Become A Certified Coach » coach certification

Why Would a Therapist Want to Become a Life Coach?

Barbra — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:12:56 +0000

Melissa Quiter, MA

Guest article by Melissa Quiter, MA

Why would a therapist want to be a life coach, and vice versa? Here’s my personal story.

I started out as a coach and then decided to become a psychotherapist. I remember often wondering why so many coaches were ex-counselors? I learned quickly it is because the counseling world is FULL to the brim of regulations and red tape. There are so many levels of tape to ensure that counselors are up to par that they end up losing many counselors. When coaching started to become more widely known and accepted, I believe that many counselors found a way out of the tape!

What I discovered is that psychotherapy is like marketing. Under the umbrella of marketing are advertising, PR, sales, etc. Under the psychotherapy umbrella there is coaching, mentoring, teaching, etc.

What I learned in coaching, and specifically the program I went through with Marion Franklin, is that coaching is very closely aligned with one theory that I learned in my counseling program called Solution Focused Therapy (SFT). The premise of SFT is to focus on goals and make plans for their achievement. There is a psychological bent if you are working on that type of goal, but there doesn’t really have to be, which is why I believe it is what coaching uses (not to imply that there are not many methods for coaching as well).

When I was a coach, there were many coaches offering services that I now realize are truly counseling. I know there is a fuzzy line and we all may have different definitions of what is appropriate to work on with a coach and what isn’t.

I know that as a coach it seemed almost impossible for me not to go deeper into the psyche, which is why counseling was so much more appealing. Of course, I know that I am more energized by the deeper layers while simultaneously being able to offer ongoing goal acquisition.

All of that said, I believe my coaching ability mixed with my psychotherapy training is why I have had a full schedule since almost my first month of practice. I called my practice Melissa Counseling & Coaching. I wanted to take advantage of both of my skill sets and offer layered assistance.

When I was in school, I was often criticized by professors for my “coaching” approach. I used it when I felt it was appropriate (based on my exposure to both skill sets). I often heard that I was being too “coachy.” (I don’t really think these professors even know what coaching is fully!)

What was very validating for me was that the clients I was working with or practicing with always reported that my approach was helpful, direct, and much more to their liking than past experiences with counselors. I have had the same comments in my own practice. I believe that is what sets me apart from other counselors. My ability to coach and counsel and to know when it is appropriate to use which skill set. (If you can offer that distinction, Marion, you will be doing a great service to your counselor students!)

I believe this is a good trend for counseling as it widens the breadth of services that we offer. I do wonder, though, if it doesn’t make coaching businesses that don’t/cannot offer the deeper work limited (not including business-focused coaching as I believe this has a huge leg-up on any psychotherapy offerings)? I would be interested to know how this trend will help the coaching world?

About the author: Melissa Counseling & Coaching offers services in the Austin/Round Rock area of Central Texas. Individuals and couples seeking new perspectives, skills and strategies for engaging life’s adventures are invited to call. For detailed information, contact Melissa Landi-Quiter, MA, LPC, NLP at 512-381-0833 or via email: Melissa@MelissaQuiter.com

Appreciative Inquiry Questions

Barbra — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:04:33 +0000

what has worked in the past?
what have others told you are your strengths?
what’s your unique superpower that you can bring to this situation?
what are other situations like this that have gone well?
what’s an example of a recent success?
what’s a small win you could have in the next few days?
what’s your vision of what’s possible if this succeeds?
who do you know who’s really successful at this who could help?
who could you influence?

How to Coach a Client on Personal Vision

Barbra — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:11:30 +0000

I was typing out some notes today for a mentee preparing for the IAC certification exam, and when I finished I realized that others might find this useful as well. It’s by no means “the right” way to coach a client on personal vision, it’s simply the framework I use.

The idea is to have the client describe where they are at now, and where they would like to be. Then identify the gaps and make a plan.

1. Start by asking them where they are now. Draw out their strengths and achievements, as most clients tend to overlook what they’ve already achieved.

2. Ask them to close their eyes and describe what they are ideally doing in five years. Prompt them to describe details about what they are doing, with whom, what the environment looks like, how they feel, etc. If time allows, it’s nice to do a short guided visualization

3. Debrief with them about the vision. Depending on what they have visualized, you may need to do a reality check or more likely, help them think bigger:

what would be the ultimate thrill?
where are you stopping short of all you could be?
what is a big enough game?
why bother? what makes it worth it?
what have you wanted to do but haven’t?

