If you’re subscribed to our weekly email – Personal Success Online, then you’re likely to be well aware of the exciting world of coaching. Wherever you are in your coaching journey, it’s always a good idea to revisit the fundamentals of coaching. It’s often the basic principles that can be forgotten.

What is coaching?

Coaching is about helping a client achieve their potential in life. It is about taking an idea or a dream and turning it into reality. It is about focus, intent, commitment and enthusiasm from both sides (the client and the coach). Above all, coaching is about results. It is about results that can be seen, experienced, measured and quantified.

A coach is not there to provide advice or answers. Instead they have a belief that everyone has the answers within themselves and the skill and practice of coaching is to help the client to find those answers within and bring them to the surface where they can be converted into positive action.

How is it different to counselling and psychotherapy?

It is distinctively different to counselling and psychotherapy where patients typically have a problem arising from a specific incident, condition or trauma. A therapist or counsellor will invariably look to the past to find solutions to an existing condition. A Coach is not concerned with the past.

Coaching is exclusively about where a client is now and where they want to be in the future.

There are 2 things that a coach must never be in sessions…

1.) A coach is never judgemental

2.) A coach is never critical.

In coaching there is no success or failure, there is only the result of an action. Remember coaching is about results.

The GROW model of coaching…

There are many approaches to coaching but here at The Coaching Academy, we favour arguably the most well-known model – GROW.

G represents GOALS or what you / the client want to achieve.

R represents REALITY or what is happening now.

O represents OPTIONS or exploring what could be done.

W represents WILL or the WAY FORWARD. In other words the what / when / how for taking actions forward.

This is a very simple breakdown of the GROW model of coaching. During a coaching session a coach will work through each stage of this process to aid a client’s desire to move forward in their lives or work situation.

Coaching is a progressive process where stumbling blocks are converted into stepping stones and where each step brings the client closer to the fulfilment of their desires and potential.

There are 2 key elements or values that must be at the heart of the coaching process…

1.) Awareness

2.) Responsibility

If you know of anyone who would be interested in discovering more about coaching and gaining coaching skills then they can apply to attend our free 2 day coaching course –

www.the-coaching-academy.com

Since September 2005, The Coaching Academy have run Virtual Seminars every other week during which experts in a whole variety of different areas of interest to coaches have been interviewed.

Topic areas ranging from the usual suspects (Confidence, Finance, Relationships, Health, and Spirituality), the complimentary (NLP, Clean Language, Energy, Cognitive Behavioural and Assertiveness), to the slightly more unusual (Meta-Medicine, Coaching with Astrology) and interviews with The Coaching Academy’s Trainers and Assessment Team on how complete your Professional Development Journal, ace your Corporate Thesis and breeze through your Practical Assessments.

In April of this year we introduced the Audio Webinars to answer many of the questions the Mentoring/Supervision Team at The Coaching Academy were receiving from students in training.

So these run on weeks between the Virtual Seminars and are specifically designed to support a student’s learning as a coach – however make no mistake – there are plenty of qualified coaches out there who would do well to take a look at some of the Webinars.

Webinars to date include subjects like

• Starting your Coaching Diploma

• Getting Back on Track

• Dealing with Decision-Based Goals

• Using the Wheel of Life

• What is an Intake Session?

• What happens if my client asks me for advice?

The beauty of the webinar is that not only is it audio (via the telephone) but also listeners can simultaneously access the information online via a screen-share with the tutor – so you may be taken through a slide-show presentation, or you can see first-hand where to find things on the Members’ Area of the website.

Remember the late, great Stephen Covey’s 7th Habit of Highly Effective People was ‘Sharpen the Saw’

The Coaches out there who are doing fantastic things, making a massive difference and achieving their coaching goals – are those who are taking advantage of all of the resources available to them – including as much additional information, learning and development around the subject of coaching that they can get their hands on.

Start sharpening your coaching saw and logon to the TCA Members’ Area and in the ‘Resources Library’ section you can access the Virtual Seminar and Audio Webinar details here:

• Find out HOW to access the Seminars and Webinars LIVE (fantastic opportunity to pick the brains of successful coaches!)

• See the forthcoming agenda for both Seminars and Webinars

• Download previous Virtual Seminars and Webinars that you may have missed.

Go on then!
What are you waiting for?

Kris

The benefits of running and being involved in a successful coaching community are plenty. Involvement in a group can make all the difference. Simply by regularly attending a circle you can not only network with fellow coaches but you will also stay informed and potentially become a change maker.

We would encourage coaches and trainees who are looking to build their practices to join a local group, or even set one up in their area.

Here are our 10 top tips

1. Contact Kris at the Coaching Academy to set up a Coaching Community for you on www.coaching-communities.com – you will continue to attract new coaches to your group.

