ICF and ASTD = a fantastic combination

The ICF’s second appearance at the ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) International Conference and Exposition was a fabulous experience!


May 23 booth staff

 At the end of May, more than 8,000 training and development professionals from 70 countries convened at the Orange County Convention Center in sunny Orlando, Florida, USA.

The three-day event included an international Expo hall where the ICF was situated. Attendees from 24 countries visited the ICF booth asking for more information on membership, the ICF Credential, coach training programs.



May 24 booth staff



This setting was the perfect venue for the ICF to promote the value coaching can provide an organization. Attendees were very interested in coaching as several of their conference sessions mentioned it and some speakers even referenced our booth in the Expo hall!

The ICF was well-represented; volunteers from the Tampa Bay Professional Coaches Association and the ICF South Florida Charter Chapter assisted two ICF Global staff members in manning the booth. They fielded questions around coaching—how (and why) it works.

The ICF would like to thank those ICF members who dropped by our booth and those ICF member volunteers who made our experience at ASTD spectacular: Charlene Balleine, ACC; Pegotty Cooper; Lorraine Lane; and Maria Martinez, ACC, and Marcelo Bianchi Montana.

We are looking forward to exhibiting at this show next year in Denver!

The Internal and External Conversations We Have Around Healing

Since February 2011, when I started the Energy Work & Coaching SIG, I’ve been surprised, even amazed with the depth of our conversations as we celebrate the value and benefits combining these two modalities has provided both us and our clients.

Participation in the third Monday of each month call is an invitation to expand our individual skill set in the areas of Coaching Presence, Building Trust and Intimacy and Powerful Questions, to name a few of the ICF Core Competencies, but more important, these calls affirm a commitment to expanding our coaching repertoire so that we better model a whole/ authentic identity. We are not alone, as the recent popular documentary, I AM, asserts. During these calls I lead the group in a centering/ embodiment practice which serves to ground our conversations.

Today’s call (May 2011) focused on the healer label; our personal, even cultural concerns about calling ourselves healers. My partner in this discussion, Sheridan Gates (http://www.purposeatwork.com/) is a seasoned coach and certified energy practitioner, who has over time, shifted her focus from corporate coaching and consulting to finding a more authentic way to present her gifts. She pointed out that this has been a journey; it has taken some time to embody the healer’s mantle as part of her overall coaching persona.

We all acknowledged how the inclusion of energy work has opened up possibilities in our practice; clients often change their lives completely. Clients experience more peace, more joy and more possibilities for how they can live and work in the world.

We discussed the hurdles we encounter to bridge what is often viewed as disparate identities—energy healer on one side, and business or executive coach on the other. We pointed to many examples within our culture where healers are physicians, providing cures-- not coaches. Are these two separate paths, or is there a way we can with confidence and humility incorporate both identities?

Rhona Post, MCC

Sheridan and I talked about surrendering to our passion, giving ourselves permission to publicly state that we are energy workers and coaches.

I’ve observed that the more we accept where we are on this journey, the easier it becomes for others to accept and trust us. The June SIG promises to be another hot topic: “Why Taking on a Spiritual Practice Is a Good Thing.”

For more information on Healer Coaching and The Energy Work & Coaching SIG, contact Rhona Post, +1.941.554.8466, www.thehealercoach.com.

How Edgy are YOU?



Lynn Meinke

As coaches we “dance” with our clients as we follow where they lead. This is a major premise of coaching and one that serves our clients well. There is another aspect of coaching that allows us to take coaching into the outer reaches of what is possible and that is when our clients and we engage in “Playing to the Edge.”

“Playing to the Edge,” means that we are willing to stretch or challenge our thinking, our ways of being, allow ourselves not to know and take appropriate risks. “Playing to the Edge” encourages us and our clients to step out of mediocrity and move into the vastness and excitement of potential. If age, money, health or education were not a consideration, what would you do? Who would you be? What is your wildest, most outrageous dream? What would it take for you to move in that direction?

“Playing to the Edge” is the theme of this year’s ICF International Conference. The Educational Steering Committee chose this theme for many reasons. First, the Conference is in Las Vegas, which is known for risk taking. Second, as coaching continues to mature, we need to stay fresh, look at new realities, and challenge our beliefs and knowledge. Third, “playing,” indicates a sense of spontaneity and freedom, so how can we light-heartedly continue our growth as human beings and coaches as we examine and explore new ideas, challenge old concepts and arrive at new plateaus of meaning?

Join us in Las Vegas from September 24-27 for the ICF International Conference and pick the topics and presenters that will stretch you and support you in “Playing to the Edge.”

Also, have fun during the entire Conference and especially at the opening reception that is designed to inspire your creativity as you enjoy a comparative wine tasting, or if you’re not a wine drinker you’ll engage in a comparative chocolate tasting.

Go to: www.coachfederation.org/conference for more in depth information.

Please introduce yourself…I’d love to personally greet you!

cheers!

Lynn MeinkeChair: 2011 ICF Conference Educational Steering Committee

We are ICF

Since the end of February, we have been sharing the multiple reasons coaching professionals choose to be a part of the International Coach Federation. These reasons have spanned educational and networking opportunities, as well as ethics, standards and credibility. 

Pedro has been an ICF member since 2008.

Pedro Amador, ACC, of Spain, belongs to the ICF “because it’s a professional way to grow the coaching business and it helps me keep in contact with other professionals.”

Likewise, he finds his shared experiences with other ICF members a value-added member benefit.



Other reasons people choose to be a part of the ICF will be shared in future blog posts.

Learn how you can become a member of the ICF here.

Never too early to begin planning!

In less than four months, professional coaches from every corner of the globe will convene in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA at the Mandalay Bay Resort to be a part of the ICF Annual International Conference. Are you planning to attend?

Register by May 31 for a chance to win two tickets to a Vegas show! More details.

If you’ve already registered, great! Here are a few additional things you can do now to make the most of your time in Vegas this September 24-27:

• Follow the latest conference news at Coachfederation.org/conference. As updates are available, news items will be posted online. Most recently added news item? Registered conference attendees staying at the Mandalay Bay Resort will be offered a special 15 percent savings on Mandalay Bay Resort spa treatments, September 25-29.
• Explore education sessions and speaker biographies as they are posted. New information is posted to the website daily. This year’s sessions and speakers will stretch, provide a new way of thinking, offer alternative perspectives and get your “creative juices” flowing. You can access conference speaker bios here and education sessions here, as confirmed.
• If you (or someone you know) is interested in exhibiting at or sponsoring the 2011 International ICF Conference, learn more at Coachfederation.org/conference. There are many great opportunities still open for those interested in exhibiting or sponsoring the 2011 conference! See if the ICF Conference is a good fit for you.
• Begin making travel accommodations and flight schedules. Begin your travel booking search here. And if you want to begin looking at the fun things to do in and around Las Vegas, start perusing here.