Most coaches and player development professionals have asked this question:

“How are you doing?”

And most of the time, the answer is the same:

“I’m good.”

In this episode, I break down 11 simple questions that unlock real, meaningful conversations with athletes and help you move beyond surface-level check-ins.

Drawing from my experience as a Director of Player Development at the University of Houston, the University of Kansas, and Baylor University, I share the exact questions I used to build trust, encourage reflection, and guide athletes toward growth.

You’ll also learn the Present → Past → Future question framework, a simple approach that helps athletes:

• Open up emotionally in the moment

• Reflect on experiences and build identity

• Set goals, take accountability, and create vision

Whether you’re a coach, player development professional, administrator, or someone who works closely with athletes, this episode gives you practical tools you can use immediately.

• Why “How are you?” often shuts conversations down

• How to ask better questions that athletes actually answer

• 11 questions that build trust and accountability

• How to use follow-up questions to keep conversations going

• How intentional conversations create long-term impact

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why “How are you?” often shuts conversations down

• How to ask better questions that athletes actually answer

• 11 questions that build trust and accountability

• How to use follow-up questions to keep conversations going

• How intentional conversations create long-term impact

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Player Development Newsletter → https://substack.com/@btfprogram

🎙 About Ed Jones II:

Founder of Beyond The Field | Author of The Player Development Guide | Host of The Player Development Pod | Creator of the Player Development Summit

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