International Association of Coaching Blog

IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 41, November 2009, Circulation 13,330

Linda From the Editor In today's issue of the IAC VOICE, we welcome President-Elect Bob Tschannen-Moran as a regular contributor. Starting in January he will be writing the President's Message, and until then he will have other IAC news to share. Current President Angela Spaxman is reflecting on the power of collaboration, and its role in the IAC strategy process that continues with two calls in January. She also has some news about the website. If you're looking for a compelling story, look no further than our first feature article from Story Coach Lisa Bloom. Kim Clausen and Jonathan Tessier provide our business-building tips this month, with their strategies for using workshops to grow your business. Lead Certifier Natalie Tucker Miller unveils the new Ask the Certifiers format of the Inside Scoop column, with the very tricky distinction of encouraging versus cheerleading. And in today's Coaching Moments, Janice Hunter invites you to question your assumptions and be willing to receive something even better. She gives Disney a run for their money with her own expert storytelling – especially fitting with our feature article about story coaching! Enjoy the issue, and please note that submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website, including submission dates for our upcoming issues. I would love to receive your article submissions by November 16th for the December 10th issue, or by December 14th for the January 8th issue. Please contact me with your article ideas and your feedback about this issue. Warm wishes, Linda Linda Dessau, CPCC Editor, IAC VOICE Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org Comment Now Angela From the President by Angela Spaxman president@certifiedcoach.org IAC Strategy Process and the Future of Collaboration One of the key words emerging from our current strategy process is collaboration. This word is both attractive and challenging. The extent to which we are willing to be guided by this word will be the extent to which we can create what we most want for coaching and the world. It indicates the trend of our times, as by necessity the world must work together to achieve our joint aims. Our strategic goals are not for us to "be the best" (implying competition) but for us to "create the best" (through collaboration). We can do that most effectively when we collaborate with the other people who want what we want—and there are literally millions of them. Coaches are good at collaborating since we do this with our clients all the time. But how well can we collaborate with each other, even when we disagree? How do we feel about collaborating with so-called competitors such as other coaching associations? Are we mature enough to stand up for our own values while respecting and even supporting others? Are our goals compelling enough to entice the best collaborators worldwide to work with us? I'm asking myself these questions as we enter the next phase of our strategy process. So far we've worked on our vision—what we want for coaching and the IAC. I outlined the main points last month. We're now working with all the ideas we've collected so far to create a coherent vision which will be ready next month. Next we will be asking how we will make that vision a reality and we've scheduled two calls in January 2010 to brainstorm and collect ideas. Once again this will be a chance to share with fellow IAC members worldwide in two stimulating conversations led by Dave Ellis. Please mark your calendars. I am keen to understand you and collaborate with you. Strategy Call #4 (IAC members only): Jan 12, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (01/12/2010) OR Jan 14, 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time (01/14/2010) Please click here to register for the calls or to receive the recordings. Other News IAC Chapters are the most direct ways for us to collaborate to support each other, improve our coaching and our businesses. We've updated our web page so that you can now find our virtual chapters more easily. Take a look here, and follow the links to join a Chapter or start a new one. The IAC Website Make-Over Committee has been reading dozens of proposals to select a contractor who will help us add features and usability to our website. It's proving to be an amazing learning opportunity for the Committee. We're still looking for web-savvy people to help us with this exciting project. The work will begin before the end of the year. To find out more, email Communications Committee Chair Sue Brundege. Cheers, Angela Spaxman President, IAC Email: president@certifiedcoach.org Web: www.lovingworkandleading.com Comment Now From the President-Elect: IAC Meet-Up at the ICF Conference in Orlando As President-Elect of the IAC, I want to begin by introducing myself, inviting dialogue, and announcing an opportunity to meet at the ICF Conference in Orlando. A little about me: After graduating from Yale Divinity School in 1979, I worked for about 20 years as a pastor before becoming a full-time coach. I’ve loved every minute of coaching and was certified by the IAC in 2005. What a privilege we have to be learning professionals! Whether it is in the most personal of life coaching relationships or in largest of organizational contexts, to come up alongside our clients and to share in their journey is quite an opportunity. Like every coach, I’ve learned as much from my clients as they’ve learned from me. You can read more about my background and work by visiting www.LifeTrekCoaching.com. Inviting dialogue: I have so enjoyed and appreciated the work that we are doing through the Strategy process. So many great ideas are surfacing that will serve us well for years to come. Our President, Angela Spaxman, has spearheaded a great process here that will leave quite a legacy. As we move forward, I promise to do my best to follow in her footsteps and to support the continued evolution of the IAC. Please do not hesitate to write me with your ideas, questions, and suggestions at any point in time: PresidentElect@certifiedcoach.org. Invitation to meet in Orlando: Several of us from the IAC, including Joan Marie Johnson, Kristi Arndt and myself, will be attending the ICF Conference in Orlando during the first week in December. If you will be in attendance, please let me know so we can connect. The IAC is hosting a get-together on Thursday evening, December 3, 2009 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, 9939 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819. We will watch the video, “Celebrate What’s Right With The World” by National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones, and use the occasion to appreciate what the IAC has to offer in the coaching world. Whether or not you are attending the ICF Conference, if you're in the Orlando area you can attend the IAC gathering on Thursday and we would love to meet up with you. Please RSVP to PresidentElect@certifiedcoach.org so we can reserve the right size room at the Resort. That’s enough for now. I hope to see you in Orlando and/or to hear from you soon. May you be filled with goodness, peace and joy.   Bob Tschannen-Moran, MDiv, IAC-CC, CWC www.LifeTrekCoaching.com PresidentElect@certifiedcoach.org     Comment Now New IAC Coaching Masteries® licensed schools and mentors Name City State Country IAC-CC   IMPACT COACHING ACADEMY San Jose CA United States No View Details Dream Facilitators - Hypnotic Mastery Coach Training Parksville BC Canada No View Details Comment Now IAC Certified Coaches Congratulations to Jan O’Brien from Houston, TX, USA who recently passed her Step 2 Exam and became an IAC-Certified Coach! Comment Now Story Coaching – A Powerful Combination for Success! by Lisa Bloom, MBA, PCC Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, the stepmother was ugly but good, and the princess was beautiful but mean! What would you do if you could rewrite the classic stories of your childhood? What if Cinderella forgot to leave the ball at midnight, the prince hated her in peasant clothes and the whole kingdom laughed her out of the palace? What if they thought she was a witch because she transformed herself, and that she ought to be drowned? What if all that time spent sweeping the chimney gave her consumption and the spoiled prince couldn’t stand the sound of her coughing? What if they didn’t actually get on very well and fought constantly? What if Cinderella had fallen for a princess instead? Here are some broader questions about storytelling, which we will answer in this article: Why is storytelling experiencing a dynamic revival and how is that relevant to coaching? Why do we love stories so much and how can they transform our lives and business? What is the role of storytelling in coaching and why is it becoming such a hot topic in business? Storytelling is an age-old tradition in every culture. It happens in many different settings, around the fire, over the washing of clothes in the river or by the well. It is the way people have connected and shared their lives with each other since the beginning of time. Throughout the generations, communities have passed down their stories from parent to child, preserving their history and culture, recording their experiences. In The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations, author Stephen Denning says, "Stories provide continuity in our lives, conveying a sense of where we have come from, our history and our heritage…through stories, our values and principals have been passed from one generation to another." We now live in a world where there is a huge reliance on technology and where there is a vast amount of knowledge on every subject readily available to huge populations of people. In spite of this, or perhaps as a result of this, storytelling as an art form is in the midst of a revival world-wide. People are craving the simplicity of traditional storytelling. Annette Simmons in The Story Factor says, "Information simply leaves us feeling incompetent and lost. We don’t need more information. We need to know what it means. We need a story that explains what it means and makes us feel like we fit in there somewhere." We are fascinated by stories and instinctively understand and experience the power of both telling and listening to stories. Storytelling is being used more and more in therapeutic environments, increasingly recognised as a powerful tool to help people better understand themselves and make positive changes in their lives. There has been an explosion of interest in social media, human development, and coaching as a profession; people are searching for connection on so many levels; they are looking for truth and a sense that their life has meaning. "When you tell a story that touches me, you give me the gift of human attention – the kind that connects me to you, that touches my heart and makes me feel more alive……We crave something that is real or at least feels real...", according to Annette Simmons in The Story Factor. Storytelling is the perfect complement to the coaching process, helping us answer the questions we bring into coaching. On one level, storytelling gives the coach an additional tool to get to a level of understanding or awareness which may be inaccessible to the client. This level may be blocked for many reasons; through listening to a story, the client can hear and subsequently deal with more difficult issues. On another level, we are all storytellers and our narrative is the story of how we talk of our lives. As we experience life, we "tell" it. We pass along almost every event that happens to us–as an anecdote, complaint or amusing tableside story–sometimes lightly and sometimes purposefully and with interpretation. And in the "telling," in the narrative we choose, we define the experience. When we look closely at the narrative and examine the stories we choose to tell, we begin to understand how committed we can become to these stories. We also understand the fascinating potential to create new and better stories–stories that empower us and allow us create a more fulfilling reality. Businesses in every industry, including coaching, are discovering that as we develop our storytelling skills, we learn how to better market our services by creating our own compelling story–the authentic story of what we can offer. It is the story that people remember, it is the story that has the potential to attract clients, it is the story that is becoming increasingly recognized as an effective business tool. Likewise, as we develop advanced "storylistening" skills, we can better understand the stories that our prospective clients tell us. From that, our sales and marketing process becomes more exact and this helps us grow our business and break through to a new level of success.      Lisa Bloom, MBA, PCC, founder of Story Coach Inc., is the creator of "Cinderella and the Coach – the Power of Storytelling for Coaching Success," an ICF-accredited continuing education program. Visit www.story-coach.com to download the free e-book, "5 Common Mistakes People Make That a Good Story Can Fix," or contact lisa@story-coach.com.        Comment Now Three Strategies for Using Workshops to Grow Your Business by Kim Clausen and Jonathan Tessier Workshops are a powerful tool for growing a coaching business. Used effectively, workshops can generate substantial additional income, establish you as a creditable expert in your market, attract more prospects into your business, and convert participants to clients. Plus you get the satisfaction of providing a valuable service that impacts the lives of those you serve. Here are three powerful strategies that you can use to create, market and facilitate more impactful workshops: Strategy #1 – Make Your Workshops Compelling Learning should never be regarded as something that’s boring, agonizing, or tedious. What makes the idea of learning a turn-off for so many is their past experiences of being lectured to with no opportunity to participate. For learning to be effective, workshop participants need to be actively engaged in the learning process. For example, at the beginning of any workshop, make sure to warm up your participants so they are receptive to learning. Preparing participants this way will establish positive feelings, generate interest, and get them primed for the learning that’s about to take place. The easiest way to prime your participants for learning is with an icebreaker activity that loosens up the participants and makes them feel comfortable. Another strategy to make workshops compelling is to present new information to participants in a way that requires active involvement. Traditional techniques such as lecturing should only be used as a last resort – never your main vehicle for delivering content. Once new information has been presented, let participants reflect on, discuss, and actively experience what they are gaining. And finally, participants need some time to reflect on their experiences from the workshop and apply what they have learned. Reviewing and then applying what has been learned is critical for long-term retention. Strategy #2 - Market for Maximum Attendance Once you have designed a compelling workshop, the next step is to get people to attend. Using proven marketing strategies to fill your workshops will give you a much higher attendance rate, greater client conversions, repeat customers, and lifelong friends! Here are a few tips for filling your workshops: Target your marketing: Typically, coaches struggle with filling their workshops because their marketing is random rather than targeted, with activities like posting fliers, running miscellaneous ads, and sending a single email to their potpourri list of contacts. In order to get the best results for your workshop, focus your efforts toward a specific market so that you can speak their language, get their attention, and deliver compelling workshops that meet their greatest needs. “Touch” frequently and regularly: The best way to have maximum attendance at your workshops is to start marketing early by “touching” (contacting) your prospects numerous times in advance, offering them free, value-added products and services about a related topic. For example, you could offer a special report, an article, an audio product or a teleseminar. The key is to send several messages, giving your prospect more opportunities to become familiar with you, like you, trust you, and be willing to invest in your workshop. Compel them to act: In today’s market of constant bombardment and media overload, it is more important than ever that your marketing efforts “rise above the noise” so you can be seen and heard, and capture the attention of your market. In order to effectively capture your market’s attention, create compelling offers with incentives, deadlines or bonuses. Strategy #3: Deliver a Workshop That Makes an Impact When facilitating a workshop or training program, the number one element for success is to make the learning experience be all about the learner. Facilitation is not about being the "sage on the stage," but instead, about being simply a "guide on the side." In workshops, effective facilitators manage the learning process as well as each and every learner within it, and create a setting where discussion, interaction, and learning can take place. The best news is that anyone can lead powerful workshops that produce positive results, once you've mastered some basic facilitation techniques. Workshops are a powerful tool to grow a coaching business. Learning programs such as workshops, teletrainings and seminars allow you to reach your market with a valuable service that impacts both the lives of those you serve, and your bottom line.   Kim Clausen is the President of Ready2Go Marketing Solutions, Inc., a company that creates ready-made workshops, teleseminars, speeches and other materials that coaches can brand as their own to grow their business. Kim is a professionally-trained coach who has more than 20 years of marketing and business development experience.          Jonathan Tessier, Senior Instructional Designer with Ready2Go Marketing Solutions, Inc., is a successful training manager, professional coach, and award-winning instructional designer with more than 10 years experience creating quality training programs. For more information about creating, marketing and facilitating workshops, call 303-465-0454 or visit www.Ready2GoMarketingSolutions.com and download our free training materials.     Comment Now This column is provided by an IAC Coaching Masteries®-Licensed School or Mentor. The Influential Difference by Joseph Liberti The following is an excerpt from Chapter 17 of the upcoming book, Coaching Emotional Intelligence: A foundation for HR professionals, internal coaches, trainers and consultants, by Joseph Liberti. Once your student sits down in your classroom, what will make the greatest difference in how much she will learn? Once the coaching conversation begins with your client, what will have the greatest influence on his progress? You! You are the influential difference in learning, change and growth. That is true about the facilitator of any subject, and it is especially true in the development of emotional intelligence. To understand your influence, consider that two elements that are involved in determining your results when you conduct coaching or training are: • What you do, and • How you are being when you do it. What you do is important because that provides necessary support for you and your clients or learners. Presenting the right information, in the right sequence, with the right materials are examples of things that are important for you to do to get good results. How you are being when you do those things makes all the difference. Your way of being, the nature and quality of your behavior, has the single greatest influence on outcomes in your training and your coaching. Nothing that you can do will be more powerful than that. So how must you be to most positively influence learning? The three ways you must be, to most powerfully influence learning outcomes are: 1. Be present 2. Be connected 3. Be contextual Be present What does being present mean to you? When I have asked that question of my students they respond with things like “being in the moment” or “being in the now.” Let’s agree for this conversation that being present is being mentally, physically and emotionally focused on each moment. To be present, you have to be here in his moment—not in the past or future but right now. So that means you cannot be focused on the future as when you are thinking, “oh my goodness, what do I do next? You cannot be focused on the past, as when you are still caught up in the thoughts and feelings of a disagreement you had just before class or your coaching session started. You cannot be focused on other problems, deadlines or whatever. Now those things sound obvious. What’s not so obvious, and frequently happens unconsciously, is losing your focus on the present because you are caught up in an emotional agenda. For example, it’s possible to have an emotional agenda around being approved of. Fear, perhaps of being rejected, has you focused on getting people to like you rather than being focused on being present to the needs of your audience and being effective. What is important about being present? When you are present you can tune in acutely to your client or audience. You can really hear the meaning behind the words they say. You can respond instead of reacting, choosing the most appropriate and effective things to say and do. Being present, moment-to-moment is easier said than done. What enables one to be present? The skills that enable one to focus on this moment are skills of emotional intelligence. If you are emotionally self-aware that means that you are tuned in to you—you are recognizing the emotions that are influencing your thoughts and actions. If you are also effective at emotional self-management, you can be fully available to your clients or students. You must be tuned in and connected to yourself first, in order to be tuned in to, and make full connection with, somebody else. If you are aware of what your emotions are and are able to manage yourself by being a compassionate witness to your emotions, but not have them dictate your behavior, you can be fully present. For example, you may feel anxious and think “I must perform,” so that people will approve of you. Or, you may think, “I hope I’m doing this right.” To experience the feeling of anxiety, to sense and acknowledge your feeling and to be able to stay in the moment, is what’s required to be present. So, your emotional skills, including emotional self-awareness, and emotional self-management are critical to staying present. What disables being in the present is denial or avoidance of your emotions. For example, you may have had thoughts like this: “I am anxious about this presentation today. But I’ve been told to leave my emotions at home and put them behind me and I’m not going to pay any attention to that fear. I’m not really afraid anyway. That’s nonsense, that fear stuff. Come on, I’m able to get past that.” That’s how we were trained by our society and our workplaces to think and act, but it doesn’t work. What does work is to witness the emotion, to acknowledge the emotion and to regulate or command the emotion instead of having it command you. That doesn’t mean denial or avoidance. That means staying present to your experience. And the degree to which you can stay present to your experience is communicated to your audience whether that audience is one or one thousand. That demonstration of being present teaches very powerfully. You are providing your client or audience the vicarious experience of being emotionally aware, self-managing and present. There’s no other way to equal that level of power in teaching and coaching.   