrace action.

Visioning, combined with the wisdom of the Enneagram, becomes a potent catalyst for personal transformation and self-awareness. As coaches, understanding the unique challenges each Enneagram Type faces during this process allows us to provide tailored support and guidance, empowering our clients to paint their canvas of dreams with bold strokes of change.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com