Metaphors in Coaching: The power of a single word

When listening for metaphors within our clients’ language, we might catch their more obvious metaphoric phrases. Hilary Oliver’s article, A Picture Paints a Thousand Words provided some examples, such as “The sun is setting on my work”, as someone expresses what it’s like for them to head into retirement.

However, there’s a good chance that we’re failing to notice the more subtle metaphors that are sprinkled throughout their dialogue.

Read that last sentence again. Did you notice the metaphor? I said, “metaphors are sprinkled throughout their dialogue”. What gets conjured up for you when you think of sprinkling? For me, it’s the image of a baker scattering little sugary decorations across the top of a cake; they’re all different colours, randomly scattered, and they really stand out against the white frosting.

Chances are, it conjured something different for you. Regardless, we were both able to understand what was meant when I said, “sprinkled throughout their dialogue”. But what if we paused and looked deeper, not just at what was being communicated? What if ‘sprinkled’ wasn’t just conveying meaning, but revealing something more profound about how I see the world?

For example, it’s not uncommon for a coaching client to say, “I’m stuck”. Now, imagine what might change if we treat this as a metaphor rather than a mere statement? By exploring the metaphor of stuck and developing it further, we’ll both gain a richer understanding of the client’s inner world.

So how might we do this? We ask questions! Consider some of these potential clean questions that a coach might ask:

• And is there anything else about that stuck?
• And when you’re stuck, whereabout are you stuck?
• And when stuck, what would you like to have happen?
• And that’s stuck like what?

A clean question has the potential to develop a metaphor or symbol (in this case, stuck) without introducing any additional metaphors as part of the question.

For example, if I had asked, “What sort of ground are you stuck in?”, I’ve just introduced my imagery. I’ve assumed there’s a ground, and that some part of the client is stuck in it. I’m no longer exploring their metaphor; I’m building mine.

We could even stay in the metaphor to create the agreement for this particular coaching session. Here’s a brief example of how this might unfold when we remain curious about the client’s metaphor.

Client: I’m stuck

Coach: And when stuck, what would you like to have happen?

Client: I’d like to be unstuck and free

Coach: And when you’re unstuck and free, what happens next?

Client: I’ll be able to fly away and soar

Coach: And you’ll be able to fly away and soar. What needs to happen for you to be able to fly away and soar?

Client: I need to find a rope so I can pull myself out of the hole

Notice what emerged: a hole that we didn’t know existed, a rope as a possible solution, the desire not just to escape but to soar. All of this was hidden in the depths of meaning behind the client saying, “I’m stuck”.

Another advantage of working in the metaphor is that we’ve sidestepped the story of why the client is stuck: the context, details, and drama they’ve likely rehearsed many times. Instead of circling through familiar territory, we’ve opened new ground.

As coaches, metaphors invite us into a different way of listening, one that’s attuned not just to content, but to the imagery sprinkled in every sentence our clients speak. They invite curiosity, playfulness, and a deeper presence to what’s emerging in each moment.

The next time your client says, ‘I’m stuck’, pause. What world might be waiting to unfold from that single word?

Stephen Clements, PCC is a programme facilitator, coach supervisor and coach with Coach Advancement.

Stephen has an extensive background in technology and leadership. He worked across several large multinationals in various senior roles ranging from Senior Engineering through to Head of Product Development. Since discovering coaching, Stephen has become a bit of a learning junkie, developing expertise in systemic coaching and constellations, emotional intelligence, working with our head, heart and gut intelligences, and coaching for mental fitness and resilience. He loves partnering with fellow head thinkers to escape the constraints and limitations of being stuck in their heads!