Joseph Liberti is the founder of EQ At Work, an organization that trains and certifies emotional intelligence coaches and trainers. If you would like to read the full chapter, "The Influential Difference," contact jliberti@eqatwork.com or www.eqatwork.com.   Comment Now   What's Wrong with Cheerleading, Anyway? by Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC A change in leadership often includes subtle changes that reflect the style of the new leader. This month, Nina East’s VOICE column, The Inside Scoop, goes through some changes as I humbly step in to position of Lead Certifier. Lessons from the Certifiers will be replaced with a new format, Ask the Certifiers. We often hear from coaches who have questions about specific aspects of their coaching and how it conforms to the IAC Coaching Masteries®. Sometimes these questions arise following a recording that did not receive a passing score, or when a coach is unclear as to how to interpret the Masteries Note Card and they seek further clarification. Other questions include the best path to learning the Masteries or technical questions regarding the entire process from start-to-finish! This column will serve to answer those questions posed by our members. The certification board is continually looking for the most appropriate ways to support members who are preparing for certification. We’d like this to be YOUR column, where you can ask your burning questions! This is your opportunity to “pick our brains.” All questions regarding IAC certification are encouraged and welcomed and we will provide the most up-to-date and accurate information. For this month, I’m including a Q & A as just one example of the type of question you may wish to ask. Q ~ In the Masteries E-book there is an effective behavior of offers sincere encouragement while cheerleading is an ineffective behavior (which, by the way, I got marked down for on my certification scorecard). I don’t understand what the difference is, because I am very sincere when I cheer my clients on. A ~ This distinction in Mastery #2, perceiving, affirming and expanding the client’s potential, may seem like a fine line at times. To clarify, the distinction isn’t around sincerity versus insincerity, rather encouragement versus cheerleading. Most of us do appreciate some well-placed, sincere cheerleading in our lives from time to time and we're not saying you can never do a little happy dance for your client! However, in cases when the most beneficial approach is to affirm and expand, cheerleading can be too focused on what the client did as opposed to their potential or who they are, and could have little or no effect, could be embarrassing or could even be annoying. Members, continue reading here. To join the IAC, click here. Do you have a question that you’d like to ask the certifiers? Submit your questions here: http://certifiedcoachblog.typepad.com/blog/ask-the-certifiers.html.   Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC, is the Lead Certifier and a certifying examiner at the IAC, as well as Past-President. She is Dean of Students and a Master Instructor at the School of Coaching Mastery. Natalie is founder of Ageless-Sages.com Publishing (www.ageless-sages.com), and creator of the literary genre, Picture Books for Elders™. Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org. Comment Now "Coaching Moments" takes a thoughtful look at how coaching can be interwoven into our daily lives.  Up, down, amazing and grateful   by Janice Hunter, IAC-CC The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind. ~ Wayne Dyer My daughter’s 14th birthday was a day full of assumptions, both hers and mine. She didn’t know her best friends were throwing a surprise birthday party later in the week, and her sadness at not receiving presents or cards from them, on the morning of her birthday, seeped through her gratitude for everything else. I stayed quietly positive and cheerful throughout the day, assuming she would rather have the eventual surprise than the truth. We went to the cinema in the afternoon, and as she couldn’t make up her mind which film she’d like to see, my husband bought tickets for the new Disney Pixar film, Up, which had received great reviews. One look at the poster–a house flying through the air suspended by balloons–had her assuming the film would be “babyish.” We settled into our seats, the lights dimmed, the adverts blared across the screen in the darkness, and soon we were surrounded by the sounds and smells of popcorn, hotdogs and nachos. I loved the first five minutes of the film. The music was poignant and moving, and through a sequence of short scenes and vignettes, we saw the quiet, quirky child grow old and grumpy as, one by one, he shelved the dreams of his youth. Thud. My seat jarred forward as it was kicked from behind. I turned to see a boy of seven or eight sitting next to a stony-faced man, a weary washed-out looking mum and a gum-chewing sister. I decided not to say anything. The simple act of turning around is usually enough. The film surprised me; in turns bizarre and surreal, touching and funny, it was strangely mesmerizing. The two main characters, a lonely, overweight boy full of childhood exuberance, and an irascible, heartbroken widower, became unlikely companions on a road trip. The difference in their ages gave the film great breadth of scope and depth, while the themes of disappointment and frustration, stubbornness and letting go, redemption and hope were woven throughout with compassion and wit. Disney films enchant me. The colours are glorious and they evoke memories of watching them with my saucer-eyed kids. A quick glance to the side showed my husband laughing with my son and my daughter giggling, devouring every detail. Thud...thud. I fought the urge to turn round, scared that a negative reaction from the boy or his parents might embarrass my daughter and spoil her birthday film. I took a deep breath, knowing the wriggling kicks were a distraction I had to overcome. My kids have always been very settled and courteous in cinemas, but as I’ve got older, it seems like fewer children can sit still for the length of a film without eating, wriggling or talking. The sounds of laughter, music and talking dogs filled the warm darkness of the cinema. Glorious multicoloured balloons, bright plumage and jungle scenes filled the screen, and I tried my best to simply let go and fill my heart with compassion. The credits rolled and we were the only two families who stayed to watch till the end. As the lights went up, from behind me came a “Wow! That was amazing!” The mum and dad said nothing. “Dad, that was the best thing I’ve ever seen!” “Don’t be stupid,” said the dad. “It was the best film I’ve ever seen, Dad. It was amazing!” His joy was contagious and I turned to smile at his mum, expecting to see her happy at the pleasure they’d so obviously brought him. She looked sad and distant as the man put on his coat in silence, and the older girl pulled her mobile phone from her pocket. I left the cinema curious about who they were and what was going on in their lives. I wondered how long the boy’s delight in films would last and I was glad I hadn’t said or done anything to ruin, what for him, was the most amazing film ever. Epilogue: A few days later, my daughter came home to a room full of bright banners, balloons and birthday party food, all bought and prepared by her best friends. The cries of “Surprise!!” brought her hands to her face in shocked delight, then sudden awareness as she looked at me with tears and comprehension in her eyes. The long, tear-filled hug she gave me was full of gratitude and appreciation for my part in the surprise, which I’d known about for weeks. Laughing and giggling with her friends, she blew out the candles on her cake and made a wish for the second time that week; I could see that all of her sadness from the previous days had disappeared. Surrounded by friends, good food and the determination to celebrate, it’s so much easier to feel grateful. As we all prepare for the coming season of gratitude and goodwill, blessings and bounty, I’d like to take this chance to thank you. I wish I could convey in words how much pleasure it gives me to belong to this community, to know you’ve taken the time to read my words. I can’t offer you food, or tokens of peace and friendship, but I wanted to let you know that I’ll be thinking of you on Thanksgiving Day and giving thanks for the Internet, for the coaching we share and for the wonderful universe whose plan brought us together. I’m not American, but I shamelessly adopt rituals and celebrations from all over the world, special days that make smiles brighter and hearts warmer, days that bring people together in shared gratitude for life, love and blessings, wherever we live, whoever we are. Thank you. My life is better because of you. Janice Hunter is an IAC certified homelife coach who lives in Scotland with her husband and two children. She created and co-wrote Sharing the Certification Journey: Six IAC Coaches Talk About Their Journeys, and her blogsite, www.sharingthejourney.co.uk, provides soul food and support for coaches, writers, parents and home-based workers. Janice has compiled all of her Coaching Moments pieces from the last two years into a free 46-page ebook, 'Coaching Moments: A Collection of Articles about Coaching in Everyday Life' which can be downloaded here or from her site. Comment Now Your Feedback We'd love to get your feedback on any issue related to the IAC. Do you have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas for improvement regarding membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction of the organization or anything else at all? Please send an email to feedback@certifiedcoach.org. Please help us improve.

IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 40, October 2009, Circulation 13,272

Linda From the Editor Well, we're all "back to school" now and busier than ever. That was certainly the common theme in my conversations this week. I hope you'll take the next few moments as a well-deserved break, to soak up the wisdom, celebration and inspiration in today's issue of the VOICE. President Angela Spaxman has more comments about the ongoing Strategic Planning Process, as well as news about other exciting IAC projects you can get involved in. In a separate note, IAC Board of Governors Vice-President Parker Anderson invites both experienced and emerging coaching leaders to step up and make a real difference. We'll hear twice from IAC licensee Doris Helge, first about a brand new virtual chapter for IAC Coaches, and then in an energizing article about improving your confidence as a coach. Planning is one of the keys to success in business, and Carma Spence-Pothitt presents a simple business plan outline that makes this sometimes daunting task very do-able. In our other feature article, non-profit coach Alex Carter describes her work in this sector and the one tool that has made such a big difference to her clients. This will be the last installment of Inside Scoop – Lessons from the Certifiers. Watch for its rebirth next month as Inside Scoop – Ask the Certifiers, a new forum to have your questions answered. For today, though, IT'S ALL ABOUT NINA. When she submitted this month's Coaching Moments piece, Janice Hunter confided that it was this type of article that more than once has prompted a well-meaning coach to write and ask her, "Janice, are you working with your own coach?" to which she would reply, "I write first and get coaching later." Personally, I love how Janice uses her space in the VOICE to write out her immediate experience. With that, she teaches the rest of us that it's okay for coaches to be human, and that it sometimes takes longer to find our way into the coaching moments and mindset of a challenging situation. Submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website, including submission dates for our upcoming issues. I would love to receive your article submissions and ideas by October 19th in consideration for the November 12th issue, and by November 16th in consideration for the December 10th issue. Please note that due to the volume of submissions we cannot guarantee your article will appear in a specific month. I always appreciate hearing your feedback about the VOICE. Warm wishes, Linda Linda Dessau, CPCC Editor, IAC® VOICE Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org Comment Now Angela From the President by Angela Spaxman president@certifiedcoach.org As you know, we are now about half way through our Strategic Planning Process. As the process continues, I am so thankful that we decided to do it with your involvement and with a focus on the distant future. We are creating a clear and distinctive vision of what we want in the long term and with no limits to our scale of influence. With this foundation, we can create what is most important to us and make much better decisions along the way. By starting with the end in mind, it is much easier to set our priorities now and to design our systems to support what we want, while staying aligned with our resources and focus. What's becoming clear so far is: We see coaching being used in all aspects of society worldwide. We see that coaching itself will change and develop as it reaches further into the world. We see the need to embrace innovation and diversity in coaching. We see the value of collaborating with other fields in order to advance coaching's reach and effectiveness. We want to expand and improve our certification and development processes. We see the importance for the IAC to be a model organization that expresses the values of coaching as a worldwide movement in innovative ways I'm reminded of how easy it is to lose sight of the future in our daily efforts to achieve our current needs. If we focus only on our professional credibility, our independence, our financial sustainability, and other similar goals that are born of day-to-day pressures, it is easy to lose sight of what is most important and what we most want to create for our profession and for the world at large. It is only with the foundation of clarity about our highest desires that we can create the association, the profession and the world that we want. And it is very inspiring to see that our members are motivated not just to have rewarding careers as coaches, but also to create a beautiful world where the value of coaching is maximized and available to all who want it. This is something worth doing. I also sincerely hope that with your continuing support and the clear thinking of our Board of Governors and other volunteers, we can create an organization that is worthy of the values of coaching. In the next stage of the process, we will further refine our plans and priorities. Your involvement is most welcome! Please click here to listen to the past recordings and/or register for the next ones. In other news from the Board, we are currently shortlisting from dozens of proposals for a major website makeover. Our website will be easier to navigate and will have enhanced features for the coach directory, member interaction and more. If you have expertise in copywriting, design or IT and would like to contribute your knowledge, please contact me and I will fill you in on how you can help. We are also planning our presence at the December International Coach Federation (ICF) conference in Florida. Will you be there? If you'd like to support us in preparing for this event, please contact me. Cheers, Angela Spaxman President, IAC Email: president@certifiedcoach.org Web: www.lovingworkandleading.com Comment Now IAC Certified Coaches Congratulations to Mike Goonan from Bellmawr, NJ, USA who recently passed his Step 2 Exam and became an IAC Certified Coach! Comment Now Volunteer Opportunities for Worldwide Coaching Leaders by Parker Anderson The IAC is calling on the LEADER in YOU to step forward and serve. Are you ready to deepen and further your commitment to the IAC, to the field of coaching? Right now, the IAC Board of Governors is looking for both experienced and emerging leaders to take a big step forward and join the Board. For new members, service on the Board begins in January 2010 and the length of service is for two years. Serving on the IAC Board of Governors allows you an opportunity to work with an extraordinary group of individuals who excel in the field of coaching, believe in ensuring the highest quality of standards for all coaches, and are committed to providing coaching excellence to all coaching clients. In general, duties and responsibilities require each member to: Attend monthly virtual Board meetings Take the lead in an IAC committee (e.g., membership, volunteers, strategy, nominations) Maintain and raise the standards of certification Ensure and support our professional code of ethics Bring their individual ideas and innovative strategies to the coaching profession worldwide The current IAC leadership team is both strong and global, with talented leaders from Hong Kong, the United States of America, Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom and China. We are eager to continue this long tradition of global participation by encouraging future leaders from around the world to step forward and share their skills, knowledge and talent. To apply, please submit your resume along with a cover letter indicating your interest in serving on the Board. Please also provide three references (professional or personal), including name, mailing address, phone number and email. You can send your applications or questions to Parker Anderson at vicepresident@certifiedcoach.org. Comment Now Announcing a new resource for IAC coaches Are you a new IAC member working toward your IAC certification? Have you recently gained IAC certification and now you want to build a thriving practice? If you answered, "Yes!" to either description, you have a new resource available! Beginning on Monday, October 12, 2009, you will be able to attend virtual monthly meetings by telephone, where you can: Connect with other IAC members who have similar needs and challenges Share your successes with other IAC members Trade client referrals Provide or hear coaching demonstrations Find coaching practice buddies Share practice-building tips and hear what works so you can build your own thriving practice Enjoy the warm support of a group of peers with a vested interest in nurturing your professional growth and taking steps to help you get your needs met Boost your confidence regarding certification and building a thriving practice Gain valuable, cutting-edge information in a convenient, supportive mastermind model that is structured for safety and success and where every participant's input is valued Meeting details Quarterly events will include a speaker about one or more issues raised during the monthly events. Special attention will be given to confidence-boosting and practice-building issues because these are two of the most common concerns for new coaches. The IAC GroupSite Forum will be used to assist with communication. When you sign up to receive information about this group, IAC will notify you about meeting times and the bridgeline number. To be as fair as possible, meeting times will be rotated so that members in as many possible locations around the globe can attend at least once a quarter. For example: The first monthly meeting will be Monday, October 12, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time. The second monthly meeting will be Monday, November 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. Your group facilitator Doris Helge, PhD, IAC-Certified Coach and Mentor Coach and Founder of IAC-licensed coach training program, Confident Coach Connection, has volunteered to be Lead Facilitator and the primary contact person. In