International Association of Coaching Blog

Certification Barriers – Busted!

by Barbra Sundquist

OK, so you’re keen to get your IAC certification in 2009, but you perceive some barriers to getting those two passing tapes. Here are some suggestions to help you out.

Barrier #1:

I don’t have any paying clients to tape coaching sessions with.

Solution:

The tapes that you record for IAC certification don’t have to be with paying clients. You can coach anyone and submit those tapes. Many coaches record sessions with their buddy coach or triad partners. In fact, coaches make very good subjects for certification tapes because they tend to be very “coachable” (i.e. open, articulate and eager to take action).

Don’t know any coaches you could ask? Try attending a local coaches networking meeting, joining an online networking site such as Mastery Coach Exchange, or posting an invitation on a coach discussion board such as Coactive Network, NewCoachConnection or CoachTalk.

If you are enrolled in a training program, ask your instructors for suggestions. And don’t overlook your fellow students: they will likely be just as keen as you to link up with a practice partner.

Another option is to ask family, friends and colleagues if they would be interested in being coached, or if they would like to refer someone. You can say something like, “I’m working towards my coach certification. Normally I charge $X for a 30-minute coaching session, but I’d be willing to coach you for free (or a reduced rate) in exchange for letting me record the call.” And don’t be shy about asking – remember, you are giving them the gift of coaching!

Barrier #2:

I don’t have a way to make recordings.

Solution:

For years I have been recommending Audio Acrobat for making mp3 recordings. AudioAcrobat is great (it’s the service I use) but it costs $20 a month.

Here’s a free alternative: Calliflower is a new service that gives you a free bridge line and mp3 recording of your call.

Barrier #3:

I did my coach training using the 15 Proficiencies, and now the IAC is using the IAC Coaching Masteries™. Do I have to relearn everything?

Solution:

No, you don’t have to relearn everything. You can relax. Think of the IAC Coaching Masteries™ as being a big umbrella, under which most coaching models fit comfortably.

The skills you learned with the 15 Proficiencies (or other coaching models) will serve you well in the IAC certification process.

Not convinced? Consider for a moment the Mastery titles – such as Clarifying; Engaged Listening; Inviting Possibility. Doesn’t that sound like what most coaching schools teach? They may call the skills by different names, but the ideas remain the same.

So my question for you: will 2009 be your year for adding IAC-CC after your name? I sure hope so!

Barbra Sundquist, IAC-CC is a Certified Mentor Coach and former IAC certifying examiner. Barbra is re-opening her popular IAC certification membership program in January 2009. This program provides live classes, practice partners, feedback and assessment for a low monthly fee. To find out more, click here: http://www.becomeacertifiedcoach.com/join.htm.

Part 2 Certification Submissions

Attention all coaches mailing certification submissions for Part 2.  There has been an address change.  Please mail the submissions to:

IAC Certification
Box 341
Sorrento, BC V0E 2W0
Canada

 This includes the Waivers of Confidentiality. 

Recordings may also be emailed to certification@certifiedcoach.org.

Special Announcement on Certification Changes

Calling all coaches who have one more recording to submit for Certification:

If you passed one record coaching session using the Proficiencies in Part 2 of IAC Certification, you may still submit a third recording for review to complete Part 2 and become an IAC Certified Coach!

If you wish to have the additional recording scored using the Proficiencies, please submit your recording by April 30, 2008. If you would prefer your third recording be reviewed using the Masteries, regardless of when you submit the recording, you may request this. Please note that if the Masteries are used for this additional recording, you will need to receive an overall score of 80% or higher, and a score of 4 or higher on each of the Masteries.

Any recordings received after that April 30, 2008 will automatically be scored using the IAC Coaching Masteries (TM).

Five Most Common Coaching Mistakes

by Barbra Sundquist, IAC-CC

Recently someone asked me, "What are the five most common mistakes people make on their IAC certification tapes?" I thought about it for a moment, and then counted off in no particular order:

1. talking too much

2. rushing to solution

3. accepting at face value

4. holding back

5. telling, rather than asking

This is my list. Other certifiers may have a slightly different list. But if I could wave a magic wand, this is what I would love to hear:

1. more silence

2. seek to explore, not to solve

3. challenge assumptions

4. say what you're afraid to say

5. ask, rather than tell

1. More silence

Silence is a very powerful coaching skill. Nine times out of ten if you stay silent your client will eventually say something thoughtful or revelatory. They are using the silence to process their thoughts or access their intuition. That takes time, so don't rush them. The other benefit of allowing more silence is that you are less likely to interrupt or talk over your client.

Exercise: Make a big sign that says "WAIT" which stands for "Why Am I Talking?"

2. Seek to explore, not to solve

Jumping in too soon with advice or solutions is the most common mistake of new coaches. Most clients do not want your solution, at least not at first. They want you to help them explore all facets of their issue. If you do that, the 'solution' or next step will present itself naturally.

Exercise: practice asking only exploratory questions such as:

• "How do you feel about it?"

• "What have you tried already?"

• "How did that work for you?"

3. Challenge assumptions

Part of a coach's role is to challenge client assumptions, excuses or self-limiting beliefs. By doing that, we broaden their possibilities. And isn't that what coaching is all about?

Exercise: Listen for and challenge assumptions. Here are some examples:

Client says…	You respond…
"I couldn't…"	"why not?"
"Everyone knows…"	"who's everyone?"
"Of course x is true"	"who says?"
"I know that…"	"Is that a fact or an assumption?"

