Suggesting is not a Coaching skill.
A suggestion is giving advice without giving advice.
Advice has the conviction of one’s own experience, whereas a suggestion does not.
A suggestion is just a suggestion, which is just another option to consider.
It may be the answer to an enquiry but it is not the role of a Coach to answer an enquiry.
It is the role of the Coach to enquire and the responsibility of the client to arrive at their own conclusion.
When the client starts to ask the questions and the coach starts to find the answers, the coaching relationship has become a consultancy or mentoring process.
Introducing suggestion into a coaching session sets out a potentially false path for the client to follow.
It also sets up a teacher-pupil relationship that is driven by the teacher not the client.
It is always best to suggest that the client comes to their own decisions free of external influence.