addition to coach training, Doris has a long history of conducting mastermind groups that empower participants to achieve their goals. Take advantage of this opportunity IAC wants to address YOUR needs and concerns so that our organization is even more meaningful and even stronger. This will be YOUR group in the sense that the group will evolve over time in a way that is responsive to participants' needs and desires. To get started, just let us know you are interested by sending an email to Doris@ConfidentCoachConnection.com with "New IAC Coach Group" in the subject line. Comment Now Coaching Non-Profit Leaders to Find Their Strengths by Alex Carter New non-profit leaders generally bring to their new positions a deep knowledge of and commitment to their organization’s mission and goals, as well as specific skill sets in programmatic work. However, their tool kits often lack specific executive skills such as strategic thinking and personnel management. In addition, some new leaders lack confidence in their ability to perform at a high level in their new positions. I’ve found that the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment can be a valuable tool in helping new non-profit leaders identify and develop their unique talents as they grow into their new roles. New leaders face unique challenges New non-profits leaders face the same challenges as their more-experienced colleagues: fundraising and resource development (even more of a challenge in the current economic climate); programmatic oversight; and communications, among others. But new leaders also face additional hurdles. Primary among these are managing the staff and board, and the transition from “rowing” to “steering.” While they were once task-oriented in a specific program area, now they need to be more focused on the overall organization. Coaching new non-profit leaders New non-profit leaders are especially well placed to benefit from coaching. A good coach offers a new leader tools for growing into the job, helps the executive director (ED) develop and pursue her or his personal and organizational goals and serves as a sounding board for processing events, interactions and crises. This last function is crucial. The coach is often the only person in the ED’s professional life who wants nothing from them other than their success. In a recent six-month check-in about our work together, one of my clients said that the space to process and “vent” was probably the most useful to him now, when stresses are many and growing. He also noted that my ability to provide a “reality check” helped him feel less isolated. The StrengthsFinder assessment One of the first things I ask my new ED clients to do is to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment. This tool builds on massive research by the Gallup organization on workplace productivity. Gallup identified 35 “strengths,” or areas of natural talent, ranging from “Achiever” (driven to succeed) to “Woo” (very social, great at winning others over). Gallup found that employees who were able to work from their strengths were significantly more productive than those who did not. This was a major finding for corporations, who typically spend much time and energy on addressing weaknesses, rather than strengths. Gallup also found that developing an individual’s strengths was much more likely to result in increased productivity and worker satisfaction than any amount of time spent redressing weaknesses. It’s useful to think of strengths as “default settings.” For example, someone with the “Context” strength will approach a problem wanting to know its origins and history before acting, whereas someone with “Strategic” strength will be more apt to see the forward implications of how the problem is handled. Precisely because strengths are “default settings,” we tend to downgrade their importance or uniqueness. But no two people possess the same strengths configuration. And an awareness of their strengths, and how they interact to shape their ways of working in the world, gives my clients a unique way to shape their particular leadership styles. We can also identify those areas where they might need more support, or should consider delegating, as they grow into their new positions. Outcomes of StrengthsFinder for non-profits When Abby was appointed as ED of a youth advocacy organization, she was not at all sure she was up to the task. She was following in the footsteps of a strong founder, and doubted she could replicate his successes. Abby took the StrengthsFinder and found that she has significant Strategic strength. She has been able to draw on this strength to lead her organization to significant legislative victories, including securing funding for her constituency during a statewide budget crisis. Other clients have increased confidence in their ability to function at the senior level. Dan, who had extensive mid-level management experience, had some difficulty with the transition to leadership of a transitional housing organization. Dan’s Connectedness strength actually became an obstacle to effective management. He had such a strong sense that all humanity is connected and that each person is of intrinsic worth, that it was difficult for him to exercise authority in situations of conflict. Once we were aware of this pitfall, Dan and I worked to develop an understanding that conflict need not involve disrespect. His ability to manage situations of conflict has improved, along with his confidence in handling them. Dan was so enthused with the StrengthsFinder that he asked for me to do a training workshop with his entire staff. This was a fascinating afternoon, in which we discovered that most of the staff shared a Connectedness or Belief strength, reflected in a deep belief in the organization’s mission and the high staff morale and retention. The training also revealed an organizational need: there was a noted lack of Communication strength. The staff all knew what they were doing was important, and why, but had trouble communicating outside the organization. That led the group to enlist a volunteer marketing and communications expert, which in turn led to improved fundraising results. Conclusions A strong and confident ED is perhaps the most important element in the success of a small- to mid-sized non-profit organization. And non-profit leaders need support as they make the transition into their new roles. The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment has helped my ED clients gain insights into both their strengths and limitations as leaders and managers. In addition, entire teams and organizations have achieved similar positive results using the assessment.   Alex Carter, Your Nonprofit Coach, specializes in helping new Executive Directors become outstanding managers and leaders, while keeping their sanity. She can be reached at coach@alexcarter.com.        Comment Now Achieve Your Business Vision with a Simple Plan by Carma Spence-Pothitt Do you have a vision for your coaching business? Do you see it accomplishing great things? Helping a lot of people? Providing you with the income and lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of? If you are like most coaches, your answer to these questions was, “Yes!” But you might also feel a little frustrated because you aren’t achieving that vision as swiftly as you’d hoped. So I ask you: Do you have a plan for achieving your vision or are you just winging it? Many coaches don’t plan for their success. Part of the reason is the false belief that a business and marketing plan is only needed if you are seeking outside funding. Another false belief is that you have to create a large, complex, traditional business plan. This is simply not the case. To move your coaching business toward your vision, you only need to create a simple, flexible plan comprised of these five key parts, which you should be able to fit into about three pages: 1. Vision Statement The vision statement is the big picture of your business, stating where you see your business in three to five years. It creates a mental picture of what the business hopes to become or achieve, and states it in the present. The problem is, too many coaches fail to create a clear vision, instead, creating one that obscures their path. Your vision statement should be as specific as possible on whom your business serves and what you provide them. 2. Mission Statement The mission statement zeros in on the present and looks out to the future by only a year. It declares boldly to the world what makes you and your business unique. It defines the purpose of your business, as well as the values and ethical principles by which you aspire to conduct business. It is an explanation of why the business exists and the path it will take to achieve its vision. Of all the coaches out there, why should someone hire you? Here is where you can bring together your skills, experience, passion and special characteristics to form a mission that is distinctive to only you and your business. The mission statement also focuses on the results your business brings about for your clients. What do your clients get out of working with you? 3. Objectives The objectives section is all about measurement. By what markers will you determine your success? Will it be a sales figure? Quantity of clients? Products developed? Your objectives must be clear and precise. One way to create clear, measurable objectives is to follow the S.M.A.R.T. methodology: Specific–be precise and relevant to your business. Measurable–assign a specific measurable value. Attainable–can you achieve this goal? Realistic–similar to attainable, but more specific to your business. Timed–include a date by which you will achieve that objective. Objectives are the milestones you must arrive at to achieve the success you’ve outlined in your plan. 4. Strategies The most important part of your plan is the strategy section. This is the meat, where the rubber meets the road. This section clearly lays out the activities you need to focus on to move your business toward the success you’ve envisioned. This is where you describe how you will accomplish your objectives. For every business model, there are some traditional and appropriate strategies you can use. However, you can’t implement them all at once. You need to select which ones will give you the highest return on your investment in the current stage of your business. For example, in coaching, some common strategies include free “get acquainted” sessions, article marketing and public speaking. Take a look at the strategies available to you and select no more than three to focus on for the first year. You can always re-evaluate and change your decisions when you check in with your plan in three to six months, after having enough time to see if those strategies proved fruitful. 5. Action Plan Your action plan is your roadmap to success. It states those activities you will engage in over the course of a set period of time. Each of these activities must support the other parts of your plan. For example, if you selected article marketing as one of your strategies, and “grow your list by 500 names” as one of your objectives, steps in your action plan might look like this: By Nov. 15, I will complete keyword research and select 20 keywords to focus on for the coming year. By Nov. 30, I'll have written 50 headlines for the articles I want to write, based on my keywords. By Dec. 15, I will have written a resource box template that points readers to a specific landing page where I collect their name and email address in exchange for a relevant incentive. By Dec. 31, I will have written 50 articles and began submitting them one per week to EzineArticles.com. The larger strategy and objective of adding 500 names to your list using article marketing was broken up into smaller tasks with specific due dates that are realistic. Monitor Your Progress Don’t stop once you’ve completed your plan. A business and marketing plan is a living document. You should refer to it at least once a month, at first, to monitor your progress and ask yourself these questions: Have I moved forward along my action plan? If yes, do I need to add more actions? If no, why not? Do I need to re-think my objectives? Do any of them no longer serve my vision or me? Have I changed direction or deviated from my plan? Why? Out of fear? Or of greater clarity? By revisiting the plan regularly for the first six to twelve months, you enable yourself to fine-tune it and make sure it is in alignment with your core values and your realistic capabilities.   Carma Spence-Pothitt has more than 20 years of marketing and public relations experience and has helped a wide variety of clients with their promotional activities. If you enjoyed this article and wish to learn more about the topic, take her free e-course at http://www.planyourbusinessvision.com.   Comment Now   Confidence Keys for IAC Coaches by Doris Helge, Ph.D., IAC-CC Here's the "Does the chicken come first . . . or the egg?" question for IAC coaches: Which comes first, the confident coach, IAC certification or a thriving practice? Inadequate confidence will bar even the most talented coach from marketing their services or submitting excellent MP3s for IAC certification. On the other hand, you've probably known some very confident, uncertified coaches who were less talented but more successful in business building. If you're tempted to grinch, "Life's not fair!," take comfort. Our level of confidence is as malleable as a soft ball of clay. Most coaches who crave IAC certification know it's essential to remember the map to Carnegie Hall, one of the most famous venues for musicians to perform. A musician jumped into a New York City cab with an eager request, "I play the cello. How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The wisdom in the cab driver's response is equally relevant for IAC coaches, "Study. Practice. Study. Practice." The keys to masterful coaching include studying the IAC Masteries, taking advantage of quality coach training, practice, and seeking and warmly embracing constructive feedback. There are also shortcuts on the road to the level of confidence required to become IAC-certified and enjoy a thriving coaching practice. Some of the shortcuts are based on neuroscience and others on spiritual principles. Take advantage of neuroscience The science of brain imaging has confirmed what many of us have sensed intuitively. Changing your mind (your beliefs) and manipulating your body can physically rewire your brain. This is why scientists call our brains "plastic." Each time I read that the human brain has 100 billion neurons that are connected to each other in 40 quadrillion ways, I'm amazed at the power of the personal computers we cart around on our necks. Thinking about something causes synapses between neurons to fire, creating or reinforcing a neural network. If I say, "Don't think about a pink elephant," you instantly think about a nonexistent animal. Each time I remind you, "Stop thinking about a pink elephant!" you strengthen your new neural network about something that has never existed. Thoughts are things. We can also program confidence. You are probably aware of the power of mental imagery. We can use multisensory visualization to enhance our self-image as a competent coach and then elevate our performance. The process can be simple. Examples: Monitor your body posture so that it represents how you want to feel. Use solution-focused language. Delete the word try from your vocabulary. Employ proven multisensory processes that create "confidence loops" in your neurology. The body-mind aspects of this knowledge are in line with IAC Mastery #4, Processing in the Present. Connect with your source Learning good coaching techniques that embody the IAC Masteries is essential. Yet, technique alone doesn't develop the level of confidence related to masterful coaching. If a coach has mastered technique but lacks heart and soul, interactions with clients will sound mechanical and can even appear to be heartless. For example, the coach may methodically ask all of the right questions related to Mastery #9, Helping the Client Create and Use Supportive Systems and Structures, but fail to notice that the client is frightened or lacks the enthusiasm necessary for follow-through. The coach may sound like an accountability drill sergeant. Likewise, it's very difficult for a coach to engage the level of intuition referred to in Mastery #4 without connecting with their spiritual intelligence. Their coaching will lack the joy, playfulness and curiosity that are spontaneous when the coach trusts the process of the client's and the coach's life––the co-creative process. All of this is directly related to our spirituality. In coach training, self-doubt is often the elephant in the living room. Practice can enhance confidence but not until coaches deeply connect with their spiritual side, including their innate intuitive edge. Coaches develop unshakable confidence when they fully integrate their life purpose and own their greatness. They develop seemingly magical strengths and gifts that were previously hidden from them. Since every coach will interpret their spirituality or Universal Intelligence in a unique way that serves them, they can connect with their version of their Creator or Source before each coaching session. When coaches ask themselves questions like the following, feelings of inadequacy are usually replaced by a new wave of confidence. "How can I be of service?" "What does my client really need right now?" "How am I learning and growing during this experience?" Infinite possibilities for coaching confidence Many IAC coaches feel seriously challenged when they ponder, "How can I cover all of the IAC Coaching Masteries® in a 30-minute MP3?" "How can I build a thriving practice when the world already has so many coaches?" Confidence is a major key to success…and it can be arranged.     Doris Helge, PhD, IAC-CC, is an IAC- and CTA-certified coach, coach mentor and founder of the IAC-licensed training school, Confident Coach Connection. Discover more at www.ConfidentCoachConnection.com.     Comment Now   Nina East: A Tribute in Two Parts From Sali Taylor, IAC-CC, former Lead Certifier for the IAC: It is a pleasure to be asked to honor Nina East’s enormous contribution to the IAC over the last five years! Nina has been one of the leaders in the coaching field practically since its inception. I knew Nina first as one of the stellar teachers at Coachville. Soon after that, Nina, Karen Van Cleve and I were in the first round to pass the IAC Part 2 exam and together we became certifiers for the recently created IAC. I worked closely with Nina from 2004-2007 on the Certifying Committee and as Certifying Examiners. In addition to scoring candidates for certification, we met almost weekly to help refine the standards for certification scoring at the newly established IAC. At first, while we were using the 15 Proficiencies, we worked jointly with Coachville. Nina had worked closely with Thomas Leonard, Coachville founder, both on his R&D team and to help craft the study guides for the 15 Proficiencies. Nina knew this material forwards and backwards! Besides bringing her great knowledge of the material to our Certifying team, Nina also provided a teacher’s style, a mentor’s mastery, a finely tuned ear and a wonderful ability to articulate the strengths and deficits of the coaching recordings she listened to. Scoring was always a labor intensive activity, but with Nina, things moved along pretty quickly. Yet, if there was ever any doubt or difference in scoring, she was always willing to re-listen to the recording to be absolutely sure we had given the candidate the benefit of a further review. After our International team completed the Coaching Masteries®, Nina helped refine them and craft the scorecard, as we compared and re-scored the earlier candidates’ passing tapes using both the old Proficiency method and the Masteries prototype. That process took many, many months to complete, but Nina followed it every step of the way, committed to making sure we had the most comprehensive, workable, clear, accurate and equitable system to measure coaches’ performance. If that labor of love wasn’t enough, Nina then willingly stepped into the Lead Certifier’s role, hosted calls to help present the new material to the IAC members and then helped craft the study guides for each of the nine Masteries. She then generously shared her insider’s view in her monthly commentary on each Mastery, still available in back issues of the VOICE. Such largesse of knowledge, creativity, coaching mastery, mentoring skill, teamwork and generosity of time and spirit will be sorely missed. We wish Nina much joy and happiness on her next undertaking. Whomever she works with will be blessed, indeed!   