ICF AND NEWFIELD NETWORK COACHING CORE COMPETENCIES Personal Development + Executive & Organizational Development + Coach Training
ICF and NEWFIELD PROFESSIONAL COACHING CORE COMPETENCIES (Please note: within each competency the bolded items are Newfield standards that are in addition to the ICF s Professional Coaching Core Competencies) A. SETTING THE FOUNDATION 1 MEETING ETHICAL GUIDELINES AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS 2 ESTABLISHING THE COACHING AGREEMENT B. CO-CREATING THE RELATIONSHIP 1 ESTABLISHING TRUST AND INTIMACY WITH THE CLIENT 2 COACHING PRESENCE C. COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY 1 ACTIVE LISTENING 2 POWERFUL QUESTIONING 3 DIRECT COMMUNICATION D. FACILITATING LEARNING AND RESULTS 1 CREATING AWARENESS 2 DESIGNING ACTIONS 3 PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING 4 MANAGING PROGRESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY A. SETTING THE FOUNDATION 1. Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards - Understanding of coaching ethics and standards and ability to apply them appropriately in all coaching situations a. Understands and exhibits in own behaviors the ICF Standards of Conduct, b. Understands and follows all ICF Ethical Guidelines, c. Clearly communicates the distinctions between coaching, consulting, psychotherapy and other support professions, d. Refers client to another support professional as needed, knowing when this is needed and the available resources. Some notes on what to do: This competency is assumed given you have read and signed the Ethics Agreement, participated in the Ethics training in the coaching program and there is nothing in your certification application that made the assessors question your professional standards. 2. Establishing the Coaching Agreement - Ability to understand what is required in the specific coaching interaction and to come to agreement with the prospective and new client about the coaching process and relationship a. Understands and effectively discusses with the client the guidelines and specific parameters of the coaching relationship (e.g., logistics, fees, scheduling, inclusion of others if appropriate), b. Reaches agreement about what is appropriate in the relationship and what is not, what is and is not being offered, and about the client's and coach's responsibilities, c. Determines whether there is an effective match between his/her coaching method and the needs of the prospective client. d. Effectively understands 1) the concept of the Observer and 2) the O-A-R model (Observer-Action-Result). ICF and NN Professional Coaching Core Competencies 1 of 6
Some notes on what to do: Did the coach ask what the client wants to work on/discuss/explore/accomplish? ( What s going on? is usually not an acceptable beginning.) Did the coach ask how will the client know they are satisfied or successful at the end of the session? Can you tell that the coach understands Newfield s models? Does the coach set the appropriate emotional context or mood for the conversation? (A good coach can establish a strong container for the coaching conversation both by their own presence, emotional competence, and language in the conversation.) Some notes on what not to do: Often Newfield coaches feel they MUST start with centering and it can feel trite and formulaic. Use it if it feels like an appropriate beginning that will support the client and/or you in being more present in the conversation. Does the relationship between the coach and client feel parental? patronizing? advice-giving? B. CO-CREATING THE RELATIONSHIP 3. Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client - Ability to create a safe, supportive environment that produces ongoing mutual respect and trust a. Shows genuine concern for the client's welfare and future, b. Continuously demonstrates personal integrity, honesty and sincerity, c. Establishes clear agreements and keeps promises, d. Demonstrates respect for client's perceptions, learning style, personal being, e. Provides ongoing support for and champions new behaviors and actions, including those involving risk taking and fear of failure, f. Asks permission to coach client in sensitive, new areas. Some notes on what to do: Is the coach comfortable with not knowing? At ease in the coaching conversation? Does the coach check back in from time to time to see how the client is doing with the conversation or if the coaching is on track with what the client wants? Some notes on what not to do: Is the coach more concerned about getting it right and impressing the client than with exploration? Is the coach using cheerleading as a way to avoid intimacy? 4. Coaching Presence - Ability to be fully conscious and create spontaneous relationship with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible and confident a. Is present and flexible during the coaching process, dancing in the moment, b. Accesses own intuition and trusts one's inner knowing - "goes with the gut", c. Is open to not knowing and takes risks, d. Sees many ways to work with the client, and chooses in the moment what is most effective, e. Uses humor effectively to create lightness and energy, f. Confidently shifts perspectives and experiments with new possibilities for own action, g. Demonstrates confidence in working with strong emotions, and can self-manage and not be overpowered or enmeshed by client's emotions. Some notes on what to do: Does coach listen to enough of the client s story but doesn t let the client go on too long before stepping in? Does coach pace well in the conversation (meaning move at the optimum speed in the conversation given the concerns of the client)? Some notes on what not to do: Is the coach seduced by the client s story or emotions? Is the coach working too hard? Driving for a solution? Over analyzing? Does coach go down a lot of ICF and NN Professional Coaching Core Competencies 2 of 6