4. This is the point where you will hear the client’s energy shift, if they are working on their true vision. If the energy seems either hesitant or over-the-top excited, the visioning needs more work.

5. Now you want to tie the vision into their values. If you’ve already worked on values together, you can remind them of their values and ask how this vision aligns with their values. (note: this is Mastery #9, Supportive Environments because aligning vision with values makes the vision intrinsically sustainable). At this point I like to ask some version of:

how does this tie in with your top three values?
who will you be when you do this?
what impact will you have?
how could you make this align with your values even more?

6. Summarize, and move on to identifying the gaps between where they are now and where they want to be.

7. Help client identify what they will need to move forward on vision. Help them see strengths and resources they already have.

what resources do you already have?
what successes have you had in the past with ________?
what do you need to do or get?
who could help you?

8. This is usually where I stop with a session on vision. There’s a lot for the client to process, and moving immediately on to action plan robs them of the time needed to sit with the learning from the visioning process.

I hope this has been helpful. What framework do you use? Would you be willing to share it with us?

The IAC Cannot Afford to Lose IAC-CCs

Barbra — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:04:11 +0000

Yesterday I asked the question “are the IAC learning agreements a good idea or not?” There have been lots of comments on this question, both in support of the learning agreements (LAs) and against them.

In her thoughtful comment, Jude asked “what about part-time coaches?”

I have also been wondering about those IAC-CC coaches who worked hard to get their certification, but for whatever reason are not currently working as a coach. Will they find it worth the time and money to go through the LA process? Is it fair that they lose their IAC-CC if they don’t?

On the surface, it doesn’t seem fair. However, there are lots of professional organizations that have a similar requirement. For instance, when I was a human resource management consultant, I worked hard to gain my CHRP (Canadian Human Resources Professional) designation.

Later, as I transitioned to coaching I was ambivalent about whether or not to maintain my CHRP (like the IAC-CC it required annual investment of time and money in terms of fees and professional development activities). Eventually I let it go because I really was not getting any tangible benefit from it in my new career.

Although it was a hard decision to let my CHRP go, I’ve never regretted it. I wasn’t involved in the HR world any longer, and in a way it actually simplified my life and helped me focus on my coaching career.

I wonder how many part-time or not-currently-coaching IAC-CCs will end up making the same decision? I think that would be a shame not only for the individuals, but also for the IAC. The IAC is still a young organization and cannot afford to lose IAC-CCS.

Beginner’s Guide to Become a Life Coach

Are the IAC Learning Agreements a Good Idea?

Barbra — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:15:50 +0000

What do you think of the new requirement for IAC Learning Agreements?
In case you’re not familiar with the requirement, the IAC (International Association of Coaching) now requires its IAC-CC certified coaches to submit an annual continuing education proposal, which is subject to a fee-based review. The fee for the initial submission of the Learning Agreement is $150.00, and a fee of $150.00 will apply every five years thereafter, when subsequent reviews are conducted.

For additional info about the specifics, please see details on the IAC website.

Is this a good idea or not?

Do you support the concept? What impact do you think it will have on the IAC, and on member coaches? If you are an IAC-CC have you done your learning agreement?

I’ve heard unofficial feedback both pro and con. Here’s an example of a “con” opinion that I received via email:

I deeply resent the implication that my ‘plans and learning’ have to be approved by certifiers who have the same certification as me, and in the future, by colleagues who won’t even need to be certifiers. I’m either a colleague – a peer – or I’m not.

On the other hand, some have pointed out that many, if not most, professional organizations require their members to complete annual continuing education activities. And since the IAC is a volunteer organization, the fee is necessary in order to at least partially compensate the people doing the reviews.

What do you think? Good idea or not?

Top Ten Reasons to Become a Certified Coach

Julia Stewart — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:11:36 +0000

Julia Stewart

Julia Stewart is a coach, coach trainer and seminar leader who uses her creativity and humor to expand people’s thinking and inspire them to work brilliantly. She’s President of School of Coaching Mastery and has been helping coaches pass difficult certifications since 2003.

Is there really any good reason for a business or life coach to get certified?

That’s a common question amongst coaches and it’s hotly debated on a variety of coaching blogs. Some say no, coaching is an entrepreneurial business, that there’s no reason for any coach to get certified and that certification is just a money-making scheme made up by coaching schools and organizations.

Others say coaching is a profession and that it’s in every coach’s best interests, not to mention consumers’, for standards to be set and upheld, otherwise any charlatan can call him/herself a coach. Clearly coaches, themselves, are divided on this topic.

Are there any laws that require coaches to get certified?