4. Say what you're afraid to say

Whether you call them inklings, intuition or "that little voice in your head", they're there for a reason. Don't be afraid to share those thoughts with your client. They often lead to breakthroughs.

I'll give you a personal example. When I started coaching I was very strong in some respects, but one thing I didn't do was challenge the status quo with the client. I was a little too polite. As a result I wasn't coaching to my full potential. And I wasn't giving my clients what they deserve.

That changed the day I finally said what I was afraid to say. My client was complaining that his wife was so negative. What immediately popped into my head was "that's ironic, because you're one of the most negative people I know".

In that moment I had to decide whether to keep coaching at the "nice chat" level or to go deeper. I decided to take the plunge. Of course, I didn't just blurt out what was in my head. That would have been hurtful.

Instead, I said, "There's something that I'd like to share with you, but it might be hard for you to hear. Do you feel up to hearing it today?"

When he agreed, I said "It's interesting to hear you talk about your wife's negativity. Because my experience of you is that you are quite often negative, too."

We ended up having the most productive coaching call ever. In fact, he had a major breakthrough. From that point on, I was a changed coach.

Exercise: Listen for that little voice in your head and be fearless in sharing it with your client. Then notice how you feel about your effectiveness as a coach.

5. Ask, don't tell

Coaching is primarily about asking, not about telling.

TELL	ASK (better)
You need x.	What do you think you need?
You're an introvert.	Are you an introvert?
You're obviously feeling better.	How are you feeling?

 Exercise: Record and transcribe a short coaching session. Then rewrite, converting "tell" statements into "ask" questions.

 
 

About the author: Barbra Sundquist is an IAC Certifier and Certified Mentor Coach who enjoys demystifying the whole certification process. To pre-register for Barbra's brand new 11-CD IAC Masteries self-study program, please go to www.BecomeACertifiedCoach.com 

What's New in the IAC's Coach Certification System?

by Barbra Sundquist, IAC-CC

The IAC Certifying Team is excited to announce that as of July 1, 2007 we will be using the IAC Coaching Masteries™ to evaluate certification submissions (and for the balance of 2007 you can still elect to be evaluated using the 15 Proficiencies - more about that below).

To bring you up to date…

When the draft Coaching Masteries™ were released in January 2007, the Certifying Team began doing "dual" scoring. This means that we scored tapes twice – first against the 15 Proficiencies, and then against the Coaching Masteries™. The score that applicants received was the 15 Proficiencies score (because the Coaching Masteries™ were not yet the official scoring system).

Why have we been doing dual scoring?

For the past six months we've been doing dual scoring to compare the scores received under the "old system" (the 15 Proficiencies) with scores received under the "new system" (the Coaching Masteries™ ). We wanted to determine if there were any problems with the application of the Coaching Masteries™ and if the scores obtained under the two systems would differ significantly in any way.

What did we discover while using the Coaching Masteries™?

The certifiers found that they could score quite easily using the draft Coaching Masteries™. Each of the nine Masteries has a full page description that gives specific indicators of the behaviors and results that would occur when the Mastery is used at a masterful level. We used the same 1 – 5 point scale as we have been using with the 15 Proficiencies, with 5 points indicating "highly effective" use of the Mastery.

Generally speaking, the scores between the Coaching Masteries™ and the 15 Proficiencies were consistent to within a few percentage points. Although we weren't necessarily aiming to have consistency between the two scoring systems, the results do underscore our belief that "great coaching is great coaching", no matter what scoring system is used.

Having said that, we did notice a few places where there is some variability based on scoring of specific masteries vs. specific proficiencies. For example, in the Coaching Masteries™ there is a greater emphasis on appropriate use of silence than in the 15 Proficiencies. So a coach who has a problem with silence may only see that reflected to a minor degree in their 15 Proficiency scoring, whereas it would "score them down" more heavily under the Coaching Masteries™ . On the other hand, under the 15 Proficiencies there is a specific Proficiency that measures "navigating via curiosity". An applicant could blow an entire Proficiency (and many do!) by failing to demonstrate a curious attitude. In contrast, while the Coaching Masteries™ do measure curiosity, it is just part of one Mastery and does not have as great an effect on the applicant's overall results.

We did make some recommendations for changes

During the past six months while the certifiers were doing dual scoring, we noticed some areas of the Masteries that needed tweaking. For instance, there were some behaviors that were duplicated in two or more Masteries. The problem with that is that it tends to "double-credit" or "double-penalize" an applicant. We wanted to avoid that.

The certifiers spent many hours testing and discussing these types of application issues and made recommendations to the IAC Board for changes in wording (most of the recommendations were minor wording changes). We're happy to report that the Board has accepted and endorsed all of our recommendations.

We're now ready to do "real" scoring using the Coaching Masteries™

Yippee! Starting July 1, 2007 the Coaching Masteries™ will be the official IAC scoring instrument. That means that unless you specify otherwise, your tapes will be evaluated using the Coaching Masteries™. You do have the option of being evaluated under the 15 Proficiencies until the end of 2007. If you want us to use the 15 Proficiencies in scoring your tapes, you must specify that in writing at the time of your application.

And since I know someone will ask… no, you can't have your tapes scored under both systems and then pick the highest marks!

All members have access to the same descriptions of the Masteries that the certifiers use. As a result, we feel that it will be easier for applicants to choose which of their tapes to submit for certification.

Best of luck to everyone!

 
 

About the author: Barbra Sundquist is an IAC Certifier and Certified Mentor Coach who enjoys demystifying the whole certification process! To pre-register for Barbra's brand new 11-CD IAC Masteries self-study program, please go to www.BecomeACertifiedCoach.com.