Coach Express

By Sheri Boone, ICA Training Manager

“ACTO exists to be stewards of high quality coach training now and in the future. As stewards we continue to explore, challenge and evolve the meaning and principles of quality coaching training.”

The Association of Coach Training Organizations, of which ICA is a member, held their annual conference in SeaTac, Washington, USA, April 23 - 25, 2010. I was excited to attend and represent our excellent school. There were 35 people present representing 23 schools and the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Over the 2.5 days, we engaged in conversation about how we come together to support and advance the study and the practice of coaching. We discussed best practices for certifying coaches and for assessing credential applicants to ICF. In the spirit of cooperation and joining together, the mood was collaborative and positive. We worked on our vision and purpose statement for the upcoming year, confirmed working groups and elected the Board of Directors.

In addition, the ICF leadership present, confirmed the decision of the Board to keep the existing 3-tier credentialing system in place until January 2012. This does not mean that the 3-tier system will disappear in January 2012. It only means that anyone planning to apply for one of the existing credentials can rely on the stability of the existing 3-tier system through that time.

By participating in the conference ICA continues to be a leader in the conversation that promotes and advances professional coach training around the globe. We are a strong voice and it’s great to be aligned with others in putting it forward.

Last month we announced an opportunity to save over $500 on the full price of our coach training program. 

Since then we have had many students enrol and they are all now active students in our Certified Professional Coach Program.  Most have attended their first teleclass, and are all on their way to becoming certified professional coaches. 

We know there is still an enormous amount of interest in this offer so we have extended it until midnight on the 30th April.  If you have been thinking about training as a coach, now is the time to act.

Enroll by April 30th and save over $500 on our Certified Professional Coach Program

–> http://tinyurl.com/Professional-Coach

Find out what is involved in training, learn more about the coaching industry and discover opportunities for employment or setting up a business.

This week our host Bill Turpin, will be joined by our Global Training Manager, Sheri Boone and ICA Trainer and Assessment Coordinator, Jamee Tenzer.  Bill be asking questions specific to our training and assessment process and will welcome questions from all participants.

You may want to know the answer to some of these questions, or you may have a question of your own:

• Is coaching for you?
• How long is the program?
• What coaching skills will I learn?
• What business skills will I learn?
• Will I get a coach myself as part of the program?
• What are the assessments?
• What is a teleclass like?
• Is online learning going to be right for me?

All the answers to these and many more questions will be answered throughout this call.

So come along, meet us and bring your questions with you!

When: Wednesday, 28 April, 2010
Time: 8pm NY EDT
Phone No: +1 512 597 6253
Access Code: 893765#
Cost: Free

Or by registering via the link below you can leave a question that you would like answered during the call.

Register here

by Bronwyn Bowery Ireland

We have been spending time over the last month working on our strategic plan, and are now turning it into an operations plan.  It has been a great process for us as we map out our activities and business for the year ahead.

Now, I have to admit I am not great at working through all the detail involved.  I like the idea of setting goals and describing how we do that. But once it goes to a deeper level than this I start to lose focus on the big picture and where we need to head. 

Thank goodness I have the most amazing Operations Manager who is skilled beyond belief in the area of creating an operations plan. I have often thought that perhaps I need to train myself more in this area but then that would take me away from my strengths and not provide an opportunity for someone else to demonstrate their strength. 

I have found that one of the greatest ways for us to achieve our strategies is to be really honest about our strengths and to know other people’s strengths on the team. We are often in a meeting and identify a strength we need for a particular task and then we ask a person with that strength to support us. It works so beautifully. What I have noticed the most is that this makes everyone feel confident as we are working to people’s areas of competency. 

It did however take me a long time to recognise this. After many years of going through interviews and performance appraisals in other organisations, I found that my focus was always taken to my weaknesses or the areas I was not strong in. I would try and up skill, take on all sorts of new systems or ways to transform myself only to end up at the same place each time - failure. It was a very demoralising journey each time, corroding into my self esteem and inevitably my confidence. 

Through focusing on my strengths my confidence increased and I was able to be more open and honest about what I could do successfully. Imagine a workplace full of people operating in a confident manner. I now feel like that is the workplace I am in. Everyone is working towards their strengths. If something doesn’t feel aligned with their strengths then they turn to others who can do the task. It creates an amazing energy flow in the organisation too. 

Over the next couple of weeks I would like to share our strategic plan with you so you know where we are heading and to keep you updated on how we are tracking. It is going to be one huge exciting year.  

If you would like to share your strengths with me, I would love that. It’s an opportunity to see the greatness in you and that is a wonderful feeling for both of us.  You can email me at bron.bi@icoachacademy.com

Join Anodea Judith (Ground breaking thinker, writer, and spiritual teacher) who will share her insight into humanity’s path from power to love.  Hosted by Leon VanderPol, ICA trainer, this teleseminar will explore the chakra system as a map for personal evolution.  In particular,

•  the shift in humanity from the love of power to the power of love
• the dying off of the old system, to make way for the new,

Not to be missed, this teleseminar promises to enlighten us and shift our way of thinking towards the power of love.