Currently, most nations, such as the US and Canada, have no laws that require coach certification, although in the State of Israel, which may have that largest number of coaches per capita of any nation, there is currently a serious attempt to pass a Coaching Law that would require credentialing in order to practice coaching there. What happens in Israel could influence coaching’s legal status in a number of other nations in the near future.

If there’s no law requiring coach certification where you live, should you get certified?

That depends on who you are. To understand why, I’m going to share some facts and opinions that I’ve gathered from over 300 coaches, to help answer the question, ‘Do You Need Coach Certification?’

Just to be clear, these coaches self selected to fill out a survey that I created that could help them decide if they should pursue coach certification. They may or may not represent a good cross sampling of coaches. However, the survey has run for over two years and since then, I’ve checked the results a number of times and the percentages remain remarkably similar; so I think the numbers a pretty revealing, at least about coaches who are curious about becoming certified coaches.

Let’s first go back to that age-old argument between coach-entrepreneurs and coach-professionals.

Professionals tend to believe in training and credentialing and their own integrity often dictates that they pursue both when they choose to become a coach. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, learn by doing and innovating and they tend to get impatient or skeptical or both, when it comes to formal education or jumping through hoops. So which group represents most coaches?

[Time out: Was it Family Feud where the game-show host would yell, ‘Survey Said?!’ Anyhow…]

Survey Said?!

Less than 18% of our 300+ coaches identifies him/herself as an entrepreneur, only. But then, only slightly more than 23% identifies as a professional, only. A full 59% identifies equally with being an entrepreneur and a professional! No wonder so many coaches are confused about coach certification! Their inner entrepreneurs and inner professionals are at odds over it. But you could look at these findings another way: 82% of coaches surveyed believe coaching is at least partially a profession, so…

#1 Reason to become a certified coach: Your inner professional tells you that you should get certified.

Not surprisingly, a similar number of coaches to those who feel like professionals, just over 83% in this case, say they believe getting certified will help them feel more competitive in the marketplace. Less than 17% believe certification will have no effect on their competitiveness in the market, so…

#2 Reason to become a certified coach: It will help you feel more competitive in the coaching marketplace.

I also asked this question in a more pointed way: Will getting certified help you sign more paying clients? 74% said, yes it would. That’s almost ¾ of the coaches who responded! Only 26% thought coach certification would have no effect on their ability to get coaching clients.

#3 Reason to become a certified coach: It will help you get more clients.

Here’s a related question: Are you thrilled with your level of coaching success? 20% say, yes. Another 80% wishes they were more successful. Most people, coaches or non-coaches, wish they were more successful. Given that most coaches surveyed believe certification will help them be more competitive and get more clients…

#4 Reason to become a certified coach: It’ll help you be more successful.

That brings me to another quality that differentiates entrepreneurs and professionals: it’s how they feel about having to jump through a few hoops. As mentioned above, Entrepreneurs tend to not like jumping through hoops, but professionals are willing to do that in order to earn the right to be called professionals. In fact, they actually feel kind of good about it.

So what does the survey say?

When asked about how they feel about jumping through hoops, 20% of survey respondents said it makes them feel rebellious. 53.5% said it gives them a sense of accomplishment. 26.5% said, both! Hmmm…80% get a sense of accomplishment, at least in part, from jumping through hoops! Could that be pretty much the same group that feels like professionals? Yes, upon deeper analysis, I find this is the case, so…

#5 Reason to become a certified coach: Jumping through hoops to get certified gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Here’s a different kind of question: Are you a famous author, speaker or TV personality? If you’re famous already, you can skip getting certified, because you already have credibility. Of those surveyed, 99% said they weren’t already famous. Less than 1% said that they are famous (a total of 2). I’d love to know who they are! Anyway…

#6 Reason to become a certified coach: You’re not famous.

Here’s another question that may speak most to the professional coaches: Do you prefer to be the best? 79+%. Good enough? 15%. Don’t care? 5%.

#7 Reason to become a certified coach: You prefer to be the best.

Professionals who want to be the best are generally keen to learn all they can. Getting certified is a huge motivator for learning more and becoming better at what you do. So no surprise, 40% of coaches prefer to learn all they can before they do something. 12% (entrepreneurs?) would rather just jump in and do it. 48% like to jump right in AND learn all they can! That’s 88% who want to learn all they can either before or after they jump into coaching, so…

#8 Reason to become a certified coach: You want to learn all you can.

