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...
Category: #4 – Coaching Presence
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...
Coach the Human Being of your Client not just their Content
One of the best gifts a masterful coach can bring to their client is a different perspective, without interpreting through their beliefs. We don’t live in our client’s skin, think their thoughts, believe what they believe, or have the exact...
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...
The Difference between a Teacher and a Coach
by Karen Boskemper, PCC, Co-Leader of The Mentor Coaching Group, and ICF Assessor I was recently reading a Facebook post by spiritual teacher, educator and writer, Nithya Shanti (http://www.lovingsilence.org/), whose life work is committed to supporting those who wish to...
What Expertise Does a Coach Need?
Clients who hire a coach to support them create their next level of success often look for a coach who is like them, meaning they want someone who has experience in their industry, or has been a CEO like them,...
Ways a Coach completes a session
My last blog article was on “When a coaching session really begins.” In this article, I want to address the ways a coach completes a coaching session with their client. Here are five of the main ICF core competencies most...
When a Coaching Session Really Begins
A coaching session is a structured conversation so both coach and client know that this is a coaching conversation that has a purpose, versus just having a nice conversation. There’s a definite beginning and an ending to a coaching session,...