Tell me more -> http://tinyurl.com/anodea-judith

** Teleseminar Details **

Topic: Waking the Global Heart: Humanity’s path from Power to Love

When: Wednesday, 14 April, at 12.00pm (midday) New York EST

Host: Leon VanderPol

Guest: Anodea Judith

Cost: No cost

Register Now -> http://tinyurl.com/anodea-judith

Note: The registration page (above) will also provide you with time conversions for your nearest capital city.

by Bronwyn Bowery Ireland

The coaching profession has been around now for quite a few years. For some people coaching may still be a new concept. However as people come to understanding the skills required to be a coach - the coaching profession, they also understand how these skills have many applications - the coaching process. 

The two concepts are as follows:

• 1. The coaching profession is about the training of coaches to be accredited professionals.
• 2. The coaching process is about the application of coaching concepts and skills into other contexts other than a coaching session. 

Take, for example, the skill of asking questions. Coaching is built around asking open-ended questions that shift the thinking of the client to see other perspectives and possibilities. However great questions in the middle of a strategic meeting, a marketing campaign, an argument, a consultation with a doctor or a conversation with a child can change the outcome of the conversation completely. Great questions in a meeting can completely change the outcome of the action to be taken. We have all heard about how great moments in history were created by the asking of a great question. 

Other concepts from coaching can be applied, such as acknowledgement. This is the practice of seeing the greatness in a person and telling them about it. Acknowledgement is not a compliment, which is the giving of our opinion to someone. Imagine spending each day, interacting with people, and focusing on seeing the greatness in them. This activity would totally change the way you see people and how you interact with them. A group of HR managers from some large multinational companies were recently in a room together. They were talking about how the culture of some of their workplaces was quite challenging. They mentioned that they wanted to bring about a coaching culture in their organisation but weren’t sure how to do this. We discussed designing a plan to do this, but for now they could begin by modelling coaching culture behaviour. The first step could be by acknowledging every person they talk to at work and looking for the greatness in that person. This perspective would create a change in the interactions they have. This has been done in other situations and over time the result has been that people observe that they feel good around people who acknowledge them and so they enjoy working with them. 

The critical element here is that using coaching concepts outside of coaching does not make you a coach but instead a more self aware person. Coaching after all is about increasing an understanding of ourselves. It is not about the practice of coaching others. To be a coach requires many hours of training and great skill.

To be more self aware means that each person you meet you are making an impact in their lives.

“The ENERGY from the conference was so powerful that I was still walking in clouds later that evening.”  That’s just a sample of the positive feedback we received from our first-ever conference exploring New Ways of Working.  Sponsored in part by Adecco HR services, the day-long event drew over 70 people, many of them ICA students and graduates who had travelled great distances to be a part of this event.

KICKING off the day was MC Bill Turpin, followed by CEO, Bronwyn Bowery-Ireland, who inspired us with her keynote on the ME and the WE of coaching and how this powerful process is making a difference in the world.  Then onto 3 workshops facilitated by Kurt Stewart, Sheri Boone and Bill Turpin, with breaks for tea, snacks and a sumptuous luncheon buffet. 

As the DAY progressed, our students and other attendees reminded us over and over again of the impact we all have here at ICA and the special connection and community we all uphold for each other.  Everyone talked about the ICA staff not present and thow they appreciate everyone who reaches out to support them. 

We CONCLUDED the day with a lively panel discussion on the Power Tools of coaching, especially those featured in Bronwyn’s new book, This vs That - Change how you see your world, launched at this event with a book signing that evening.  The panel discussion was hosted by Robyn Logan, panel members Bill, Sheri, Bronwyn, Merci Miglino and alumni Beate Richter shared their favorite power tool and answered questions from participants.

Our special THANKS to the spirit, drive and energy from our COO, Sally Bridger, No#1 all around techno-artist guys, Steve Bowery-Ireland and Mike Hall, Global Manager - Chinese Program, Pin Hsuan Chen and Lillian Zhang, for her amazing organisational skills and the detail divas, Gwen Nolten-Roque and Amanda Christo. And an extra special thanks to those students and graduates who coached people in the break times, providing insight into coaching for some for the first time.

And THANKS go to all the generous staff that pitched in and kept things going for the ICA community throughout the world.  Now we set our sights of the next conference in India, this fall.  So stay tuned!

Our entire team in Shanghai, China.

From Bottom Left to Right: Lillian Zhang, Robyn Logan, Kurt Stewart, Bill Turpin, Merci Miglino, Sheri Boone, Amanda Christo

From Bottom Top Left to Right: Gwen Nolten-Roque, Sally Bridger, Kang Kai, Echo Yu, Bronwyn Bowery-Ireland, Pin Hsuan Chen. 