But what if coaching is just your hobby? Certification is probably a lot less important than it would be if coaching were your career. What did our respondents say about that? 89.5% say coaching is their career. Only 10.5% say it’s just a hobby. So…

#9 Reason to become a certified coach: Coaching is your career.

Finally, coaches are a pretty intuitive bunch of people. They don’t just make decisions to do something just because logically they ‘should’. So I asked them, Based on your intuition/gut/spirit (Not you fear or insecurity), do you want to get certified or not? Over 75% said intuitively they do want coach certification. The remainder said they did not.

#10 Reason to become a certified coach: Your intuition/gut/spirit tells you to.

So there you have it! Regardless of whether coaching is an entrepreneurial business or whether you legally have to get certified, 75% or more of coaches said they WANT to get coach certification. Are you one of them?

If so, I have a special offer just for readers of this blog: I’m offering five free 30-minute coaching consultations on your biggest certification problem. No strings attached. If you’d like to take me up on this offer, share your biggest question or concern about coach certification below in the comments section and then go here to sign up. I’ll choose the five coaches who I think I can help the most. Thanks for reading!

Coaching Certification Bootcamp – For Pro Coaches Only

Barbra — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:26:08 +0000

I’m pleased to recommend this brand new course to you. It’s called Coaching Certification Bootcamp – For Pro Coaches Only.

As the title makes clear, it’s only for pro coaches. And it’s intensive.

But if you know you’re coaching at a masterful level, and you just want to get the certification bit off your “to do list”- this is the course for you.

The bootcamp is being taught by Julia Stewart, so you’ll be in expert hands. Julia has personally coached, trained or certified most of the current IAC Certifiers, the people who will either pass or fail you for IAC Certification. More details here.

Will the Coaching by Example CDs Help You Pass the Test?

Barbra — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:47:14 +0000

I received this enquiry today:

Coach Bob T Moran told me about you, and I think I am interested in your 9 cd series. He said if I become a member of the IAC, I could get a discount on the cd’s. Is that correct, and how does that work? I couldn’t find anything about it on IAC website. I am currently in a coach training program, and am wanting to further my learning, but do not want to invest thousands of dollars more right now. I may be interested in the IAC certification. Do you think I need to take the full School of Masteries Program eventually, or will your cd’s and any other program you may suggest help me pass the test?

My reply: Nice to hear from you! The discount for IAC members is $150 off – so it would be $197 vs. $347. The discount is available on the membership page of the IAC website.

What I would recommend for you would be to get the CDs and listen to them. If after listening to them you feel confident that your coaching is at the masterful level, then go ahead and send in your tapes for certification!

If you are unsure whether your coaching is at that level (and many people are – it’s hard to be objective about your own skills), then I would suggest you get an objective evaluation of your coaching by someone who is well-versed in the IAC certification process. People I can recommend are Doris Helge, Nina East (both of whom taught in my training program when it was active) or anyone associated with Julia Stewart’s School of Coaching Mastery. This evaluation will probably cost you in the $150 – $200 range.

Based on the results of the evaluation, you’ll know whether you need to take further training. If you do, I highly recommend the School of Coaching Mastery. You may want to check out their website for free classes as well – I know they have some really informative ones.

30 Day Coach Training Intensive

Barbra — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:26:18 +0000

Note: The 30 Day program is no longer running. We recommend the Coaching By Example CD series as it covers all the material previously included in the 30 Day program.

The 30 Day Coach Training Intensive covers the fundamentals of modern life coaching, based on Barbra Sundquist’s CCEC coaching model. CCEC is an acronym for Connect, Clarify, Expand, Create (see more details in the Curriculum section below).

Who is the course for?

This is a great course for new coaches wanting to learn core coaching skills, as well as for experienced coaches who want to brush up their skill set.

How does the course work?

There will be one 90 minute teleclass and five home-study lessons with fieldwork each week (total of 20 lessons). The home-study lessons will be emailed each week. At the end of the course participants will be able to explain and demonstrate the coaching skills listed below in the curriculum outline.

When does the next course begin?

Dates: 4 Wednesday evenings, Nov 18, Dec. 2, 9, 16
Time: 8:00 – 9:30 pm EST / 5:00 – 6:30 PST
Cost: $297 USD

How do I register?

Registration for the November course is now closed.