From 2004-2007, Sali chaired the IAC Certification Team. As a Certifying Examiner, she advocated for and led an international group that developed the Coaching Masteries® for the IAC. Sali is a coach and artist in NYC. Her art was in the 2009 International Women Artists’ Biennale in S. Korea. www.RealSoulutions.com    From Karen Van Cleve, IAC-CC, ACC, IAC Certifier since 2005: The lifeblood of any volunteer organization is its volunteers, and the IAC is no exception. What does seem to make the IAC exceptional in this category is the quality of the volunteers. I am continually impressed with the caliber of the people involved in the IAC. And among this stellar group of volunteers, one stands out in my mind as an exemplary role model: Nina East, the outgoing Lead Certifier for the IAC. I have had the blessing and good fortune to work with Nina since 2004, and to work under her leadership on the Certification team since 2006. She would never seek the limelight, but as she “retires” from the Lead Certifier role, I’d like to shine the light brightly on her accomplishments. Nina has been the heart and hands of so many important changes to the certification process and quality. When Nina stepped into the Lead Certifier role, we were still “Navigating Via Curiosity” and “Recognizing Perfection” in our certifications using the Coachville Proficiencies. With the release of the IAC Coaching Masteries®, we had to figure out how the scoring with the Masteries would compare with the Proficiencies. As described in Sali's story, the team listened to a range of recordings using the Masteries and compared them to the Proficiency scores to ensure consistency and accurate use of the new model. During that effort, Nina, as always, elicited the wisdom of the team, kept clear communication with the IAC leadership, and willingly shared her time and talents to uphold the highest integrity of the IAC certification process. The next big challenge for the team was to bring on new certifiers. Rather than follow the simplistic process that had previously been used, Nina led the effort to implement a rigorous new search and training process. Three certifier trainees went through countless hours of preparation to qualify to serve on the team. Last year a new challenge was presented – licensees! Nina became the interface for questions about the Masteries, including definition, interpretation and clarification. As with everything else, Nina brought her exceptional communication and analytical skills to make that new process a success. The philosophy of the IAC Masteries is to continually reflect the highest and best representation of coaching skills. Nina made that philosophy come alive over the course of several weeks by reviewing all of the proposed feedback from certifications, certifiers and licensees. Nina single-handedly compiled and incorporated these refinements, then worked with the team and ultimately the Board of Governors to officially update the Masteries. This is the kind of dedication that helps the IAC’s certification process to be so relevant and rigorous. Anyone who volunteers their money and time is a special person. Someone who steps up to serve in the way that Nina has served the IAC, especially as the Lead Certifier for the last three years, deserves a hearty “GREAT JOB!” and “THANK YOU!” I know I’m not alone in my awe and gratitude for Nina’s efforts. If you feel so compelled, please pass your appreciation on to Nina by commenting on the IAC blog!   Karen Van Cleve, IAC-CC, ACC, has been an IAC Certifier since 2005. She is the President and Owner of Live Well Coaching and is also a Results Coach for the Robbins Research Company. She speaks on a variety of coaching topics, her favorite of which is “Do It Yourself Brain Surgery™.” Karen provides personal coaching for a wide range of clients. Her website is www.KarenVanCleve.com.    Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org. Comment Now "Coaching Moments" takes a thoughtful look at how coaching can be interwoven into our daily lives.  Photo: Long Golden Day by Alice Dalton Brown Sea breezes, books and minerals   by Janice Hunter, IAC-CC How often do you coach someone who’s come to you overwhelmed, stuck or overweight? Someone who’s spiritually sluggish, washed out and weary? Chances are, you’ll have worked on what’s anchoring them in their past and what’s blocking their energy, the flow of prosperity and creativity in their lives. You’ll have investigated what they’re clinging to, afraid of letting go. For me, it’s been books. Currently, as we prepare to lay a new wooden floor, all of my books are packed in see-through plastic storage crates, dozens of them in the attic, and six or seven clogging the dining room. But do you know something? After years of squeezing between piles of books on sofas and bookcases, I feel as happy as a kid with new wax crayons. I have that lightness of spirit I feel on holiday, in rooms with lace curtains billowing in a sea breeze, revealing tantalising glimpses of a beach full of promise. When the new wooden floor is laid, and the last skirting board nailed in place, not one single book will reappear on a shelf unless it is insanely useful, destined to be re-read or so precious it gives me an energy surge just thinking about it. I don’t need books to remind me - or show others - who I was, who I am, what I know or what I enjoy. I turned fifty last month. For forty-five years, I’ve been devouring reading material; novels, text books, course books, magazines and more recently, online text. I have clusters of books from every phase and every career: dictionaries and text books in nine languages; tomes on astrology, feng shui, art and garden design; books on translation, linguistics and creative writing; files of coach training printouts and dozens of homelife coaching and personal development books. I adore reading. I adore books. So why am I on the verge of a cull? I need my energy more. Most of my books are no longer inspiring me; they’re depleting me and anchoring me in the past. I no longer cast astrological charts or speak Greek every day. I passed my coach certification and no longer mentor, or critique exam tapes. If I haven’t absorbed the basics by now, I’d rather revise them in some fresh new format. I’m tired of dusting books I don’t read, and as my collection grows, it strikes me as bizarre to contemplate extending my home to house books. Until recently, the thought of parting with them was unbearable. So what happened? The menopause, my dad’s heart attack, my kids’ puberty and my own illness happened. My life, for six months, has felt clogged and bogged down with tolerations. Even as I tackled them, kaizen style, one at a time, I accrued more than I dealt with. Sick of missed deadlines, sleepless nights, hair loss, infections and depression, I summoned the strength to arrange appointments with a consultant and my local doctor. Determined not to have my concerns dismissed, swept under the rug of age, parenthood and caring for an elderly relative, I asked for blood tests. My inner child, my coaching voice, my intuition and every member of my spiritual team, desperate to crawl out from under the weight of overwhelm, were screaming: What do I need? What’s stopping me getting it? What am I getting too much of? What am I not getting enough of? What will I gain when I get the balance and flow back? When I visited the consultant, I simply asked him to help me find out what I was deficient in. Such a small question, but my silent sigh convinced me it was the right step, the right question, like a perfect pebble dropped in a deep pool. While I was waiting for the results, I had my seasonal September craving to get clean and clear. I rode it like a cresting wave, surfing my way through packing, recycling and binning my possessions, blessing and letting go of anything that no longer energised me. I knew I’d reach the shore battered and sea-tossed, but it was worth it. Out went patterned, grubby rugs, shabby faded curtains and sagging fake wood bookcases. In came a shaggy wool rug, freshly painted cream walls, soft cotton slip covers and snuggly throws and cushions, all in natural textures and the colours of serenity and sea shores: sun baked terracotta, warm sand and sea-tossed pebbles, driftwood and shells. My books, photo frames and ornaments are still safely stored until I decide their fate. Right now, I need spiritual space more than belongings, fresh air and clear surfaces more than books and objects. I need time with my loved ones more than the memories that keep me anchored to lost loves and the empty shells of lives no longer lived. My blood test results came back and I smiled. Due to malabsorption, I’m severely deficient in major minerals, including zinc. Zinc deficiency can cause sleeplessness, depression, skin problems, hair loss, infections and a lack of appetite – for food, love and life itself. I was right to have insisted on tests. Now that I know, I can work on my zinc. It’s easier to ask myself “How can I get and absorb more zinc?” than “How can I fix my entire life?” One banana, one handful of seeds, one step at a time works for me, as long as it’s a step that takes me in the right direction. Janice Hunter is an IAC certified homelife coach who lives in Scotland with her husband and two children. She created and co-wrote Sharing the Certification Journey: Six IAC Coaches Talk About Their Journeys, and her blogsite, www.sharingthejourney.co.uk, provides soul food and support for coaches, writers, parents and home-based workers. Janice has compiled all of her Coaching Moments pieces from the last two years into a free 46-page ebook, 'Coaching Moments: A Collection of Articles about Coaching in Everyday Life' which can be downloaded here or from her site. Comment Now Your Feedback We'd love to get your feedback on any issue related to the IAC. Do you have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas for improvement regarding membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction of the organization or anything else at all? Please send an email to feedback@certifiedcoach.org. Please help us improve.

IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 39, September 2009, Circulation 13,212

Linda From the Editor As the season is changing, some faces at the IAC are changing as well. Angela Spaxman has more details about that in her President's Message, as well as some reflections about the ongoing IAC strategy calls. I was pleased to be part of this process, and I love how Susan Meyer sums up the experience: "If you haven't been on an IAC Strategy call yet, you're missing a great experience. Dave Ellis is an excellent facilitator, and the entire process is inspiring both on a personal level and in terms of the future of the profession. As the group moved though the process, I enjoyed hearing colleagues I know and respect but don't have many opportunities to speak with. I heard many of my own ideas and concerns supported and expanded on by other participants. I heard new ideas that expanded my own thinking about coaching. These calls are the perfect way to keep IAC in the forefront of all that is innovative in our profession, while, at the same time, sparking ideas for innovation in our own work. As Dave stretched us to think further and further into the future, it was challenging and exciting to envision coaching practices woven into practically every aspect of an individual's life. It was inspiring to hear the list of possibilities for new delivery systems and new partnerships. I came away from the call challenged to think more deeply about my own practice and about ways to contribute more fully to this amazing profession. What a wonderful growth opportunity!" You can read more about the calls in my article below, and IAC members can find out how to join in the four remaining calls. I'm thrilled to present a feature article from Lagos, Nigeria this month, as Folake Oluwole discusses the Sin of Assumption and gives us a glimpse into the shifting organizational culture in her part of the world. With so many coaches branching out into other streams of income, Susan Fuller is here to help with her article, The 3 Things You Absolutely Must Know Before Creating Your New Product. Beginning with a powerful and thought-provoking introductory statement, Natalie Tucker Miller shares a very important lesson in our licensee column this month, as she explores the theme of Coaching and the Elder Years. Inside Scoop – Lessons from the Certifier continues a theme from July's column. Karen Van Cleve and Nina East have partnered up again to take a closer look at the concept of mastery. And as you enjoy your Coaching Moments this month, you may just find yourself itching to sort through that pile of magazines or finally root through your junk drawer. You'll be spurred on as you read how Janice Hunter took care of her Life Laundry. Submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website, including submission dates for our upcoming issues. I would love to receive your article submissions by September 14th for the October 8th issue, or by October 19th for the November 12th issue. Please contact me with your article ideas and your feedback about this issue. Warm wishes, Linda Linda Dessau, CPCC Editor, IAC® VOICE Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org Comment Now Angela From the President by Angela Spaxman president@certifiedcoach.org The IAC is moving forward this month in three big ways. 1) I am very pleased to announce that Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC has accepted the position of IAC Lead Certifier, taking over from Nina East, who completed her tenure last month. We are so fortunate to have someone as experienced, committed and wise as Natalie for this role. As you know, our Certification process is the cornerstone of our organization and unparalleled in the industry. Natalie will be leading the team of certifiers to continue to deliver the world's simplest, most open, highest quality certification system in the world. (I like superlatives!) 2) The IAC is surging towards the future! Many members and subscribers took part in the first round of our Strategic Planning calls, as you will read below. The more we get into this process, the more I realize how important it is. The conversations have been wonderfully effective at expanding our thinking beyond the current times and especially beyond our own personal needs, to look at what we most want to create as the legacy of coaching in the world. Now that is something worth doing. And it's a lot of fun too. Some of what I heard still echoes in my thoughts, such as: "Coaching will evolve and will need a new name....; Research will validate and improve on current models of coaching; The IAC needs to be more courageous..." We welcome you to listen, enjoy and follow the process and email any more ideas you may have by September 15, 2009. The recordings are available here. 3) For the first time in our history, we have a President-Elect! I'm thrilled to announce that Bob Tschannen-Moran has accepted this position with the intention to become the next President of the IAC in January 2010. Bob has proven his ability as a member of the Board of Governors over the past two years and brings plenty of coaching and leadership experience to the role. Most importantly, Bob shares a heartfelt dedication to the IAC and the values we stand for. I'd like to admit that I had considered (to myself) staying on another year as President. I do enjoy this role despite the pressures. But I don't want to be a "dictator for life!" I view it as a sign of maturity that the IAC has the capacity and support to make a smooth leadership succession. And we will benefit tremendously from the new ideas, energy and connections that come from new leadership. I will continue to support and contribute in 2010 and beyond. At times like this I envision a tailwind. So many people are invisibly pushing me forward to where I want to go, which is also where WE want to go. I'm thinking now especially of Natalie, Bob and all the people who took time to share their thoughts about the future of coaching. Thank you. Cheers, Angela Spaxman President, IAC® Email: president@certifiedcoach.org Web: www.lovingworkandleading.com Comment Now New IAC Coaching Masteries® licensed schools and mentors Name City State Country IAC-CC   Progress-U Central   Hong Kong No View Details Comment Now Join us for IAC's Long-Range Visioning Process by Linda Dessau "...The more voices that shared, the deeper my heart opened, and I was moved to tears when one woman spoke of coaching being freely available for anyone who asked. The process and the sharing opened hearts and brought visions into time. Overall an excellent, dynamic experience..." - Dr. Caron Goode Taking time out of our day-to-day activities to look to the distant future is a rare and powerful experience. It is possible for each of us to step back and ask, “What do I want for the future of coaching and for the IAC?” This is the process that Dave Ellis is facilitating on a series of conference calls and webinars. He is capturing our ideas as we speak them and encouraging us to look far out in terms of time, creativity, and comprehensiveness. Dave is using a process that he developed over 20 years ago and has brought to hundreds of organizations throughout the world. This is a process of looking to the future and creating a clear vision of what we want. This is not attempting to predict the future, but rather invent a vision of the future that pulls us forward. As IAC embarks on four more strategic visioning sessions in September and October, we want to encourage your participation by sharing more reflections from our first two calls: "...The process, led by Dave's calm, grounded self and easy to follow structure, freed up my thinking - a feeling of inspiration and possibility came over me. The effect of others responding in similar ways created an energy of ideas that built upon each other and sprung forth others. I left the call with my view of the horizon broadened for our association, for the field of coaching, and for my own place in that field..." - Catherine M. Miller "...There was a lot of goodwill on the call with some big picture visioners. I feel that this is aligned with the big picture visioning of Thomas Leonard and Dave Buck..." - Linda Watts "...I was impressed at how much people were thinking about the future of coaching and how we would like it to be versus only thinking about what's happening now. It was very strategic and forward thinking...There were lots of great ideas thrown out that I hadn't even thought of. There are many different directions the industry can go. If we're all forward thinking we can shape it into a very dynamic industry..." - Dan Roberts "[After the call, I] felt there must be more thinking to do, and more ideas to come, and more difference to make...looking forward to the next call...The really exciting thing for the IAC would be to be able to take the whole profession beyond what it currently thinks it can be...I'm interested to see what Dave does differently on the upcoming calls to take us into that new thinking space. If IAC could succeed in getting us thinking this way, IAC would be doing something for the future of coaching and its role in the world that other bodies would not be doing..." - Aileen Gibb "[After the call] I was very inspired to be a coach. I'm comparatively young in the coaching field, mid-30's, so for me the discussion of 5 years, 20 years, 100 years, really made me feel inspired to be part of such a growing, exciting, dynamic field...[Since the call] I've brought myself to each session with a larger sense of purpose...I felt more connected to a larger community and a larger overall purpose, and that made the presence with which I was sitting at the table a little higher level and in some ways more genuine." - Andrew Frank "What is important to me is that coaching is viewed as a learning intervention and that coaches are well trained to consistently seek out ways to improve and develop their skills. I also believe that it is critical that the IAC support and initiate research around the masteries and the theories and models that might frame them. [After the call] I felt like I had been heard. I am glad I was there and have been given the opportunity to contribute. I'm looking forward to the next calls, to see how things progress and to hear more about the diverse points of view around what coaching is and where the IAC should go..." - Gina Blakeslee As members of IAC, we are looking at what we want for the profession, for our organization, and for our own practice in the next five years, ten years, twenty years, and beyond. Dave has even led us in exercises that stretch our vision out 100 years. This is consistent with the American Indians belief that a great leader considers his or her impact on seven generations into the future. The focus of this visioning is on what we want, when we want it, with whom we want it, and where we want it. For now, the how is being postponed. Dave claims that all great projects are conceived of and committed to long before the how is determined. Once we have clear and compelling visions for IAC, we well then focus on not just one how, but on many how’s. We will then create multiple action plans, multiple ways to achieve our dreams. There are four more strategy calls scheduled in September and October, open to IAC members only. Click here to find out more and to join us in creating the future of coaching and the future of IAC. You may also click this link to listen to a recording of one of our strategy calls. As you listen and participate in the process in your own time, please make note of your ideas and reflections and email them to Dave Ellis. "...When Dave Ellis acknowledged my email after the call I felt cherished and that I belonged in the process, and that's what members like to feel - that they're consulted and belong." - Susie Briscoe Comment Now Sin of Assumption by Folake Oluwole Assumption is a delusion that impedes the culture-building process in any growing organization or society, including my country of Nigeria. The things we take or accept as true, ideal or acceptable, to a large extent, influence our thoughts, opinions and invariably our actions. Culture building in any organization is fundamental. However, to build a common culture requires having the same set of core values. Now the question is: “How do we bring together people of diverse culture, background, beliefs, assumptions and attitude to share and identify a set of common values, culture and vision?” A person’s identity is shaped by three main components: *     Our association *     Our socialization *     Our education As leaders and organizational coaches we need to understand and appreciate that we are dealing with people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, attitudes, expectations (professionally and personally), intentions and personalities. Based on various experiences of the individual, assumptions are drawn, decisions are taken and attitudes formed. To break into this self-made “cocoon” requires a whole lot more than impressive management qualifications, skills or training. Rather, it requires more intuitive abilities, genuine curiosity about people, and strong listening skills. I am a local consultant and an organizational coach for an agency of the government in Lagos, Nigeria, and I have witnessed firsthand this sin of assumption. My first day impression and assessment of the organization, i.e., the agency, was that of “lofty structural framework but shoddy implementation” which is a direct function of the mindset and orientation of the employees. Walking into the main office and through the various units, I could feel and see the heavy presence of a typical busy office environment which is usually identified by brisk movements and footsteps across the office, young, smartly-dressed ladies and gentlemen, and inspirational inscriptions that adorned the walls, boards and tables. One thing was very clear; they were all working harder and longer but not smarter and better. Why? The assumption here is that any job related to the government or civil service need not be taken so seriously. It is “just a job” not THE job. Job security is not an issue or threat as civil service is the most stable form of regular employment. In spite of the low pay, the civil service does not have staff retention issues as employees in this sector hold on tenaciously to their jobs with the logical assumption that if the pay is steady, eventually, it will grow. While the belief is that employee assessment or appraisal cannot be objective as growth in civil service is highly political and not related to performance or skill, this idea is highly debatable. Thankfully, the recent changes and trends in the Lagos State Administration have challenged this notion. Under the current administration of a learned, professional lawyer with a strong vision and mission to transform and reform the state, many assumptions are being challenged. This re-orientation of the citizens and residents is blowing a wind of change in the thoughts and minds of all people, in particular those in the labour market. Some examples are that minimum standard entry requirement has been increased to a university or H.N.D. degree. As a result, more competent hands are being poached from the corporate world to run the affairs of the strategic business units of the government and its related bodies, such as consultants and management specialists, and the civil service now wears a new face. To confirm these progressive and significant changes in the administration, one only needs to look at the results: improved, structured and better managed transport system in the city, a greener and cleaner environment, improved compliance to traffic rules, and so on. Assumptions not properly channelled can often times be counterproductive and portend grave danger; we see the “business as usual syndrome” instead of growth, positive changes or results. The only solution is to see assumptions for what they truly are: feelings, beliefs or opinions that have yet to be scrutinized, clarified and proven. Till then, assumption is not to be taken as the real thing.      Folake Oluwole is a corporate and career coach and is the managing partner of GTD LTD (i.e. GETTING THINGS DONE), a consulting firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. She connects with people and organizations to inculcate a passion for the vision of the organization. For more information email jesufunmitito@yahoo.co.uk or oluwolefolake@yahoo.com.     Comment Now The 3 Things You Absolutely Must Know Before Creating Your New Product by Susan Fuller Have you ever created a product that didn't sell? If you're like most of the coaches I know, the answer is probably yes. I know I have, and I know it can feel like you're throwing mud up against a wall just waiting for a bit to stick. That's no way to be successful in the competitive online environment we have today. The days of putting up a website, buying some cheap pay-per-click ads and raking in the money are long gone...and they're not coming back. The Internet is loaded with information and millions of other businesses trying to grab the attention of your potential clients. In fact, did you know that an astounding 42% of web traffic goes to the site in position #1? I'm not sharing that to discourage you but to enlighten you to how vitally important it is to get your website onto page one of the Google SERPs (search engine results page). So how can you insure that you get there? You can't, but you can improve your chances by having good online market research in hand before starting any new project. So what does online market research really tell you? Good research will give you crucial information about keywords, competition and commercial value. 1. What keywords are people searching for? And in what numbers? When people hear me say I do keyword research they usually think I'm talking about search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click advertising (PPC) but keyword research is first and foremost about identifying profitable niche markets. Everything online revolves around keywords and keyword phrases. That's how you find what you're looking for online and it's how your potential clients are going to find you as well. So it is imperative for you to know exactly what people are searching for and how many of them there are. As important as this head count is, it's only the beginning of the story. Keywords with lots of searches look good, but paradoxically keywords with fewer searches are usually going to bring more traffic to your site than keywords with thousands of searches. Why? Because of the competition. 2. How much competition is there? And what are they doing? Knowing how many other websites are competing for your keyword phrases is, in many ways, even more important than how many searches are being done. If you are competing with millions of other websites for that most coveted of spots in Google, it will literally take you years to build the authority and reputation to get there. You can do all the SEO you like but it's still going to take a long time to rank, and you might never get there. What you want are keywords with some competition but not so much that you can't quickly rank for them in Google. And by quickly, I mean no more than a couple of months, sometimes less depending on the keyword. Not only is the amount of competition important but you also want to know exactly what your competition is doing to get onto page 1. When you know that you have a very precise roadmap showing what you need to do to beat them. Think about that. You don't have to figure out how to get ranked well in Google, you just need to follow your competition and then do them one better. 3. Where's the money? The last piece of information you need to know is whether your keyword phrases are money-makers or not. Do they have commercial value? If you've ever done any PPC advertising you already know that some keywords are just duds when it comes to sales and some are huge winners. You need to know which is which. Though this is the least concrete measure, there are clues in the research that can give you a good idea of commercial value. Things like the number of advertisers in Google AdWords, what they're bidding and the number of affiliate products in the market are all indicators of whether people are actually buying. So there it is... 1. Identify the keywords people are searching for and the number of searches for that keyword 2. Identify how much competition there is for the keyword and what your competition is doing to get their traffic (and do it better) 3. Determine whether there is commercial value This kind of research will eliminate about 95% of the bad choices. The remaining 5% can be eliminated by testing your research. Before creating a product, for example, you could set up a simple WordPress blog and try selling a similar product that someone else has created. Choose a product with an affiliate program so that you can track your sales and earn a commission. If it sells, you can go ahead and create your own product, you have a viable market. If it doesn't, you can move on to something else knowing you have just saved yourself a huge amount of time, money and energy. It's really that simple.   As an online business consultant and coach, Susan Fuller can help you with all your research and testing needs at New Niche Finder.     Comment Now   Coaching and the Elder Years by Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC “You’ve never been 80, so please don’t assume to know what’s right for me.” My mother provided this pivotal, “water in the face” moment for me almost 10 years ago. There I stood, witness to a disappearance of all the powerful coaching skills I’d thought I’d mastered. Diplomatic as I may have been, I was telling my mother what I thought she needed to do! It was painfully obvious that it’s easy to use a coaching approach…until you’re intimately invested! And of course my mother was right. She, in fact, was echoing the very thing I’d learned as a coach: Do not assume to know what is right for your client (mother)! This is a liberating and empowering concept in coaching, the very thing that invites inspiration and allows sustainability. And it’s equally liberating for the coach. Benefits abound! Yet in the throes of wanting what was best for my mother, I stepped in a big pile of fear, missing the perfection by a mile! Since that day all those years ago I’ve learned, among other things, the distinction between an emotional response and responding to emotions. The former has the ability to assume a crisis situation; the latter can open possibilities for the most loving and appropriate direction. In response to emotions, we are guided to detach from outcomes, a concept with which every coach is familiar. Even so, people often react adversely to the word “detachment” when talking about loved ones. It could appear to be advocating indifference. However, in my example, by detaching from the emotion of the situation, I was led to learn about the elder developmental stage of life, thus creating stronger understanding and allowing more compassionate actions. And there were some interesting, paradigm shifting surprises. For instance, the authors of a McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) study reported in the journal “Neuron” that the aging process actually improves certain abilities: Elderly people appear to be better and faster at grasping the big picture than their younger counterparts. That being the case, my mother was right. How could I possibly assume to know what’s right for her, when we weren’t even viewing the situation through the same developmental lens? That explained a lot. On the contrary, emotional responses can prevent the most appropriate solution from emerging, or prohibit the possibility that a solution may not even be necessary. It’s common to feel concern for our elder’s future, our own future, our own mortality. Being at the effect of our emotional response, we can rely too heavily on conditioning from our past and project the future instead of being in the present moment. Solutions are created in the present. Einstein has been credited for noting, “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.” So what’s a coach/daughter to do? A peek at the IAC Coaching Masteries® can help offer some insight to a more pro-active approach in these delicate situations. For instance, my mother has been inhabiting the mysterious world of dementia for five or so years now, and the coaching approach is more important than ever. A key element of Mastery #1, the client feels safe to tell his or her deepest fears without judgment, is crucial to keeping the lines of communication intact, especially during the times when communication seems disconnected. Mastery #4 states the coach allows the client the opportunity to process his or her own thoughts and responses, which can eliminate the need to interject with fact corrections. When we apply the Masteries in any relationship, we can reduce/eliminate confusion or uncertainty; increase understanding and the confidence of the client (Mastery #6), as well as for ourselves. This is where the magic of “what to do” is answered. This is how we navigate to the next phase and the next and the next. Organic solutions come forth and assumptions of what it best for someone else are left behind. As we say in the coaching biz, everyone wins.      Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC, is the Lead Certifier and a certifying examiner at the IAC and has previously served on the Board of Governors as President. She currently holds positions of Master Instructor and Dean of Students at the School of Coaching Mastery. Additionally, Natalie is founder of Ageless-Sages.com, publisher of Picture Books for Elders™ and their families.   Comment Now   Mastery, Part 2 (See Part 1) by Nina East, IAC-CC and Karen Van Cleve, IAC-CC Mastery is considered by many as a result (e.g., being able to coach masterfully) or as a status (e.g., a masterful coach). Instead, we propose that mastery is a mindset. As coaches ever seeking to raise our levels of capability with the IAC Coaching Masteries®, the fastest path to achieve the result of mastery is to first adopt the mindset of mastery. As coaches, we know a key to changing our clients’ mastery of their own lives is not to shift their behaviors, but to first adopt new patterns of thought, belief, and perspective. The same is true of moving ourselves from our current capabilities to our next level of potential. A recognized expert on the subject of mastery is George Leonard, author of the book Mastery. In a video by Leonard, entitled “The Five Keys to Mastery,” several masters of their crafts – from musicians and actors to software developers to Olympic athletes – describe their process of mastery. Leonard has boiled down their advice to five simple steps, or mindsets, any of us can use in any area of life. Key #1 is “Surrender to your passion.” When we really tap into the emotion and passion of our coaching, we are capable of so much more. Leonard advises us not to take ourselves, and mastery, so seriously – to find the joy and fun of it. When you love what you are doing, you’re willing to work hard, try new things, and step out of the inevitable feelings of fear or self-doubt. Joseph Campbell wrote that when you follow your passion, “you put yourself in the path of good luck,” where opportunities you can’t even imagine begin to open up. Key #2 is “Practice, practice, practice.” Leonard talks about mastery as spending most of the time on the “plateau,” where it feels like you aren’t really growing or changing. Yet he describes this as the place where most of the growth does occur. Once the learning has occurred on the plateau, then you see the evidence in a jump in capability. The experts identified the importance of focus during practice. The mastery mindset with this key is to get pleasure out of the moment-to-moment process of being a coach. Members, continue reading here. To join the IAC, click here.   Karen Van Cleve, IAC-CC, ACC, has been an IAC Certifier since 2005. She is also a Results Coach for the Anthony Robbins coaching organization. She speaks on a variety of coaching topics and provides personal coaching for a wide range of clients. Her website is www.KarenVanCleve.com.      Nina East, IAC-CC, is the past Lead Certifier for the IAC and the founder of www.PersonalGrowthPrincess.com, a self-help book summary site for women professionals and business owners who are enthusiastic about personal growth but don’t have the time to read all the books they buy.   Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org. Comment Now "Coaching Moments" takes a thoughtful look at how coaching can be interwoven into our daily lives.  (Prologue: I haven't been writing much this month due to illness, family commitments and the knock-on effects of a massive decluttering and redecorating project we began during our staycation; I thought it might be a good time to revisit one of my old Coaching Moments pieces. Although it was written in September 2007, it's very timely and as relevant now as it was then. I'm definitely a seasonal creature, a September nester. Reading it gave me a strong sense of déja vu; my son began high school a few weeks ago and my dad had a heart attack a year ago this month.) Life Laundry by Janice Hunter, IAC-CC Pegging out laundry Damp and fragrant in the sun She lifts up her face Listens to the sheets flapping In the breeze, surrendering Ready to set sail ~ Janice Hunter What's September like where you are? Is it spring? Or has the frazzling heat of August started to fade, leaving you fresher and less floppy? Do you take on new clients, begin new ventures? September feels like the start of a new year for me, with its promise of exciting new beginnings, classes and semesters. Maybe it's because I've spent most of my life as a student or a teacher or because my birthday falls at the end of August and both my children were born in the autumn. Whatever the reason, this is a time for freshly sharpened pencils, for blank pages and tempting piles of books, something to look forward to on darkening days as the nip of autumn turns into the unexpected bite of winter. I have a cupboard in the dining room where I store all the Christmas candles, scented oils and festive season bargains bought in the January sales. Wedged at the back are some wooden Shaker hearts, hand-painted a warm, folk art red. They were a free gift with a magazine and I always planned to do something creative with them. Waiting in there, patiently for years, they've soaked up the fragrance of cinnamon, apple and spice. If I'm ever saddened by the fading brightness of autumn, or tempted to see it as a season of loss rather than a time of fruitful abundance, I furtively open those doors and inhale the excitement of another season nestled within, like Russian dolls. As evolving souls in human bodies, we're meant to grow, to feel the seasons, to surrender to the beauty of each one - but like many people, I'm not very good at letting go. My daughter started high school a few weeks ago and I spent an anxious, distressed day pacing like a caged animal, unable to relax until she burst through the door beaming. My dad is eighty-three this month and has started to prepare for a different kind of letting go, sorting through his treasures, putting his life and house in order. One thing that calms me when the months and years seem to be spinning out of control is to anchor myself in the everyday details of creating a life I love. I try to cultivate gratitude and focus on the people I love, on the things that inspire me and on the thoughts, emotions and details that are within my power to change; then I just do my best to trust the rest to the universe. Every autumn, I get a craving, an almost visceral nesting instinct to clear out all the debris of an old year. Out go old passions and paradigms, making room for abundance, new experiences, new people and new lessons to flow into my life. Clutter clearing - my own and other people's - brings me so much pleasure, it should be X-rated. Deciding what to do with every sheet of paper, every object, every garment or piece of fabric is a living, breathing meditation, a tangible way to strengthen my choice muscles and ask some important questions: If I had ten minutes to rescue my belongings, would I take this? Do I really, really love and need this or am I keeping it "just in case it comes in useful?" Could someone else get more benefit from this or love it more? Am I keeping this just to please someone else? Or because it came from someone I care about? Is this anchoring me in the past when I need to be moving on? Is this heartstoppingly beautiful? Will the kids be glad I saved this in the attic for them or roll their eyes in years to come and wonder what on earth I was thinking about? Does this object exude positive, empowering energy? What does it say about me? And do I like what it says about me? Does it symbolise a value, something good, something precious? Do I spend more time dusting souvenirs than I do making memories? Every time I shred paper and clear out my clutter, my coaching and poetry get better, the house becomes more spacious and easier to clean, we all have more energy... and I lose weight! As well as space and energy, a cathartic clean-out also frees up time and money. A few weeks ago, we had a family holiday in a small, white cottage by a sea loch; it was funded entirely by what we'd earned from family car-boot sales and by what we'd saved by recycling and re-organising. What could you let go of this autumn to prepare the ground for the seeds of a new season? Janice Hunter is an IAC certified homelife coach who lives in Scotland with her husband and two children. She created and co-wrote Sharing the Certification Journey: Six IAC Coaches Talk About Their Journeys, and her blogsite, www.sharingthejourney.co.uk, provides soul food and support for coaches, writers, parents and home-based workers. Janice has compiled all of her Coaching Moments pieces from the last two years into a free 46-page ebook, 'Coaching Moments: A Collection of Articles about Coaching in Everyday Life' which can be downloaded here or from her site. Comment Now Your Feedback We'd love to get your feedback on any issue related to the IAC. Do you have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas for improvement regarding membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction of the organization or anything else at all? Please send an email to feedback@certifiedcoach.org. Please help us improve.

IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 38, August 2009, Circulation: 13,169

Linda From the Editor Angela Spaxman's excitement about the upcoming IAC strategic planning process is bubbling over in her President's Message this month. If you weren't already engaged in the process, she will help you get there. Angela also has an announcement about the IAC's Lead Certifier. In other IAC news, if you or someone you know is an experienced web developer, IAC Communications Chair Sue Brundege would love to hear from you, and she presents the details of the current Request for Proposal. In our first feature article, author and coach Jennifer Day explores the impact that the stress effect could be having on your experience as a coach. Next, Victoria Fenner presents a case for podcasting – with tips and ideas for combining this technology with the valuable coaching services you are already delivering. One of the goals of the VOICE is to help coaches become certified, and today's Inside Scoop – Lessons from the Certifier does it beautifully. In fact, Alison Davis tells you exactly what you must do in order to successfully pass Part Two of the Certification process – submitting your recorded coaching sessions. When she sent me this month's Coaching Moments column, Janice Hunter told me, "Linda, this one's a thinker," meaning a post that's meant to inspire you to ponder, versus a post that wants to get you into action or teach you a specific idea. So read it with an open mind and no expectations of yourself to do or to learn anything. Just enjoy it. Submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website, including submission dates for our upcoming issues. I would love to receive your article submissions by August 17th for the September issue, or September 14th for the October issue. Please contact me with your article ideas and your feedback about this issue. Warm wishes, Linda Linda Dessau, CPCC Editor, IAC® VOICE Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org Comment Now Angela From the President by Angela Spaxman president@certifiedcoach.org Have you registered yet to take part in the IAC's Strategic Planning Process? It is exciting to see the quality of people who are going to be joining these discussions about the future of coaching and the IAC. I hope you will join us, too. Some of you may remember the inspiring open conference calls around the time the IAC was "invented," when Thomas Leonard called forth our idealism and hope in a spirit of collaboration. Thomas led us in conversations about the potential, the future and the secrets of coaching, and so many of us were drawn in and inspired to make coaching a key part of our lives. What do coaches do that creates that kind of energy? How do we elicit our sense of urgency for coaching to make its mark in the world? What becomes free in us when we play together like children, while inventing our futures like the brilliant people that we are? I've seen it many times: coaches getting together to create something bigger than themselves. As expert conversationalists and dreamers, we are ideally suited for this role. With an engaging question and some structure, we are bound to evoke some new ideas while having a marvelous time together. We'll be warm and direct, truthful and optimistic. And with this kind of collaboration, we are well-placed to continue creating a professional organization (the IAC) that proudly represents the spirit of coaching. I can hardly wait to get started! Cheers, Angela Spaxman President, IAC® Email: president@certifiedcoach.org Web: www.lovingworkandleading.com Comment Now New IAC Coaching Masteries® licensed schools and mentors Name City State Country IAC-CC   Executive & Business Coaching Foundation India Limited Chennai   India No View Details Terri Zelenak Maple Falls WA United States Yes View Details Master Coach & C Global México D.F.   México No View Details Comment Now Request for Proposal In keeping with the ongoing evolution of the IAC and our coaching profession, we are launching a major redesign of our Web site this fall. To collaborate with us on this effort, we are looking to hire a Web design consultant experienced in non-profits and membership-based Web sites. This consultant will help us create a new Web site that further strengthens our IAC community, attracts new members and better serves coaching professionals worldwide. If you or someone you know would like to propose on this exciting project, please download this Request for Proposal. For more information, contact IAC Communications Chair Sue Brundege at sue@selfmadeself.com.  Comment Now An IAC Milestone by Angela Spaxman, from the IAC Board of Governors Two developments in our organization are coming together to lead us to a new milestone. 1) We are growing and thriving and our work as an organization is expanding. One of the signs of this expansion is the increasing responsibility and complexity of the Lead Certifier position. 2) Nina East IAC-CC, our Lead Certifier for the past three years, has decided to step down. After serving the IAC with tremendous wisdom and dedication through several seasons of our development, she is moving more of her focus back to her own business. In particular she plans to spend more time on her Personal Growth Princess membership site, which expresses her passion for self-improvement in a particularly feminine way! We are sorry to miss Nina's expertise and energy but very pleased that she will remain on the Certification Team. We are most fortunate to have a strong Certification Team and good potential candidates to replace Nina. We are also taking the change as an opportunity to offer a stipend in partial compensation for the work of the Lead Certifier. We have actually been planning that for a while but have been waiting to ensure we have the budget to support it. This position holds responsibility for the quality of the IAC Certification process and it requires a lot of special expertise. Therefore it is an important investment for us to ensure the Lead Certifier has the time and focus required to sustain and develop our certification system into the future. To date, we have been blessed by Nina's contributions and those of the Lead Certifiers before her. Indeed we are grateful to the contributions of many volunteers, who dedicate hundreds of hours at their own expense to the advancement of the IAC. Please celebrate this milestone with us! We are thrilled to have progressed to the point where we can begin to pay for one of the critical professional roles that sustain us. And if you are an experienced IAC Certifier, past or present, we welcome your enquiries about the position of Lead Certifier for the IAC. Comment Now The Coherent Coach by Jennifer Day We don’t need research to show that when we are internally coherent, we feel physically and emotionally balanced, safe and in harmony; our brain works fast and accurately; ideas emerge naturally and effortlessly; we find the right words to say what we want to say; we can adapt easily to unforeseen events and we experience being what some would call "in the flow." As coaches, we are familiar with this state in both ourselves and our clients. For those who would like some empirical evidence, I can tell you it is abundant! The lesser known side of that research shows that when we are internally incoherent or emotionally and physically out of balance, the brain does not function well at all! The insidious thing is that we are often not even aware that this is happening, because most of the time it is un-dramatic and caused by a phenomenon physicians call low-grade stress. Low-grade stress is the result of a perpetual dose of small irritations, doubts or judgments that disturb the balance of the autonomic nervous system. Because the autonomic nervous system cannot distinguish between the various types of stimulation we are subjected to, our body’s response is the same whether we are faced with an unexpectedly irate client or a tiger on the loose. When we perceive such a threat, a level of incoherence or disharmony is created in the heart, which sends messages back up to the brain to commence the stress-response, a natural process designed to defend against any perceived threat. The "emotional brain" is activated in a "switching" of activity from the frontal lobes and neo-cortex (the intellectual, insightful, "thinking brain"), to the more reflexive responses of the limbic system or "emotional brain," as the body’s defense mechanisms (the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system) are initiated. These responses include a release of various "stress" hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which cause a slowing or shutting down of the digestive system, shallowness of breath or "‘over-breathing," and increased heart rate and blood pressure. As well, by diverting the blood away from the stomach and skin to the muscles we gain more strength and energy, appropriate for a fight-or-flight situation, e.g., facing that tiger on the loose. However, when a client for the fifth time tells us he has not implemented what he agreed to, or the computer freezes as we go to send a follow-up email we’ve worked on for the past half-hour, we may not enter into a state of full-blown fight-or-flight reaction. Typically however, we experience a reactive response—sometimes unconsciously—which will initiate a "stress alert" state, which is when the brain prepares the body for the fight-or flight response. This leads to un-discharged stress chemicals and muscle tension to build up. (Any anticipatory emotions such as anxiety, worry and frustration cause this "stress alert" response; all produce the same chemical reactions as being faced with a tiger!) The stress response will eventually diminish if we use up the energy generated (physically fighting or fleeing!) or if we consciously relax and activate the autonomic nervous system's parasympathetic nervous system, designed to cool us down while allowing heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels to all return to normal. Unfortunately, in most cases we neither physically defend ourselves nor do we consciously initiate a relaxation process, resulting in an on-off, on-off, on-off cycle that is similar to driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake. (Imagine what would happen to a car if we drove it in such a way!) Aside from the obvious damaging effects this can have on our health, it also makes our brains ineffective for any resourcefully complex pursuit such as coaching – being that our "thinking brain" has been partially switched off! Insidiously, if we are not even conscious of the presence of low-grade stress in our lives, we are of course equally un-aware of the negative effects of this oft-unnoticed, frequently sustained and usually unmanaged offensive to our emotional balance! So, what to do about this? How do we ensure we are coherent coaches at all times? The first step is increasing your self-awareness, and the next step is self-management. 1. NOTICE your stress-response: Where in your body do you take your stress? Where in your body do you feel your emotions? Where in your body do you hold tension? Keep a small journal next to you and note down when you’re feeling uncomfortable. Next to your entry, write where in your body you’re feeling it. A daily entry into your journal will likely increase your self-awareness within 2–3 weeks, and soon you’ll start to notice the tension in your body before you’re even aware you are having a reaction! Your body will begin to "speak" to you—or more accurately, you will start to hear it. 2. MANAGE your stress-response: When you notice tension anywhere, consciously "let go" of the tension. For example, to release tension in your hands and arms, clench your fists tightly for a count of ten and then let go, allowing your fingers, hands and arms to go limp for ten seconds. Shake them lightly, imagining letting go of any excess tension remaining. Take three slow, deep breaths, extending the exhale. Open your chest and smile for the count of ten (even if you don’t feel like it!). Physically smiling will release endorphins that will eventually make you feel better. To solidify your practice and integrate your learning, take time to notice how your brain works better when you’re feeling good and in a coherent state – how much smarter you are. Write down some examples of your thought patterns when you're feeling good. When you get upset, jot down what you're thinking, and compare that with your earlier records. You'll have concrete proof of your brain's improved efficacy when you are relaxed and coherent. Last but not least, habituate whatever works!   Jennifer Day, best-selling author and coach (since 1991), specializes in emotional intelligence and "in-the-moment" stress management. Founder/director of Applied Emotional Mastery Inc., her most recent book BEING WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE – Bringing Emotional Mastery Into Everyday Life is available from bookstores, Amazon.com and through www.AppliedEmotionalMastery.com.       Comment Now In Their Ears – Using Audio Podcasts to Connect with your Coaching Clients by Victoria Fenner When I worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, our on-air hosts often received Christmas cards, personal letters and sometimes even birthday cakes from listeners. All from total strangers and all addressed as if sent to a long lost friend. Such is the power of the human voice. One of the first lessons we learn in radio school is that nothing beats talking directly to your audience to establish an emotional connection. Some coaches are already doing podcasts. If you’re not, you might want to think about it. After all, your business is based on talking to people. There are a lot of things podcasting can do to strengthen your connection with your clients through your voice. What is podcasting? There are a few different definitions of podcasts floating around in cyber culture. Podcasting in the strictest sense means an audio or video program that is like a magazine. People subscribe to podcasts through iTunes or similar “podcast aggregators,” after which each new episode is auto-magically downloaded onto your computer to load onto your iPod. Often, though, when clients ask me to help them produce a podcast, they actually mean “help me make an audio or video feature for my website,” and that is the kind of podcasting I will address in this article. Why podcast? What we know from radio research is that people establish strong emotional connections with their favourite radio stars. Radio is the most intimate of media, especially when listeners use headphones. The same is true for podcasts, which after all are just radio shows on the Internet. Here are just a few ways to get into the ears of your coaching clients: Your greatest hits - You likely have topics that you address with all your clients. So why not record a collection of these short topics? You can use these as jumping-off points for more detailed conversations when you talk to your client individually.    Coach in your pocket - Your clients can carry your words with them on their iPod and listen to you whenever they need to hear your reassuring voice. This helps keep their spirits up and maintains their focus in between sessions. And they can listen to you anywhere – on a plane, on a treadmill or while they’re weeding the garden.   The buck starts here - Along with valuable coaching content, your podcast can include an introduction to other products and services you offer, such as books you’ve written, CDs you’ve recorded or upcoming workshops. Free versus fee You might want to have two kinds of podcasts. To attract new clients, have a podcast that is available to everyone, and distribute it as widely as possible. The more people who know about you, the more clients you will attract. Then, have a separate podcast that is password-protected and only accessible to your clients. That way, the people who pay you will feel like they’re getting something special that isn’t available to everybody. It's easier than you think Podcasting is worth considering. It will bring out a whole new dimension of your personality and your coaching business. And it’s surprisingly easy and inexpensive to get started. High quality recording gear which used to cost more than a thousand dollars is available for as little as $200. You can do your own editing on your own computer with free editing programs such as Audacity. If you'd like to move up to the next level, I recommend Amadeus (for Mac) at $40 USD, or Goldwave at $49 USD or Sound Forge Audio Studio at $55 USD, both for PC. With a little bit of technical and performance training, your own glorious voice can go everywhere the Internet goes. And you may even start receiving those personal notes, cards and birthday cakes.    