As a mentor coach and ICF Assessor, I find myself often giving coaches feedback on “allowing more space for the client” or “holding the space for the client.” It struck me that this statement is pretty nebulous so what does...
Category: #4 – Coaching Presence
Coaching Session Agreement – Distinctions by Credential
As a mentor coach and ICF Assessor, I hear the positive impact on the client when the coach takes the time to explore and clarify the coaching agreement for the session, and then uses the agreement as their compass through...
Coaching Presence – slow down to speed up
The world is a busy place! We are constantly ‘on’ with our smartphone technology, even 24/7! If you work in an organization, you’re likely to be busy, busy, busy just getting work done each day. If you work in a...
What listening to coaching in other languages has taught me
I'm not an idealist. I don’t want to save the world. I recognize there are gross inequalities in the world, where innocent people are the victims of horrible crimes and abuses, and we could do with a lot more compassion...
Unconscious Bias in coaching
Written by co-leader of The Mentor Coaching Group, Karen Boskemper, PCC. Here's where you'll find more about Karen. In preparation for a Gender Equality workshop I’ll be leading for a client, I was recently doing some research on biases. I...
How to interrupt your coaching client
Written by guest blogger, Michael Stratford, MCC For more information on Michael, visit his website. Sometimes in a coaching interaction, we need to interrupt the current flow of the client talking in order to update, renew or reinvigorate the focus...
Partnering – the approach that differentiates coaching from other professions
The term ‘partnering’ has become fashionable within the ICF and one that is critically important to understand, if you are seeking to be an effective coach. And it’s a term specifically used in five places in the PCC Markers, for...
The power of making distinctions
I’m a regular Bikram Yoga student, and recently one of the teachers said the following, “Make sure you are working to your body’s edge, while listening to your body’s limits.” This was such a great distinction and had me stop...
Listen spaciously to your client
One of the most respectful and powerful coaching skills we have available to us as coaches is the ability to listen. Just listen. Listen with a lot of silence, and with a lot of quiet, yet present, spaciousness. Do you...
Bikram Yoga and the Coaching Mastery Journey
This article recently appeared in the ICF Global Blog When I was a newer coach, I remember thinking, “When will I be ‘there?” When will my coaching skills be integrated so that I don’t have to consciously think about what...