bunny trails (meaning asks lots of questions but there is no cohesion between them and no movement is produced)? Does coach seem adrift in all their own questions or the client s answers? Is coach PRESENT in the conversation and able to hold a strong container for the conversation or are they thrown around in the conversation by the client s words or emotions? C. COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY 5. Active Listening - Ability to focus completely on what the client is saying and is not saying, to understand the meaning of what is said in the context of the client's desires, and to support client self-expression a. By accepting the client s experience as legitimate, the coach attends to the client and the client's agenda, and not to the coach's agenda for the client, b. Hears the client's concerns, goals, values and beliefs about what is and is not possible; Reveals client s underlying concerns and issues, c. Distinguishes between the words, the tone of voice, and the body language, d. Summarizes, paraphrases, reiterates, mirrors back what client has said to ensure clarity and understanding, e. Encourages, accepts, explores and reinforces the client's expression of feelings, perceptions, concerns, beliefs, suggestions, etc., f. Integrates and builds on client's ideas and suggestions, g. "Bottom-lines" or understands the essence of the client's communication and helps the client get there rather than engaging in long descriptive stories, h. Allows the client to vent or "clear" the situation without judgment or attachment in order to move on to next steps. i. Able to identify speech acts - those that are preferred in the client s speaking and those that might be missing. Some notes on what to do: Does the coach s questioning aim to reveal the breakdown or underlying concerns? Is the coach listening to MORE than what is just being said? Is coach noticing the reaction (mood, body, language) of the client? Some notes on what not to do: Does the coach buy/swallow the story that the client presents? Does coach over-use paraphrasing or reiterating what the client says? Is the coach listening for the next right question to ask in a linear fashion? Is the coach busy listening to how they will be assessed by the client? 6. Powerful Questioning - Ability to ask questions that reveal the information needed for maximum benefit to the coaching relationship and the client a. Asks questions that reflect active listening and an understanding of the client's perspective, b. Asks questions that evoke discovery, insight, commitment or action (e.g., those that challenge the client's assumptions), c. Asks open-ended questions that create greater clarity, possibility or new learning d. Asks questions that move the client towards what they desire, not questions that ask for the client to justify or look backwards. e. Asks questions that separate the experience (phenomena) from the explanation (story), f. Asks questions that help the client articulate and re-articulate a breakdown. Some notes on what to do: Is the coach OK with silence and letting it be a powerful tool in the conversation? Do the questions aim to reveal underlying concerns and support the client to better ICF and NN Professional Coaching Core Competencies 3 of 6
understand the observer that the client is? Can the coach ask direct questions? (Often, in trying to be nice and liked, a coach will water down their questions.) Some notes on what not to do: Does coach stay only at the surface in their questions? Does coach fire questions at the client not waiting for an answer? Are questions about gathering more data or information or hearing more of the story? Is coach using jargon that isn t appropriate for client? Is coaching using leading questions? Are there questions that the coach is afraid to ask? 7. Direct Communication - Ability to communicate effectively during coaching sessions, and to use language that has the greatest positive impact on the client a. Is clear, articulate and direct in sharing and providing feedback, b. Reframes and articulates to help the client understand from another perspective what he/she wants or is uncertain about, c. Clearly states coaching objectives, meeting agenda, purpose of techniques or exercises, d. Uses language appropriate and respectful to the client (e.g., non-sexist, non-racist, nontechnical, non-jargon), e. Uses metaphor and analogy to help to illustrate a point or paint a verbal picture. f. Is able to propose powerful breakdowns (breaks-in-transparencies) and territories for learning. Some notes on what to do: Can the coach say what is happening for them or what they are noticing in the conversation to support the client in looking at their breakdown or underlying concerns as appropriate? Can the coach offer interpretations without being attached? Some notes on what not to do: Does the coach let the client ramble? Does the coach use too many words or ask too many questions or over use re-framing? Are they using lingo or jargon that gets in the way? D. FACILITATING LEARNING AND RESULTS 8. Creating Awareness - Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple sources of information, and to make interpretations that help the client to gain awareness and thereby achieve agreed-upon results a. Goes beyond what is said in assessing client's concerns, not getting hooked by the client's description, b. Invokes inquiry for greater understanding, awareness and clarity, c. Identifies for the client his/her underlying concerns, typical and fixed ways of perceiving himself/herself and the world, differences between the facts and the interpretation, disparities between thoughts, feelings and action, d. Helps clients to discover for themselves the new thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, emotions, moods, etc. that strengthen their ability to take action and achieve what is important to them, e. Communicates broader perspectives to clients and inspires commitment to shift their viewpoints and find new possibilities for action, f. Helps clients to see the different, interrelated factors that affect them and their behaviors (e.g., thoughts, emotions, body, background), g. Expresses insights to clients in ways that are useful and meaningful for the client, h. Identifies major strengths vs. major areas for learning and growth, and what is most important to address during coaching, i. Asks the client to distinguish between trivial and significant issues, situational vs. recurring behaviors, when detecting a separation between what is being stated and what is being done. ICF and NN Professional Coaching Core Competencies 4 of 6