Curriculum Outline

Week 1: CONNECT fully and deeply with the client

1) Create a collaborative relationship

2) Listen for client signals

3) Validate client feelings

4) Let go of need to fix

5) Be who you are

Week 2: CLARIFY dynamics, motivations and information

1) Ask curious questions

2) Clarify focus

3) Listen for themes

4) Challenge limiting beliefs

5) Recognize what is needed in the moment

Week 3: EXPAND awareness, knowledge and abilities

1) Point out client strengths and resources

2) Draw distinctions

3) Promote self-responsibility

4) Open new doors for client and invite them in

5) Teach client something new

Week 4: CREATE action plan

1) Ask if client is ready for action planning

2) Discuss what has worked for them in past

3) Build on client’s strengths and experience

4) Co-create sustainable support structures

5) Anticipate and address potential problem areas

About the instructor

Barbra Sundquist has over two decades experience as an entrepreneur, business coach and coach trainer. She has been described by clients and colleagues as “focused, wise, and masterful in her understanding and use of coaching models.” Barbra has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Her coach training was through the Graduate School of Coaching and the Centre for Executive Coaching. She holds the IAC certified coach designation and was an IAC Certifying Examiner from 2004 – 2007. Barbra is a native Vancouver-Islander who currently lives in Nanoose Bay with her husband and three cats.

Note: The 30 Day program is no longer running. We recommend the Coaching By Example CD series as it covers all the material previously offered in the 30 Day program.

A Video Message from Barbra – Announcements!

Barbra — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:22:18 +0000

Announcement #1 – Introducing new instructors Nina East and Doris Helge

Nina East, IAC-CC: Nina is our newest instructor in the BACC program. She brings a wealth of experience to coaching, coach training, and coach certification. Nina was one of the first coaches to become certified by the IAC and was immediately asked to become a certifying examiner. She has been certifying for 6 years, and for the last 3 has also been the lead certifier for the IAC. Nina can be reached at PersonalGrowthPrincess.com.

Here is a 7 minute snippet of Nina teaching a BACC class: Click here to listen…

Doris Helge, Ph.D, IAC-CC: Doris is a BACC graduate and an IAC Certified Coach. Not only is Doris a masterful coach, she is also a masterful teacher. I’m thrilled to have her teaching in the BACC program. Reach her at SuperSalesConfidenceForCoaches.com.

Listen as Doris coaches a BACC class participant, and then draws out the teaching points for the listeners.
Click here to listen…

Announcement #2 – More classes each month

BACC has expanded to 4 classes a month. With the increased teaching capacity we are now able to offer three different instructors, and 4 classes a month.

Announcement #3 – Lock-in before the price increase

BACC price is increasing from $99 a month to $149 a month on September 15, 2009. Anyone who joins BACC prior to the price increase will be “grandfathered in” at the old price for the duration of their uninterrupted membership. So if you’ve been thinking of joining, now is the time.

Note: the BACC program is now closed. We recommend the Coaching By Example CD series as it covers all the material previously offered in the BACC program.

Coaching “Safety Net” Questions – For When Your Mind Goes Blank

Barbra — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:43:27 +0000

Have you ever had the experience of “going blank” while coaching? You know, it’s your turn to speak and your mind freezes?

It happens to all of us from time to time, particularly if we are coaching under challenging circumstances (such as being evaluated in an exam or training class). When it happens to me, I fall back on what I call my “safety net” questions. These are questions that work in pretty much any circumstance.

Using a safety net question helps the flow of the coaching conversation, takes the pressure off the coach and puts the focus back where it belongs – on the client (as opposed to on the c0ach and “what do I say next?”)

Here are my favorite safety net questions:

1. Tell me more about that.
2. I hear ______ in your voice.
3. Why is that important to you?

Listen to this audio that demonstrates the safety net technique in action – I think you’ll agree that these coaching questions really work!

Beginner’s Guide to Become a Life Coach

Barbra — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:55:27 +0000

Are you interested in becoming a life coach? If so, this article is for you. I’ll be sharing what I tell people when they ask “how do I become a life coach?”

Keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive guide to becoming a life coach. Rather, it’s practical advice based on my experience over the past eight years as a professional coach, mentor coach and coach certifier. The advice offered here is my educated opinion, not necessarily “the truth”.

How do I become a life coach?

That’s a question I hear often. It’s usually asked by people who love helping other people, who are interested in personal and professional development, and who are looking for a rewarding career. This type of person often has a wide range of interests and life experiences. All these things provide a good foundation for becoming a life coach, but as you might imagine, there’s more to it than that.

Do I need special training to become a life coach?

Yes and no. Yes, you do need training. No, it does not have to be a particular course or degree.

You could compare the training requirements to be a life coach to that required to be a consultant. A consultant needs to have a high level of skills in her area of consulting, but there is not a “consulting degree”. Similarly, a coach does not need a degree or certification to begin coaching.