Victoria Fenner is a radio/podcast producer. Her company, Sound Out Media, produces audio and video podcasts. She also provides training and workshops in person, by phone and online to people wanting to learn how to produce their own programs and distribute them through iTunes, YouTube and other social media. Contact info: www.soundoutmedia.com VLfenner@gmail.com 289-396-2742    Comment Now   Alison Davis, IAC-CC reminds you How to maximise your success on Part Two of the IAC certification exam Once you have demonstrated a solid understanding of each of the IAC Coaching Masteries® by achieving a score of 70% or more on the online Part One exam, you are ready to focus on Part Two of the exam and prepare to demonstrate the use of each of the Masteries in your coaching. This process will require an investment of your time to understand and integrate the IAC Coaching Masteries® fully into your own life and work so completely that they just become a natural part of who you are and how you coach. The Masteries are designed to create positive shifts and progress for both you and for your clients. The goal of Part Two is to be able to appropriately and effectively apply all of the Masteries to an actual coaching situation, which you will demonstrate in two recorded coaching sessions. Getting started Make sure you get lots of practice before you send in your recordings. Coach with a buddy coach, form a triad, join a study group and/or use a mentor coach. This experience and feedback will enable you to use the Masteries effectively. You will need to demonstrate not only that you understand each Mastery, but also that you know when and how to apply and use each one. If you receive feedback that indicates you are not yet using the Masteries effectively with your clients or buddies, then it is better to postpone your exam until you are ready. For your exam recordings, choose two clients (one for each recording) who are ready to evolve and follow through. Make sure they are healthy, smart and action-oriented. The ideal clients for your recordings have already made progress as a result of your coaching, while extremely stuck or confused clients may make it more difficult for you to demonstrate the Masteries. Once you have decided which of your clients you work best with, ask them if you can record their coaching sessions for the purposes of IAC certification. Let them know that the IAC certification process identifies masterful coaches and that in order to be coaching at this level, you need to have many hours of coaching experience. (See last month’s article about how many hours it takes to achieve “mastery” in any field.) Setting up your recording At the beginning of each recorded session, remember to ask the client’s permission to record the session. Ask the client to state on the recording that they have read and signed the waiver of confidentiality, and agree to have the session recorded for the sole purpose of IAC certification. Also bear in mind that the aim of this session is to demonstrate the use of the IAC Coaching Masteries® at a masterful level. Refresh your memory by reviewing the Masteries, and then set them aside. Do not try to force the Masteries into your session. This will be obvious to the certifiers, as well as the client, and results in less effective coaching. Let go of your agenda to pass the exam and just do your natural coaching as you do with your clients and coaching buddies. If you are ready, the Masteries will all be present quite naturally as you coach. Designing your session As you begin your coaching session, it is a good idea to bear in mind that you will be most successful if you design your session effectively. This means making sure you have a beginning, a middle and an end to your session. Members, continue reading here for specific details on how to design an optimal coaching session. To join the IAC, click here.   Alison Davis, IAC-CC, is the founder of Foundations for Living, a licensed school of the IAC Coaching Masteries®, and is also a certifier for the IAC. Alison has been coaching, training, facilitating and mentoring individuals and in organisations in Europe, the US and South Africa for over 13 years. She is trained in psycho-spiritual integration, helping clients to develop their SQ. For more information email alison@foundationsforliving.com.     Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org. Comment Now "Coaching Moments" takes a thoughtful look at how coaching can be interwoven into our daily lives.  What’s in a Name   by Janice Hunter, IAC-CC When you notice a cat in profound meditation, The reason, I tell you, is always the same: His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: His ineffable effable Effanineffable Deep and inscrutable singular Name. ~ T.S Eliot T.S Eliot said a cat must have three names; its everyday family name, a unique special name that sets it apart, and the secret name that only the cat itself knows - its “deep and inscrutable singular Name.” What would your three names be? I’ve been thinking a lot about names recently. I’ve never really liked being a Janice. It’s a perfectly good name, don’t get me wrong, but I’m just not a Janice. My six-year-old sister chose it when I was born. My Greek baptismal name is Yanna, which suits me so much more, but it would have upset my family if I’d adopted it. When I married, I kept my own surname, simply because I prefer it. We were ostracised by several members of my husband’s family, and then shunned by the remaining members when he announced that I’m not a Mrs. either, but a Ms. Names and titles have power. I know we can become obsessed by naming and defining, can end up feeding our egos instead of simply being, but clarity can empower us, and as names are symbols, it makes sense to investigate whether they empower us or hold us back. Our lovers and parents give us pet names we can accept with love…or reject; being called Mum, a name shared by billions of others, has a magic all of its own when our children say it, smiling; if a woman chooses to take her husband’s name after marriage, it’s an eternal symbol of the blending of hearts and fortunes. I love the Native American tradition of naming people after nature or characteristics. I often wonder if I’d be Woman who Smiles at Birds. That’s why the Internet has empowered so many of us; we can choose – and change – our domain names and user names with freedom and ease, anonymity or laser focus. I spent weeks deciding on the name of my new blog, even longer deciding on a tagline. I shunned all advice about specialising in one niche, and felt passionately that it needed to embrace all of me, as well as my desire to create a community. I eventually used Sharing the Journey: soul food and support for coaches, writers and homemakers. A touch of unashamed alliterative lyricism, a simple statement of intent. It expresses my mission, what I hope to offer. I sometimes sign comments janice | Sharing the Journey; it feels more comfortable than my first name and surname, but it’s not my special name. It doesn’t define me. I read a book last year which guides the readers through constellations of wonderful questions about likes and dislikes, passions and personal tastes until we hone our authentic, personal style into a style statement; two words that symbolise our essential, authentic selves, everything we are and love - our core foundation combined with that extra something that gives us an edge. Mine came out in Greek. Sometimes I close my eyes and draw on it to give me strength. It still has the power to enchant me, but it’s too special to become invisible through daily use and familiarity. It’s also impossible to use in an elevator speech. Years ago, I paid to do a course called Introduction to Life Coaching. In Britain, "life coach" was a term we used while North Americans simply called themselves coaches. After I became IAC-certified and started refining my interests and attracting people I resonated with, I began to refer to myself as a homelife coach; in my mind, it covers everything from interior design work and decluttering to the family coaching that can define our happiness at home. After I became more deeply involved in writing about coaching topics, supporting and connecting with folk through my writing, I felt comfortable calling myself a homelife coach and coachwriter. My Twitter name, although I haven’t done much tweeting yet, is lifecoachwriter. Why then, you might ask, did I tell a BBC radio producer on the phone on Saturday that I’m a certified life coach, in response to her innocent question “Shall we just say you’re a blogger, then, or a full-time mum?” She’d emailed me to ask if I’d do a guest spot discussing the benefits of "staycations," based on a blog post I’d written. I could have chosen any of my roles, but it came out passionately, and with conviction. “I’m a certified life coach.” I realised quite suddenly, that I’m fiercely proud of being an IAC-certified coach. I don’t actively market my coaching services and I still have to explain to many of my fellow countrymen what a life coach actually does, but it means something to me and I worked very hard to be able to call myself one. It always comes back to knowing who we are, what we value most, and what we were born to share. What does the name "coach" mean to you? Janice Hunter is an IAC certified homelife coach who lives in Scotland with her husband and two children. She created and co-wrote Sharing the Certification Journey: Six IAC Coaches Talk About Their Journeys, and her blogsite, www.sharingthejourney.co.uk, provides soul food and support for coaches, writers, parents and home-based workers. Janice has compiled all of her Coaching Moments pieces from the last two years into a free 46-page ebook, 'Coaching Moments: A Collection of Articles about Coaching in Everyday Life' which can be downloaded here or from her site. Comment Now Your Feedback We'd love to get your feedback on any issue related to the IAC. Do you have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas for improvement regarding membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction of the organization or anything else at all? Please send an email to feedback@certifiedcoach.org. Please help us improve.

IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 37, July 2009, Circulation: 13,071

Linda From the Editor We made the Top 10! Our VOICE blog was a winner in IAC licensee School of Coaching Mastery's Best Coaching Blogs competition. I know I mentioned last month that we hadn't made the next round of voting, but since then there was a glitch that led to the contest starting all over again. Thank you to Julia Stewart and the School of Coaching Mastery for this wonderful opportunity to share our work with the greater coaching community, and others who want to learn about coaching. In July's President's Message, Angela Spaxman explores another one of the IAC's primary values – collaboration - and she introduces a wonderful opportunity for both IAC members and VOICE subscribers to collaborate in determining the very future of the coaching profession. UK Coach Richard Fox presents a creative tool for working with clients who are dealing with an issue that has multiple components. Pamela Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation, has a special question for part-time coaches or anyone taking the leap from a full-time job to a dream career. Whether it's for you or a client, this article is sure to spark some entrepreneurial ideas. Andrea Lee is back at the helm of our Tools for Coaching Mastery column this month, with her unique ponderings on the passage of time. For today's Inside Scoop – Lessons from the Certifiers, Nina East partnered up with another veteran IAC certifier, Karen Van Cleve, and they co-wrote an article that presents the simple (but not easy), straightforward (but not quick) route to becoming a masterful coach. I love watching crime drama on television, and some of my favourite scenes occur in the courtroom. But a courtroom is the last place I would expect to find any Coaching Moments. Leave it to our Janice Hunter to bring her insights and integrity to a challenging situation like jury duty. Submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website, including submission dates for our upcoming issues. I would love to receive your article submissions by July 20th for the August issue, or August 17th for the September issue. Please contact me with your article ideas and your feedback about this issue. Warm wishes, Linda Linda Dessau, CPCC Editor, IAC® VOICE Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org Comment Now Angela From the President by Angela Spaxman president@certifiedcoach.org The future of coaching – how will it be? And how do you want it to be? Last month I described the IAC's values of diversity and innovation, and this month I want to mention another one: collaboration. Collaboration means working together towards common goals. It is a cornerstone of coaching and a gift for our field because upholding this value allows us to create a diversity of strong, specialized organizations to provide for everything we need as an industry. Over the past few years, the creativity of coaches has produced professional organizations, schools, research institutes, local community groups, online forums, specialty services tailored to coaches, volunteer groups, and more. All of these groups have a unique place and value. As our whole industry grows organically, the IAC will collaborate with those groups who share our values while we continue to tread the unique path that is our special contribution to the world of coaching. How can you collaborate with us to bring the gift of masterful coaching further into the world? Well, let me tell you! In August we will kick-off the IAC's Strategic Planning process with a series of webinars where we will envision together what we want for the future of our profession and association. This is the first time we have initiated a conversation on this scale. I can hardly wait to get started in the fascinating conversations we are going to create together. In the first six years of the IAC, we have created a sustainable membership association with the foundational systems and standards that express our values for mastery, ethics, diversity and innovation. Now we are inviting you, our members and subscribers, to share your ideals for the future of the IAC. As the whole world both struggles in adversity and reaches new heights of cooperation and compassion, it is appropriate and even imperative that coaches also join together to envision our best possible future. We will be looking at the whole industry first, before we turn our attention specifically to the IAC and the part we can best play in the world of coaching. Please don’t delay to mark your calendars and register for the time slots that suit you. I am so eager to hear your voices! Cheers, Angela Spaxman President, IAC® Email: president@certifiedcoach.org Web: www.lovingworkandleading.com Comment Now New IAC Coaching Masteries® licensed schools and mentors Name City State Country IAC-CC   Deborah Williamson Coaching Kohler  WI US United States No View Details Comment Now IAC certified coaches Congratulations to Lorraine Lee from Central Hong Kong and Jacqueline Dunkle from Greensburg, PA, USA who recently passed their Step 2 Exams and became IAC Certified Coaches! Comment Now Please help create the future of IAC As the International Association of Coaching® moves into a deep strategic planning process, we invite you to participate in answering questions about the future of the coaching profession, and IAC’s role in creating that future. With the assistance of Dave Ellis (internationally respected leadership coach, author, educator, and philanthropist), IAC invites its members to participate in a teleconference series. During three 90-minute phone calls Ellis will explain the process of multi-decade visioning, and assist you to think and say what you have never thought or said about the future of coaching. These calls are scheduled throughout our strategic planning process so that you can learn and provide feedback about what other IAC groups have created. When was the last time you asked yourself ... Where will I be in 25 years? What will I have created? Who will have benefited? What is now possible for those who have received my services? Of course, we can not predict or control the future, but we are much more likely to influence our future when we know what we want and are clear about our dreams, visions, and desires. As a valued subscriber to the VOICE, we would love to include you in our first call in August. You have your choice of two different call times. Please click here to sign up for our visioning process and participate in a stimulating dialogue with your peers, to discuss: Where do we want the coaching profession be in 25-50 years? What will we want to have created? Who do we want to have benefited? What is possible for those who have received coaching services? Which unlikely alliances have proved most widely successful? ... and many more questions to expand our thinking, go beyond our current ideas, and take control of the future of our profession. You can find out more about Dave Ellis at www.daveellisleadership.com and www.brandefoundation.org. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around often. Not only will our conversation benefit from your creative mind, we know you’ll be enriched by your participation as well. Join us! It will be fun! Call #1 (All VOICE subscribers welcome): Aug 13, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern Time (08/13/2009) OR Aug 17, 8:00-9:30 p.m. Eastern Time (08/17/2009)   Call #2 (IAC members only): Sept 24, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern Time (09/24/2009) OR Sept 21, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (09/21/2009)   Call #3 (IAC members only): Oct 14, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (10/14/2009) OR Oct 22, 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time (10/22/2009) P.S. The results of these meetings will feed directly into the IAC’s strategic planning process through its vision, mission and strategic goal setting and beyond this into actions that create the future of our profession. Comment Now Using objects as an aid in a coaching conversation by Richard Fox In a coaching session where the coachee's topic contains several distinct elements, simple everyday objects such as a pencil, pen, cup, saucer or spoon can be used to great effect. Using objects in coaching can help to regain momentum with a fresh perspective or help a client who is a more creative thinker. Benefits of using objects in coaching An opportunity to unravel a problem, identify its separate parts and to see the relationship between them (spatial sorting) The ability to look at the whole system A way to get the issue or problem out of the coachee’s head and onto the table. This usually helps the coachee look, see and feel the situation more objectively and as an observer (disassociation and/or 3rd position) More scope for the coach to detach and to play The ability for the coachee to see how the situation is now, and how he or she wants it to be A process that should appeal to people with a strong visual or spatial preference or a strong bodily (tangible) kinaesthetic preference. A method for the coachee to reveal the root cause of an issue on a deeper level. The objects can represent intangible as well as tangible things, e.g., the component pieces regarding an issue around using time effectively might be: (i) love of variety, (ii) No time for myself and (iii) I never do anything properly. An emphasis on awareness and insight, gathering and testing data or unblocking an issue, rather than on creating an action plan. Process The coach needs to start with some coaching questions focussing on the issue before inviting the coachee to work with the objects. Until you become experienced in using objects, I suggest that you restrict the total number of objects to between three and five. For example, one object could represent a work team, rather than having individual objects that represent each member of that team. You can use the process at a variety of levels, and an object does not have to represent a tangible person or situation. For example, the coachee could use one object to represent his or her diary and, at a deeper level another object(s) could represent a fear, guilt, a