The following is taken from David’s Independent Report on Coaching Training and Certification.
OK – suppose you’ve decided you want to be an ACC (Associate Certified Coach) or a PCC (Professional Certified Coach). How is it done?
The ICF accreditation for Associate Certified Coach (ACC) requires the following:
- 60 coach-specific training hours. Training must be aligned with the 11 ICF competencies, and at least 48 hours must be interactive with the trainer – either live, or via telephone.
- 250 coaching hours, of which 225 hours must be paid.
- Letters of reference from 5 clients.
- Two letters of reference from ICF accredited coaches who have heard you coach.
- Passing of an oral examination.
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
When we wear the hat of “coach”, we often feel like we’re supposed to be some kind of guru — all-knowing, all-wise, having all the answers to people’s problems. The biggest fear is usually: What if I don’t know what to say? What if I can’t help and I look silly? This is a common perspective we automatically create or come from.
So change it! Reframe your perspective to something that empowers you. How about: “We’re going to view this session as an exploration. I’m not here as some kind of guru to tell you what to do. The goal is to help YOU get clear on what you really want, and the best way forward.”
Now doesn’t that feel better?
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
The simplest thing you can start with is a ‘bio’ or Biography. A simple Word or PDF document that you can hand, fax, mail, or e-mail to a speaker-seeker. Work out what will give you credibility when creating your bio. Include the topic of your talk and the key benefits to your audience — and a good headshot. If you have done other talks, list the groups and the topics.
You can start to expand this until you have quite a comprehensive promotional package. You may include articles that have been written by the speaker or about the speaker (i.e., media mentions), a couple of testimonial letters, and ultimately a short video. Many groups will request testimonials, even the ones that are not paying.
And of course — list your web site, which may eventually include several dynamic pics of you speaking, audio clips, and ultimately streaming video.
The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.
1. DON’T
Give your client all the answers.
DO
Draw your client out. Help them to come up with the answers themselves by asking questions.
2. DON’T
Allow your client to set “negative” goals. (I want to lose weight. I want to get rid of my spouse.)
DO
Help your client to set uplifting goals that feel good when they say them. (I love my healthy, energetic body! I am thrilled to be in this loving relationship!)
3. DON’T
Stick to a session plan no matter what comes up during the session.
DO
Be flexible and willing to help a client explore issues as they arise. Issues can affect many areas and be the very thing blocking their success.
4. DON’T
Be afraid of feedback as a coach.
DO
Ask for and use any feedback you can get to improve your coaching skills. This will keep you clear on how you are reaching your clients.
5. DON’T
Wait until the end to ask for a referral or testimonial.
DO
Have your client write a testimonial AS IF they have achieved all their goals with your help. This will get your client clear on how they expect you to help them.
The following is an excerpt from Top Coaching Techniques.
Client: Well, I just get asked it 500 times a day.
David: Asked what?
Client: Well, ‘Have you got a job? Have you got job? What are you doing?’
David: Yeah, so society helps you. Society is supporting your judge. All I want you to notice for now is that you’ve got a judge that came to me on this call and said, ‘I feel like I’m not doing enough.’ We could look at it and we could check with another judge higher up, like God, and God would probably say, ‘You’re doing great. You don’t even need to do all this flyer stuff and all this business stuff.’ Even on that basis, even if we were going to judge you against everything you’ve done, even that stacks up. You’ve done a whole bunch of stuff.
I want you to take on something; I just want you to consider something for yourself, so we’ll plant a little seed here. I want you to consider the possibility that every single thing you did in the last seven days was actually what you should have done, even where you set a target and you didn’t make it. I want you to just consider, like what if you actually had, for you, at this stage in your life, the perfect week. Now there’s only one way that you could decide it wasn’t a perfect week. There’s only one way that you could decide, ‘Now that bit there, on the Thursday when my car broke down, that wasn’t perfect.’ There’s only one way you could decide that. Do you know what that is?
Client: If I decide it.
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
Clients are generally people:
- Wanting to change something in their life
- Wanting more of something
- Tolerating too much
- Wanting to switch careers
- Wanting to improve their career
- Looking for a bigger goal
- Desiring to achieve something faster
- Who are bored
- Who feel something is missing
- Who realize they can be much more successful with outside input.
They include:
- Executives
- Managers
- CEOs
- Housewives
- Professionals
- Creative people
- Entrepreneurs
- Small Business Owners
Below are some solid statistics from a past ICF client survey. While the data is several years old, the general characteristics are still relevant today, although we might expect a trend towards more lower-income and non-professional clients embracing coaching:
- 65 of the respondents were male (31%), and 145 were female (69%).
- Average age was 45 years, with respondents being within the age range of 24-67 years of age.
- Most were employed as professionals.
- Education gained: 82% had gained degrees, with one third gaining a Masters degree or higher.