So what kind of training do I need to become a life coach?

Many people who enter the coaching field come from careers that already involve people skills – such as teaching, counseling, personal training, human resource management, business consulting, sales, health care, journalism, ministry, parenting, and social work, to name just a few.

These people can build on their existing skill base with additional coach-specific training. Depending on how well their background has prepared them for coaching, they may need anything from a weekend workshop to a 2 year program to bring them up to a professional coach skill level.

In addition to learning new coaching skills, some people will need to “unlearn” certain habitual ways of responding. For example, consultants often have great questioning and problem-solving skills but tend to jump into “fix-it” mode right away. They will need to learn how to back off and let the client develop their own solutions. Similarly, parents may have lots of experience dealing with their own family dynamics, but need to learn how to keep an open mind when dealing with other people’s family situations.

How do I know how much more training I need?

The best way to determine how much and what kind of additional training you need to be a professional coach is to get an assessment of your present level of coaching skill. You can get that assessment in some coach training programs (surprisingly, not all training programs provide personal assessment. Always ask for details before registering).

Where can I get an assessment of my coaching skills?

Julia Stewart’s School of Coaching Mastery is one highly reputable school that provides assessments.

Doris Helge and Nina East are two excellent coach mentors who are well-versed in the IAC exam requirements. They will do a consultation with you for a reasonable fee (probably $150 – $200) to assess your current level of coaching skill, and provide you with feedback on what you need to work on.

All three of the afore-mentioned resources are directed towards IAC (International Association of Coaching) certification. If you are interested in ICF (International Coach Federation) certification, I recommend you contact mentor coach Marion Franklin.

Do I need to be certified to be a life coach?

At present, there is no legal requirement that coaches be certified. Personally, I think working towards IAC or ICF certification is important because it shows commitment to the profession. But not all coaches agree with this, and there are many good coaches with successful practices who are not certified.

Here is a link to a 10 minute audio recording called “Straight Talk on Coach Certification” where I explain more about coach certification.

Click link to listen…
http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WxvykqvK

What’s the difference between ICF and IAC certification?

IAC stands for the International Association of Coaching. I used to be a Certifying Examiner for the IAC, and my 9 CD Coaching by Example coach training program prepares coaches for IAC certification. ICF stands for International Coach Federation. Both are well-respected independent coach certification bodies.

The main difference between them are:
1) ICF certification is based on education completed and number of paid coaching hours
2) IAC certification is based solely on passing a series of exams. The IAC certification does not require completion of any particular training program or number of hours of coaching.

ICF website www.coachfederation.org
IAC website www.certifiedcoach.org

Which certification, ICF or IAC, would be best for me?

It depends on your needs and your client group. Right now ICF certification is more recognized than IAC certification, because the ICF has been around longer. For coaches wanting to work with corporate clients, ICF may be better because corporate clients are more familiar with that designation. For coaches wanting to work with private individuals or groups, certification does not seem to be as much of an issue.

The appeal of the IAC certification is that if you already have the skills, you don’t need to complete more schooling to get your coach certification. The IAC certification is based solely on demonstrated skill, and is well-suited to people who want to be recognized for prior training and ability.

What’s involved with passing the IAC exams?

The IAC certification based on demonstrating knowledge and ability in The Coaching Masteries™. A workbook describing the 9 Coaching Masteries™ is available at www.certifiedcoach.org. The test involves an on-line exam and evaluation of two taped client calls.

Although it may seem that the IAC certification is a faster or easier way to become certified compared to the ICF, the reality is that achieving the level of mastery required to pass the IAC exam requires a great deal of coaching skill and experience. My 9-CD coach training program covers what you need to know to pass the IAC exam.

I’ve been “coaching” all my life but I just haven’t called it that. Would being certified benefit me?

You don’t necessarily need to be certified, but you do need to be trained. When people say they “have been coaching all their life” they usually mean they’ve been a good and caring listener all their life. Or they’ve been the one people turn to for advice. There’s much more to coaching than this (and in fact, giving advice is a very small part of coaching).

Can I really make a living as a life coach?

I’m going to be frank: it’s not easy to make a living as a life coach.

Why is this? Well, there are a number of factors. In my opinion, the most significant factor is that in its traditional form (i.e. client meets the coach each week in-person or on the telephone for 30 – 60 minutes, for a typical fee of $300 a month), it’s just too expensive for most potential clients.