Photographer: Steve Bowery-Ireland

We want to give you a heads up that, as of the 31st March, the prices of our coaching training programs will increase. We had delayed this price increase for as long as possible but, by letting you know in advance, you have the option to save over $500 USD on our Certified Professional Coach Program (CPCP). If you have ever considered coaching as a career, or addition to your existing skills, then now is the time to act. Our program is completely flexible so it would be entirely up to you with regard to when you actually start your training. But, you would need to register by the 31st March to take advantage of the pre price rise saving. Payment plans are also available on application.

To find out more about the Certified Professional Coach Program, including pricing options, please email training@icoachacademy.com

Internationally Accredited Program
International Coach Academy (ICA) offers an internationally accredited coach training program and represents excellent ‘value for money’. Immediately upon enrollment you become a member of the ICA community, and are support throughout your studies.

What happens when I enrol?
Within 24 hours of registration you receive

* Password protected logins
…. to access your program content, lectures, academic calendars, resources and discussion forums

* Membership to the ICA community
….including graduates, students, staff and volunteers located in over 70 countries

* Access to the Peer Coaching Program
….an opportunity to coach and be coached

* Access to Communities of Practice
… where you can connect and learn with like minded students in your niche of choice.

*Lifetime membership to ICA community

*Personal contact from our Student Support Team
…including a student buddy to support you as you get started, and an invitation to join a ‘getting connected’ teleclass to help you familiarise yourself with your learning environment and your community

Why choose ICA?
People come to coaching as a way of making a contribution to the world, of creating change - within themselves, their family, their community, their country, even the planet. Every coach brings a special and unique gift to coaching and to the world.

So, why should you join ICA? Find out what people are saying about us…

Jeanne Webster, USA
www.straysthebook.com

One of the most important things I understood, but never really knew or applied is that everyone is gifted, everyone is wise, everyone knows their own answers, but not everyone can get there on their own.

Sometimes it takes a good coach to brush the leaves from the path and lead them back to themselves. Society as a whole tends to search outside themselves for the answers that you only find within. I learned a great coach is more than a skilled guide, they are also a sharp intuition, a gut feel, a compassionate listener,and an advocate mixed with a professional armed with the right skills and tools themselves. I’ve learned the best coaches are the best and most willing learners. They are willing to shift perspective, reframe, and be gentle in their insistance and persistance. I learned to discern rather than judge and that there is no right and wrong, but only another way

Peter Strijdonk, China
www.small-steps-coaching.com
I love that feeling of an international community at ICA, lots of people with different stories and experiences, with a lot of room for different opinions and views in mutual respect. For me the ICA program was the vehicle on a journey of change.

Jefri Franks, USA
www.jefrifranks.com

In my experience, ICA has exceptional instructors. They come from a vast array of life experiences and are creative and inspiring in their approaches to the materials.

Some of the most valuable things I’ve learned through ICA are: Coaching is not about giving advice or suggestions! Within the client are all the answers, my job is to help uncover them. Powerful questions, requests and feedback move people forward. Coaching is patient as well as provocative. Coaching is an art. Coaching is a valuable service to offer my fellow human beings and there are infinite avenues to deliver it!

Derek Tran, Japan
www.riverskycoaching.com

Several years ago I did some soul searching and found that I was in need of a change with the direction of my life. Something challenging, mind and soul stimulating and rewarding in all aspects. After doing some research on the web and speaking to several friends, I discovered ICA.

My journey with ICA has been a ’six star by far’ experience. It is fantastic being surrounded and supported by wonderful trainers and students with similar goals and values and seeing first hand the differene the coaching process can make.

If you would like further information, or would like to speak with an enrollment consultant about coach training options, please email training@icoachacademy.com.

Last week 51 students graduated from our Certified Professional Coach Program (CPCP). As with every graduation, it is a special time to reflect on our achievements; the achievements of our students, our trainers, our support staff, and the whole ICA community. I welcome each graduate into our Alumni and look forward to working with you.

During our graduation ceremony I spoke about the opportunities for positivity and possibility. I had been watching a documentary on television about a school that had a religious divide. Some students belonged to a certain religion and had certain beliefs and behaviours. One day the school decided to hold a discussion calling in all the students around 18 years of age to discuss this divide. The students entered the room and sat in groups according to their views. The room ended up having one side completely for the religious group and the other opposed to the behaviours of the religious group. The discussion or rather debate went on for about an hour with a great amount of heated conversation. The school had invited a speaker who was of the religious group but had decided to stand out and not follow their behaviours.
Read the rest of this entry »

On March 1 we celebrated our first graduation for 2010, with 51 students from 17 countries, graduating and joining our wonderful alumni community.

Congratulations to you all!

Our March graduates celebrated the successful completion of the Certified Professional Coach (CPC) program with family and friends along with their peers and ICA staff.

We welcome the following March graduates to our Alumni Community: Read the rest of this entry »