Without a doubt, one of the key coaching competencies is Coaching Presence. It is the center of the target in The Target Approach methodology I’ve created of how the ICF core competencies work in real life. There are two parts...
Category: ICF Core Competencies
Are you crossing an ethical line without knowing?
I’m honored to listen to a lot of coaching session recordings in my role as a Mentor Coach and an active ICF Assessor for MCC, PCC and ACC credential applications. Sometimes a coach will cross an ethical line without realizing...
What’s the focus for this coaching session?
A coaching session is different from a conversation with a friend or colleague because it has a specific purpose. Not every conversation has a purpose. It is the responsibility of the coach to help the client to get the most...
The coaching skill of requests
A skill that coaches often use with clients is making a Request, which is based on the coach hearing or perceiving something that would be of use for the client to consider doing. The ICF core competencies of Direct Communication...
Why direct communication is an essential coaching competency
Once upon a time when coaching was still very new as a profession, there was the belief that asking curious questions was the only real coaching skill. While asking questions that are potentiallly powerful for the client is still...
Coaching Presence – dance with your coaching client
Great coaching is a flow of energy between coach and client, where you can't tell who is leading and who is following. This can be a difficult concept to grasp if you are identified with being in control, like running...
Coaching and performance anxiety
I'm guessing this has happened to you, as it has to me. When you are being assessed or evaluated in an exam process, do you move from your natural flow and knowing, into letting your mind take over and being...
Are you a problem-solving coach?
As a coach, we have a major influence on our clients by the mindset we enter the coaching relationship with, and how we apply that mindset to every interaction with the client. This is the backbone of our Coaching Presence. ...
Coach as Agenda-less Observer
As coaches, one of the valuable coaching tools we bring is the power of the agenda-less observer. We are a fresh pair of eyes and ears. Many of my clients say this is why they appreciate having me as...
The most misunderstood coaching competency
Of all the ICF Core Coaching Competencies, I think that the last competency is one of the most misunderstood. I'm talking about competency #11: Managing Progress and Accountability. There are two very different aspects to this competency: what happens in...