Many coaches will argue that the fee is not at all expensive when you consider the progress that the client will make in terms of career satisfaction, meeting life-long goals and possibly even making a higher salary. I don’t disagree with that. Nonetheless, it’s hard for most coaches to get clients.

I want to be really clear about this, because when you start searching for information on the Internet about becoming a coach, you’re going to come across all sorts of sites that promise you the moon (maybe you’ve already encountered that). That’s because they want to raise your expectations about how easy it is to become a professional coach and how much money you’re going to make.

Keep in mind that most Internet websites exist to sell you something. The coaching field is no different. The exceptions are sites from independent certification bodies such as the ICF and the IAC, and discussion forums such as the New Coach Connection.

Do any coaches make a good living from coaching?

Yes, certainly! There are many successful coaches with a full practice. And there are many coaches who prefer to make a part-time or supplemental income from coaching. But there are also a lot of coaches who struggle financially.

From what I have observed, there are three factors that make for a financially successful coach. To be successful as a self-employed coach you need:

1) A niche or specialty that is in demand. When I say “in demand”, I mean something that clients are willing to pay their hard-earned money for. Examples include career transition coaching, divorce recovery coaching, stress management coaching, and small business marketing coaching. Each of these examples provides a very tangible benefit or solves a pressing problem for the client.
2) Masterful coaching skills. This is where training and assessment comes in. It’s not enough to be a good listener, or be able to provide advice (in fact, most untrained coaches provide too much advice). Masterful coaching sounds easy but it’s not. It requires highly developed and nuanced communication skills.
3) Business and marketing skills. If you choose to be a self-employed, private practice coach, you will spend at least 60% (in the beginning, probably more) of your work time running your business. This means administration, computer stuff, networking, billing, professional development, and most importantly, marketing.

How much money could I make as a coach?

If you fall into the small percentage of coaches that meet all three of the criteria above, you could anticipate making as much as $80,000 a year working full-time as a coach.

I’ve arrived at this figure like this:

40 hours a week x 50 weeks = 2000 hours a year

40% of those hours are paid (60% is administration and marketing)

800 hours x $100 an hour* = $80,000

That means that in a typical work day you might coach 4 – 6 clients for 30 – 60 minutes each. The remaining time would be spent in administration and marketing.

I do want to stress that only a small percentage of coaches make this kind of income. The ones who do are the ones who:

1) meet all three of the criteria above, and

2) want to work full-time (many people prefer coaching as a part-time or supplemental income).

*I’m using the rate of $100 an hour as an example only. Coaching fees typically range from $40 – $100 an hour for new coaches, and $100 – $200 or more for experienced or in-demand coaches.

What are the different ways to be a coach?

Public awareness of coaching as a profession has really increased in recent years. When I started coaching eight years ago, the typical response to “I’m a coach” was “what sport?” Now, people are likely to respond “Cool! I’ve heard of that”, or “I know someone who does that.”

As public awareness of coaching has changed there has been a parallel evolution in the profession’s concept of service delivery.

The traditional way to be a life coach was modeled on the counseling model. You signed up a client with a “client agreement” and agreed on a day and time to meet for “sessions” each week. These sessions might be in-person or over the telephone (the majority of life coaches meet with clients on the telephone). This is still a popular and viable way to deliver coaching services, but there are many other ways. For example:

• Group coaching
• Coaching franchise
• Workshops and retreats
• Print, audio or video courses
• Email coaching
• Instant messaging coaching
• Coaching membership site
• Teleclasses
• Writing and speaking

In addition, there are lots of ways to coach without actually having the title “Coach”. Many people get coaching skills training in order to be more effective in their main job – whether that is as a parent, mentor, manager, or even something as seemingly unrelated as a doctor or a salesperson.

I think the future of coaching lies in less expensive service delivery models. As an analogy, think of the fitness industry. There are so many people who want to get fit, but how many of them invest $40 – $100 an hour in a personal trainer? A pretty small percentage. Much more popular are group fitness classes that cost perhaps $10 – $15 dollars a session.

The same applies for coaching – there are a small percentage of clients who invest in individual coaching, and a much larger group that invests in less expensive options such as group coaching, workshops, products and courses. It’s important for coaches to keep this in mind when planning their marketing and service offerings.

CCEC Coaching Model

Barbra — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:57:32 +0000

Click here to listen…

And click here to get the CCEC chart that shows how the four CCEC components relate to the IAC Coaching Masteries™.

I’ve developed a coaching model that is simple, easy to remember, and powerful. It has just four things to remember: Connect, Clarify, Expand and Create (CCEC). If you can remember to do these four things — Connect, Clarify, Expand and Create — in a coaching session, you will be coaching very well.