belief, lack of self confidence. Suggest to the coachee that they be open to anything that shows up and assure them that they can end the process at any stage. As in any coaching situation, use your intuition and sense where the energy is flowing and what is working or not working. Also give the coachee the space and time to think and feel into the issue. Suggested steps Clear a table and sit opposite, alongside or at 90 degrees to the coachee, whatever is more comfortable for the coachee. The coach should not touch the objects on the table at any stage in the process. Ask the coachee to focus on the current situation. Let the coachee choose the first object from what’s already in the room, e.g., a pencil. Ask the coachee to place the object thoughtfully on the table. Ask the coachee the following type of questions as appropriate: In which direction is the future, the past? In which direction do you want your object to face? Is there anything that springs to mind? Repeat the above process with the other components or objects. With each object the coach should check what the object represents, e.g., my boss or my low self-esteem and ask questions like: Where do you want to place [the object] in relation to the existing objects? How far apart? Which way is it facing? What’s happening in that space? What, if anything, is missing in regard to your issue or question? Once the current reality is in place check that the coachee is happy with how the issue is represented. Now ask the coachee to "let each of the objects have a voice and an emotion and let each piece talk to you and to each other." Ask the coachee to take each object in turn. For example, a work project might say, "I would like to benefit more from X’s expertise." Ask the coachee questions like: What is the overall system telling you? What are you experiencing in your body? What do you notice that you were unaware of before? The coach may comment on anything that may be significant to the coachee, e.g., "I notice that your deputy is standing in front of you and is facing you. What are the messages regarding this?" The next stage is to ask the coachee one or both of the following types of questions: What object(s) would you like to move to help shift your perception/feelings about the current situation? How would the objects need to be arranged for the situation to be more satisfactory to you? The coach could then deepen what this might mean in terms of the steps she or he could take, and then end by asking questions like: How do you now see, feel, or think about the issue? What has changed for you? What insights have you had? To what extent has this process been helpful? Acknowledgements I would like to thank and acknowledge Meike Buegler, Constellator and Organizational Development Consultant at Syngenta Crop Protection AG, for introducing me to Organizational Constellations, using people as well as objects. Thank you also to Lesley Pugh, an executive coach and NLP colleague, for contributing to this paper and to the case study.   Richard Fox, ACC, qualified as a coach in 2001 to complement his role as an experienced business mentor. He works mainly with executive, middle management and team leaders, helping them create and sustain an environment in which they can express themselves, optimise their potential, and lead purposeful lives and purposeful organisations. For more information or to review a related case study, you may contact him at rjfox@tlc.eu.com or www.tlc.eu.com.     Comment Now Are you ingredients looking for a recipe? by Pamela Slim As a career and business coach, I spend a lot of my time working with people who are trying to figure out what to do for a living. I usually start by sending them on an internal expedition, examining the nuances, thoughts and feelings of their body, mind and spirit for clues about what interests them. They carry around notebooks in which they furiously scribble insights, they create vision boards, they bookmark websites like crazy, they make spreadsheets and they stuff files with pictures and magazine clippings. Then they get back in touch with me, feeling a bit perplexed and overwhelmed, sharing a summary list that looks something like this: My interests: old rugs The Pittsburgh Steelers organic farming my family writing code drag racing web 2.0 speaking Russian salsa dancing small business marketing space travel old episodes of Friends yoga photography They say “I sure love all these things, but how in the world can I make a business out of them?” To which I reply: You are ingredients in search of a recipe. Or perhaps many recipes. A common misconception about the process of entrepreneurship, and specifically a coaching business, is that you have to fit all your interests into one neatly tied up and integrated business which will allow you to express all of your passions. Instead, I like to think of skills and interests as ingredients to use selectively in different business models, depending on the opportunities and market. So you could help your clients formulate a plan like this: “I think I want to use salsa dancing as the main staple for my next venture. I will round out the flavor with a bit of coding, by creating a killer website that hosts great instructional videos for novice dancers, and will sprinkle in a little bit of photography so I can take stunning photos of professional dancers that they can use in their promotional materials.” or “I would love to spend some time in Pittsburgh so I can catch all the Steeler home games live. I think I will focus on organic farming in the northeast, using a few cups of marketing to help local farmers expand their offerings in the slow winter season. I hear that there are some amazing rug dealers in the area, so when not doing small business marketing, I will try to find some great pieces and sell them on eBay.” Using this simple framework, you can help your clients see that they don’t have to use all their “ingredients” at once, in the same measure, in the same recipe. All they need to do is to continually refine their list of ingredients, and combine them in ways that interest them and taste great. As for your own coaching practice, when you feel like something is lacking in your business model, experiment with adding shakes of ingredients to liven things up. “My coaching business is really boring at the moment. How could I add a touch of Burning Man to the mix and make it more interesting?” “My clients seem to be getting really stuck and bored with phone sessions. How might I combine my love of art and children’s camps to make a unique coaching retreat? “I love working with clients but am bored to tears in my small town. What would happen if I added some location independent to the mix and did my coaching from Burkina Faso?” Try it! What is your list of ingredients?     Pamela Slim is a business coach and author of Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur (Portfolio May 2009). Download a free chapter of the book at www.escapefromcubiclenation.com.     Comment Now   The calendar as a coaching structure by Andrea Lee Though a lot is made of the end or beginning of a calendar year, funnily enough not much is made of the halfway point, where we are right now. And yet, isn’t that one of the trickiest spots along the trajectory of any project, or even life? That big fat middle of the bell curve, where the data is the least clear. Perhaps the dreaded sophomore year at college, where the going gets tough, and many students drop out. Or even, of course, the mid-life crisis, now said to span as early as the thirties – "early middle" – to the fifties – "late bloomers." Perhaps it’s a rather unorthodox tool for coaching mastery, but I’m of the opinion that sometimes the best things are the simple ones staring us in the face. As the poet Rumi puts it, it is troublesome to ask a fish about the existence of the sea. Perhaps one of the most simple and abiding tools that Mentor Coach Barbra Sundquist helped me learn was the power of the calendar, and even the seasons, to become a dynamic force in my life – a support environment that buoys me up like the salt in the sea. And of course, as soon as I learned that, I was happy to pass it along to my clients. It’s no surprise then to notice that Barbra also leverages support structures like membership sites to support coaches to achieve Certified Coach status, or that she so carefully crafted a structured home-study program that takes each mastery one step at a time, ever supportive. Truth be told, out of all of them, I find IAC Coaching Mastery #9 the most difficult to manifest. Is "Helping the client create and use supportive systems and structures" the last mastery for a reason? I can’t say. But I do know that focussing on it has helped. As of July 1, 2009, we have an opportunity to raise the grain on the mid-point of the year with our clients, and perhaps choose to highlight the calendar as a support system. Is the middle a challenging spot in the lives of you or your clients? How or how not? In what way might you be leveraging key moments on the calendar into coaching conversations, programs, or products? Are you confident in your ability to speak to supportive structures? Just because it’s the last mastery, let's not leave it to last to mastery, alright?     The Coaching By Example 9-CD Series features 55 audio tracks of demo coaching and commentary with Mentor Coach and former IAC certifying examiner Barbra Sundquist. To find out more about how the CD series can be a support structure on your journey to IAC-CC certification, click here: http://www.learncoachingbyexample.com. And for your IAC member discount, log into your IAC member page and scroll down to the new member benefit.   Comment Now   by Nina East, IAC-CC and Karen Van Cleve, IAC-CC How do coaches really become masterful? It’s often said that when you hear masterful coaching, you’ll know it. When you listen to truly great coaches, they seem to sense what is going on with the client before the client even knows. They come up with the perfect question or perfect exercise, seemingly out of thin air. They help the client shift their entire perspective, and it seems so easy for them. Because it appears to be so effortless for the masterful coach, you might get the impression that coaching is easy, and therefore should be easy for everyone. But that would be wrong. The truth is that masterful coaches have done things quite differently than those who do not reach the masterful level. In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell studied what it takes to become masterful – at anything. What is surprising is how little talent and luck have to do with whether someone becomes a world class expert, regardless of the field they are in. While natural talent or affinity affects whether you end up being drawn to a particular field –if you have a natural talent for engaged listening you may have been drawn to coaching without thinking about it –it will not determine whether you are a “success” as a coach or become masterful. And though opportunity and luck play a role in your journey toward mastery, they are not reliable indicators either. Talent and luck are not enough. The key distinction, according to Gladwell, is that world-class experts have already put in 10,000 hours of practice BEFORE they “burst on the scene.” Yes, you read that right. Ten thousand hours. Gladwell provides many examples in his book, but here are just two we think you will be familiar with. When The Beatles “burst on the American scene,” they had already banked more than 10,000 hours of performance time. Performance time, not just practice time. They credit those hours – which sometimes came in the form of 8-hour performances – as perhaps the most important factor in their success. Playing those long sets required them to improvise and entertain at a level far different than if they were playing a couple of one-hour sets. Long hours of being on the spot and having to do their best forced them to get better. Another example is Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and clearly a world-class expert in computers and programming. He was lucky that he attended a high school that invested in computer access – but so was every other student who attended that school. He was fortunate that the university he went to kept their computer center open 24-hours a day – but every other student also had that same access. What set Bill Gates apart is that he USED that opportunity and access to log hours and hours of computer experience. In one 7-month period he logged 1,575 hours working on programming. That comes out to 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. There’s no doubt Bill Gates was blessed with a great mind and some great opportunities. But the real difference is that he put in tens of thousands of hours “practicing” before he “made it.” Now think about your own expectations of mastery. If you are new to coaching and you think that taking a couple hundred hours worth of classes will bring you to mastery, you will to be disappointed. Members, continue reading here. To join the IAC, click here.   Nina East, IAC-CC, is the IAC’s Lead Certifier and the founder of www.PersonalGrowthPrincess.com, a site for women professionals and business owners who are enthusiastic about personal growth but don’t have the time to read all the books they buy.     Karen Van Cleve, IAC-CC, ACC, has been an IAC Certifier since 2005. She is also a Results Coach for the Anthony Robbins coaching organization. She speaks on a variety of coaching topics and provides personal coaching for a wide range of clients. Her website is www.KarenVanCleve.com.      Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org. Comment Now "Coaching Moments" takes a thoughtful look at how coaching can be interwoven into our daily lives.  Journals and Juries   by Janice Hunter, IAC-CC All things and all men, so to speak, call on us with small or loud voices. They want us to listen. They want us to understand their intrinsic claims, their justice of being. But we can only give it to them through the love that listens. ~Paul Tillich The day I received it, I let out a despairing, wailing “No!” My husband rushed in and asked what was wrong. I handed him the summons to jury duty, my third in three years. I’d been allowed exemptions in the past because of my health and my children’s ages, but this time there was no escape; it had to be done. The letter warned of possible overnight stays. Friends told me of the nightmares they still had after hearing evidence at murder, rape and child abuse trials. I believe in democracy, but every day that passed, I grew more and more anxious, dreading the prospect of being separated from my family or having to sit in judgement on another human being, perhaps after listening to harrowing details I would never be able to forget. The day came, and I arrived at an imposing, Victorian building, its entrance flanked with columns. I walked up a flight of stone steps, crossed the cold, echoing floor of a musty foyer and announced my arrival to a grim-faced receptionist, barricaded behind a high reception desk of polished dark wood. I smiled and asked for help and directions. He barked at me that I wasn’t needed but would have to come back the next day. I stood there stunned, not knowing if I felt angry or relieved. How much vitriol had this man been subjected to for this to be his default? I drove home, hugged my family, told them it wasn’t over. Another sleepless night. A morning of strained goodbyes, the children wondering if I’d be home that night. Once again, I drove through the hills to our nearest big town, barely registering the rain clouds hanging heavy in an inky sky. This might be an innocent person’s last day of freedom. I might be about to set a murderer free. I’d deliberately arrived early, and decided to clear my mind by doing some writing in my favourite French café in the cobbled square next to the old church, just round the corner from the County Court. As I sat, sipping strong black coffee and listening to French accordion music, I visualised the proceedings, mentally preparing myself to tap into every single one of the Proficiencies™ (and any relevant Clarifiers™, Stylepoints™ and Frameworks™) to make sure I was my best self in court, with my fellow jurors and with any court officials I was expected to co-operate and communicate with. Here's what I was aiming for: To go in with all my own stuff cleaned up. Not to judge or assume or be forced into any tricky lawyer's manipulation of paradigms while in court listening. To listen well and carefully. To respect everyone's humanity. To relish truth - in many different ways. To enjoy my fellow jurors immensely. To ask very good clarifying questions, if necessary, while deliberating with other jurors. To remind myself, constantly, that everyone's doing the best they can with what they've got. To recognise the perfection in it all. This is what emerged in my notebook: 1) If you’ve been invited to do jury duty, it means you’re alive. 2) That letter you were sent means you have an address, a home. 3) You’re not the victim. 4) You’re not the accused. 5) You’re anxious because you care. 6) You’re eligible because you can see, you can hear and you’re healthy. 7) Like it or not, you’ll learn something about your legal system. 8) You live in a country that has a legal system. 9) It’s a perfect chance to listen, really listen, without prejudice, assumptions or malice. 10) You’re not in this alone. I finished my coffee, put my notebook away, paid, and crossed the square to the County Court, feeling stronger and more serene than I had for months. I heard and learned a lot that day, but it was those café thoughts that turned my jury moments into coaching moments. Janice Hunter is an IAC certified homelife coach who lives in Scotland with her husband and two children. She created and co-wrote Sharing the Certification Journey: Six IAC Coaches Talk About Their Journeys, and her blogsite, www.sharingthejourney.co.uk, provides soul food and support for coaches, writers, parents and home-based workers. Janice has compiled all of her Coaching Moments pieces from the last two years into a free 46-page ebook, 'Coaching Moments: A Collection of Articles about Coaching in Everyday Life' which can be downloaded here or from her site. Comment Now Your Feedback We'd love to get your feedback on any issue related to the IAC. Do you have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas for improvement regarding membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction of the organization or anything else at all? 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