2. Use a meeting organiser website such as meetup.com to arrange and promote your events and handle RSVPs. The low quarterly subscription can be shared by your group members.

3. Arrange the meeting for a time that suits YOU. Meetings can be arranged for anytime of the day, any day of the week. You never find a time that works for everyone. Arrange your first meeting and see how it goes before committing to future dates.

4. Make a list of what you will need for each meeting, and keep it in a bag or box that you can just pick up before your next meeting.

My Bag Includes:

• A list for attendees to write their names on, with a column to tick that they have paid.

• An envelope in which they place their meeting fee.

• An outline of the meeting plan – you could use the same one all the time, simply changing the topic.

• Plastic name badges and card for people to write their names on.

• Any useful articles/ books I have come across since the last meeting.

5. When selecting a venue, think about accessibility, parking (at the time of day you are planning to meet), and whether you’d like a quiet, private environment (like a meeting room at a hotel or business centre), or a more public venue such as a pub or restaurant.

6. Have a topic for each event – your members will have lots of suggestions.

7. When attending Accelerator Days, add your county name on your name badge – people will ALWAYS approach you this way. Encourage your fellow group members to do the same, and to promote the group when they meet other coaches from your area.

8. Have a fellow organiser who is happy to run your group if there is an emergency, and you cannot attend at the last minute.

9. Although rules aren’t necessary – guidelines are. At the beginning of each meeting, remind people of what is expected, for example, confidentiality, mutual support, etc.

10. Remember your priorities – if building your coaching practice and generating an income stream is important to you, don’t let running your networking group or coaching community consume too much of your time.

It goes without saying that the Armed Forces do a fantastic job looking after the security of our country. The Coaching Academy will be supporting Armed Forces day in our own special way at our next accelerator weekend at Latimer. Find out how and how you can get involved.

Although Armed Forces Day officially takes place on Saturday 30th June, The Coaching Academy will be celebrating the countdown this Saturday at Latimer Place. If you are attending Latimer on Saturday 16th June then do look out for our display (although we’re pretty sure you won’t be able to miss it!).

As approved ELCAS suppliers, The Coaching Academy are passionate about supporting the Armed Forces. It is also a topic that is particularly close to our MD, Bev James’ heart.

On the day you will be able to meet 2 of our successful coaches who came to coaching from an Armed Forces background (huge thanks go out to Jacky Leonard and Paul Pitchfork for giving up their time to support the cause!). Hear their stories and do go and say hello to them as they will both be available from 11am to 4pm to share their experiences and knowledge.

The Coaching Academy Need You!

Jacky and Paul will also be on hand to help The Coaching Academy launch our Coach for Every Hero Initiative. Can we count on your support?

A Coach for Every Hero will be led by our MD Bev James and aims to provide armed forces service leavers and ex service men and women access to a pool of exceptional coaches. Coaching will be undertaken on a voluntary basis (ideally a minimum of 2 hours per month) and you will be helping our heroes adjust to and enter civilian life.

At this stage we are simply gaining an expression of interest in launching our Coach for Every Hero campaign. Do fill out an expression of interest card on Saturday at Latimer Place if you’re there and interested in being part of our initiative.

If you are interested in giving back to our Armed Forces but won’t be attending Latimer on Saturday then you can also use the form below to express your interest.

Amongst other changes to our website recently, you may have spotted one small but very exciting addition from us.

The ICF scrutinised The Coaching Academy Personal Performance Coaching Diploma and we are extremely pleased to confirm that we have been awarded approval from the ICF for their Approved Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH) accreditation programme.

For anyone who isn’t aware , the ICF is a global organisation, with over 21,000 members, dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high professional standards, providing independent certification, and building a network of credentialed coaches.

The Coaching Academy Personal Performance Coaching Diploma has been awarded 54 Approved Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH) meaning our graduates will have met the requirements for coach training hours required to apply for further individual credentials from ICF*.

What does this mean?

The programme approval process involves a very detailed analysis on the quality of our training, our trainers and the assessment process that our students undertake.  The quality assurance procedures that we maintain are also analysed as part of the ICF approval.

In short the approved programme demonstrates internally and externally the quality of The Coaching Academy’s Personal Performance Diploma by meeting a worldwide recognised standard.

It also demonstrates our commitment to potential and existing students that as an organisation, The Coaching Academy strives to maintain its position as the market leader for coach training. Something we are very proud of!

Huge thanks and credit must go to our Qualifications Manager Jan Lonnen for securing our ICF approval for us! Thank you Jan!

* Dependant on the requested level of certification. Information regarding the specific credential requirements can be located on the ICF website

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