Here’s an elaboration of the four components of the CCEC coaching model:

Connect fully and deeply with the client
Clarify dynamics, motivation and information
Expand client awareness, knowledge and abilities
Create possibilities for full self-expression

We talked about this in our BACC members call on January 9. Click the link at the beginning of this article to listen to a 9 minute excerpt from that call. This audio explains more about how to use the CCEC model, and how the model relates to the IAC Coaching Masteries.

Note: the BACC program is now closed. We recommend the Coaching By Example CD series as it covers all the material previously offered in the BACC program.

Sample Questions from IAC Step 1 Exam

Barbra — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:09:26 +0000

Your first step in achieving IAC certification is to pass the Step 1 online written exam. This is an open book multiple choice exam based on the Coaching Masteries ™ Ebook. Before you take the Step 1 exam “for real”, you may want to try the free sample exam that is available on the IAC website.

Wondering what kinds of questions are on the exam? Good news…there is a 40-question sample exam on the IAC website. Try out the sample exam before taking the Step 1 exam “for real”, and you’ll get an idea of your readiness. Here are some of the questions from the sample exam – you’ll see that they are pretty straightforward:

Sample Exam

Question #1: Advocate is best defined as

1. cheerleader.
2. fan.
3. supporter.
4. opponent.

Question #2: In coaching, active listening is characterized by all of the following except

1. articulating or paraphrasing.
2. attending to meaning.
3. screening out distractions.
4. listening for an opportunity to give praise.

Question #3: The Mastery which involves recognizing the client’s underlying abilities would be called

1. Perceiving and affirming the client’s potential.
2. Engaged listening.
3. Inviting possibility.
4. Clarifying.

BACC Coach Certification Program

Barbra — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:17:11 +0000

Note: the BACC program is now closed. We recommend the Coaching By Example CD series as it covers all the material previously offered in the BACC program.

We had a lively and informative Open House call yesterday. Here’s the recording, and the summary notes below.

Click here to listen…
Click here to download…

Q: Will I be certified at the end of this?

I don’t know, it all depends on you – where you are starting from in terms of your coaching skills, and how much work you put into it. Everybody’s at a different starting point.

Q: Will you actually be listening to our tapes and telling us which ones to submit to the IAC?

Yes and no. No. Under the terms of the IAC teaching license, I cannot do that. However, I will be listening to your coaching in the live classes and giving you feedback and letting you know where you measure up against the IAC certification standards.

I’ll also be teaching you how to score your own coaching sessions — much in the same way that the IAC Certifying Examiners do– against the IAC Masteries. I’ll be encouraging you to score all your sessions, and those of your triad partners. That way you learn how to do it yourself (“give a man a fish” vs “teach him to fish”)

Q: Will you teach how to do the recordings and submit to the IAC?

Yes indeed! I have arranged a service that has free bridge lines and free recordings for you. I have a video that shows you exactly how to do it. You’ll be surprised at how easy it actually is once you know how.

Q: How much time will it take me to be certified?

As I mentioned above, it depends on your starting skills and how much work you put into it. For people who come into the program with what I would call good coaching skills (about 60% level), the average length of time would be 6 – 8 months to raise your level to masterful coaching skills (80% and above level).

Q: Is there a Cole’s Notes version?

My whole way of teaching is the Cole’s Notes version :) I simplify and organize the material. Concise, straight-forward lessions explain exactly what you need to know, with no fluff.

Q: What’s the criteria for the scoring?

When the IAC Examiners listen to a tape, they score each Mastery from zero to five. So for the 9 Masteries, there’s a total of 45 possible points (9 x 5). Your total points are converted to a percentage, and you need to get >80% on each tape. If you pass one tape but not the other, you don’t have to start all over. Your passing tape is held in your file, and you just have to send in another tape (and and additional fee of $175).

Q: What’s the format of the BACC program?

- private members website
- 3 live teleclasses a month (first and third Wednesday of each month at 4 pm Eastern; second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm Eastern)
- all classes are recorded- discussion forum where you connect with triad and buddy partners for practice and taping
- free recording service and support for recording
- no start or stop dates: join whenever you want and leave whenever you want
- training in how to critique and assess against the IAC standards
- multimedia teaching format: audio, written transcripts, and videos
- dedicated support person to answer all your questions quickly

Note: the BACC program is now closed. We recommend the Coaching By Example CD series as it covers all the material previously offered in the BACC program.