Questions to Manage Stress and Emotions

by Joe Laipple, Ph.D., Kintla Senior Vice President

Managing stress and emotions is essential for helping others perform, produce, and think at their best. Questions can be used to help as you navigate the different stress states to stay in the green zone and get out of the gray or red zones. They can be used to help others connect their actions to results and optimize their performance. They also can be used to help us reflect as we build resilience and positively adapt to the challenges we face.

Questions to Regulate and Connect

These questions help others manage their stress states, show you care, build trust, and help you simply listen to others. They can help you connect and show you are a friend rather than foe and reduce perceived potential threats in interactions.

1. What is going well today?
2. How are you and your family doing?
3. What zone are you in?
4. How are you managing through this crisis?
5. What are you looking forward to?
6. What’s a recent accomplishment you are proud of?

Questions to Produce and Perform

These questions help others connect their actions to the good results they are producing. They are also designed to help others learn, grow and stay in the green zone.

1. After observing a good result, ask “how did you do that?”
2. How are you focusing? What part of your routine helps you focus?
3. How are you improving? What are you getting better at?
4. What are you learning?
5. How are you anticipating threats that send you to the red zone?
6. What part of your routine do you find helpful?

Questions to Adapt and Build Resilience

Reflection is essential to building resilience that leads to positive adaptation to challenging times. Build these questions into your routine to get on the path to the best possible outcomes.

1. What does a good day or week look like for you?
2. What are the things within your control?
3. How are you making things more predictable?
4. What is a recent past success you’ve had during a challenging situation?
5. What have you learned from a recent challenge or setback?
6. What is the larger purpose that keeps you going? What is your “why?”