j. Able to show client his/her coherence or lack thereof; able to intervene to shift the coherence, k. Ability to listen to, and ask questions that reveal, the client s moods or emotions. Some notes on what to do: Did the client leave the coaching conversation with any new interpretations? Or with a potential new observer? Or with awareness of habits and patterns that might impact future success? If movement was introduced by the coach, is it useful to the client? (Very often, new coaches introduce the concept of movement but do nothing or very little with it.) Some notes on what not to do: Are there missed opportunities for what could have been addressed that in your assessment, a competent coach would have caught? i.e., were there issues the client said were important to focus on and were not picked up on by the coach? Did the coach force new awareness before the client was able to hear/understand it? Did the coach ask: where do you feel it in your body and then move on to a different line of questing when the client answered? (This is unfortunately too common and indicates that the coach didn t understand how to integrate body/movement into coaching, even as a beginner.) 9. Designing Actions - Ability to create with the client opportunities for ongoing learning, during coaching and in work/life situations, and for taking new actions that will most effectively lead to agreed-upon coaching results a. Brainstorms and assists the client to define actions that will enable the client to demonstrate, practice and deepen new learning, b. Helps the client to focus on and systematically explore specific concerns and opportunities that are central to agreed-upon coaching goals, c. Engages the client to explore alternative ideas and solutions, to evaluate options, and to make related decisions, d. Promotes active experimentation and self-discovery, where the client applies what has been discussed and learned during sessions immediately afterwards in his/her work or life setting, e. Celebrates client successes and capabilities for future growth, f. Challenges client's assumptions and perspectives to provoke new ideas and find new possibilities for action, g. Advocates or brings forward points of view that are aligned with client goals and, without attachment, engages the client to consider them, h. Helps the client "Do It Now" during the coaching session, providing immediate support, i. Encourages stretches and challenges but also a comfortable pace of learning. j. Understands the distinction between Actions and Practices and introduces practices, if appropriate, in addition to actions. Some notes on what to do: Did the coach ask the client to move into action by the end of the session (and remember that reflection is a legitimate next action step in some cases)? Did the coach ask the client what actions could be taken and what actions the client is willing to take next? Were these steps, to the extent possible, co-designed rather than the coach just telling or ordering the client? Were the steps concrete and easy to follow by the client? Did the client agree, clearly? Does the coach understand the difference between actions and practices? If practices were a result of the conversation, were they co-designed between client and coach? Some notes on what not to do: Often new coaches don t get the client into concrete actions because they think it isn t ontological. Ontological coaching includes both having the client become a new observer AND taking new actions; one without the other is insufficient. ICF and NN Professional Coaching Core Competencies 5 of 6
10. Planning and Goal Setting - Ability to develop and maintain an effective coaching plan with the client a. Consolidates collected information and establishes a coaching plan and development goals with the client that address concerns and major areas for learning and development, b. Creates a plan with results that are attainable, measurable, specific and have target dates, c. Makes plan adjustments as warranted by the coaching process and by changes in the situation, d. Helps the client identify and access different resources for learning (e.g., books, other professionals), e. Identifies and targets early successes that are important to the client. Some notes on what to do: This isn t always necessary especially if it is a new coaching relationship. If this is a follow up to previous sessions, and it seems to be a powerful move, does the coach do it? Were the plans developed in partnership with the client? Does the plan support the client given the client s underlying concerns and goals they want to achieve? 11. Managing Progress and Accountability - Ability to hold attention on what is important for the client, and to leave responsibility with the client to take action a. Clearly requests of the client actions that will move the client toward their stated goals, b. Demonstrates follow through by asking the client about those actions that the client committed to during the previous session(s), c. Acknowledges the client for what they have done, not done, learned or become aware of since the previous coaching session(s), d. Effectively prepares, organizes and reviews with client information obtained during sessions, e. Keeps the client on track between sessions by holding attention on the coaching plan and outcomes, agreed-upon courses of action, and topics for future session(s), f. Focuses on the coaching plan but is also open to adjusting behaviors and actions based on the coaching process and shifts in direction during sessions, g. Is able to move back and forth between the big picture of where the client is heading, setting a context for what is being discussed and where the client wishes to go, h. Promotes client's self-discipline and holds the client accountable for what they say they are going to do, for the results of an intended action, or for a specific plan with related time frames, i. Develops the client's ability to make decisions, address key concerns, and develop himself/herself (to get feedback, to determine priorities and set the pace of learning, to reflect on and learn from experiences), j. Positively confronts the client with the fact that he/she did not take agreed-upon actions. Some notes on what to do: If appropriate, does the coach "pin down" the client in terms of what specific actions will be taken and how they can/will hold their own selves accountable? If this is a follow up session, did the coach check in with the client about accomplishments or pick up where the coaching left off from last time? ICF and NN Professional Coaching Core Competencies 6 of 6