In my capacity as a trainer of coaches, and as a mentor coach, I’m often asked how I prepare for my coaching conversations. There are some bigger picture things, and then simple in-the-moment things that I’ve found work for me,...
Category: Coaching Mentoring Tips
What is the gap your coaching client wants to close?
Most often, our clients come to a coaching session with a topic they want to explore. Our initial focus as the coach is to understand exactly what it is about their topic they want more clarity around, in order to...
End of one chapter and beginning of a new
This is an article co-written by Carly Anderson & Karen Boskemper. 2017 brings changes to The Mentor Coaching Group, with Karen moving on to other projects. In this article, we recount some of the things we've both gained, and learned,...
Five Lessons Learned from Mentoring Coaches toward MCC (and Mastery) Skill Level
Over the past few years in particular, I’ve been mentoring coaches toward mastery skill, and to prepare to submit for the ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential. Many of these coaches are trainers for a coach training school, or have...
The Power of using How questions
This article was updated in 2025. A mentor coaching client was coaching in one of our mentor coaching program sessions and we noticed something occur; the coach was asking a lot of “How” questions, which had a powerful effect on...
Allow your client to formulate their own learning and/or consider how they will use new learning
I’ve been seeking to understand more of the PCC Markers at a deeper level, which also provide a solid foundation toward MCC skill level. The core competency of Creating Awareness has a theme of exploring emerging awareness, and/or how the...
Unexpected Transformation
As coaches, we are in a privileged position of working with clients who confidentially share their hopes and dreams with us, as well as their fears and frustrations. We help our client to find their path from where they are...
Allow space for insights to fully emerge
Besides creating a listening space where your client can speak freely and be truly heard, coaching aims for the client to self-create insight around their presenting situation, and especially about themselves. I think of insight or new awareness as the...
Coaching Presence, Self-Care, and Serving Clients
It’s mid-Summer here in Southern California and I’m in my element! I’m a Summer gal who loves the ocean and being in hot weather. This year, my husband and I are not going on a big vacation overseas so I’ve...
Coaching as Purposeful Conversation – Part Two
You can read Part One of this blog article here The two documents referred to are the PCC Markers (for Creating the Coaching Agreement) and the MCC information for this competency in the Competencies Comparison Table. In this second part...