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. ...
Category: ICF Core Competencies
Re-contracting with your coaching client
A coaching session is most effective when the client has a focus for the session. That can be a tight focus or a broad focus. Sometimes a client knows exactly what they want to use their coaching session for,...
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...
Listen for metaphors
ICF Core Coaching Competency #7 is about the use of Direct Communication, which is an "ability to communicate effectively during coaching sessions, and to use language that has the greatest positive impact on the client." One of the sub-points...
Designing Actions occurs anytime in a coaching session
Don't make the mistake of waiting until the end of a coaching session to first ask what actions the client is going to take. Here is a foolproof way to integrate many of the core coaching competencies in a way that supports...
How Creating Awareness actually works
The ICF core coaching competency of Creating Awareness is often misunderstood. Awareness in a coaching session is an "output" of engaging with other competencies, which you'll know if you've seen The Target Approach. When you are being fully present with...
Be present with your coaching client
This tip lives in the realm of Coaching Presence. I was recently listening to a candidate for a coaching credential application. There were often long pauses of silence between when the client stopped speaking and when the coach said something....
Questions for Establishing the Coaching Agreement
Oftentimes, a coaching session starts with checking in on actions taken since last coaching session. Out of this discussion may come the focus for this session, or it may be something different. The first question you ask in a coaching...