TRY—Power of saying yes



Terry Yoffe, CPCC, PCC

What can be more powerful than saying YES to situations that might challenge you, stretch you and even scare you!

When we are all feeling fear and anxiety and would rather stay in the smooth waters of the river, how courageous is the person that is willing to step into the turbulent waters, face the unknown and find out who they really are and what opportunities come their way.

In today's ever changing and challenging business landscape, having the courage to say YES to a new job situation that might seem out of your reach or uncomfortable says you have the confidence and trust to step out of your comfort zone and go for the brass ring.

How far out on the limb are you willing to go to get what you want?

Just say YES instead of "NO, let me think about it" or any other excuse you give yourself not to face your fear?

Terry Yoffe, CPCC, PCC

Personal and Professional Development Coach

TRY Coaching, LLCwww.trycoaching.com

ICF to promote coaching at ASTD

In just about two weeks, two of us (ICF Director of Brand Management, Ross Brown and myself, Marketing Coordinator Kristin Kelly) from the ICF marketing staff will travel to Orlando, Florida, USA for the ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) International Conference and Exposition. There we, along with various members from the local ICF Chapter (Tampa Bay Professional Coaches Association), will staff the ICF booth.

For those who are not familiar with ASTD, they are the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. This particular show draws some 8,000 attendees (who work in thousands of organizations of all sizes) from more than 70 countries.

Our booth will promote the value coaching can provide an organization—what internal coaching is and how it can help. In pre-conference collateral, we have been promoting coaching through Coachfederation.org/value. Having local coach members on site will allow attendees to learn firsthand what coaching is, how it works, why it works and even what coach specific training entails—all within the comfort of our booth.


Chicago Coach Federation (CCF) members Pat E. Perkins (left) and Shawna Myers, ACC, along with other chapter members, shared information about the ICF and coaching at the 2010 ASTD conference in Chicago.



This show provides wonderful exposure for the coaching profession. We made our first appearance at ASTD last May, in Chicago. Members of the Chicago Chapter (Chicago Coach Federation) partnered with ICF Headquarters to staff the ICF booth and provided conference goers answers to questions about coaching and the ICF.

If you, or your clients, will be at this show, we would love to have you drop by! We will be at booth #422. If you won’t be there, check us out over on Twitter at twitter.com/ICFHQ. And be sure to drop by our blog—there will be a follow-up post once we get back from Orlando.

Internal coaching has made quite a splash in the media lately. Take a look at these two recent articles in Talent Management and Human Resource Executive Online.

Be the next ICF award winner!

In the coming months, applications for the ICF International Prism Award and the ICF Chapter Awards will be due. Not sure if you are eligible to apply? Read on to learn more:


2010 Prism Recipients from the TINE Group


ICF International Prism Award: Do you know of an organization that is committed to coaching as a leadership strategy? Do you coach for a company that is using coaching to achieve real business results? Has your company experienced a return on investment from its unique coaching initiative? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should nominate that organization for an ICF International Prism Award.

The ICF is looking for coaching success stories to honor through this award program. Since 2005, ICF Headquarters has honored 12 diverse organizations for remarkable improvements in business directly related to coaching and coaching programs. No organization is too large or too small to win this prestigious award. You can download the Prism Award application here.

International Prism Award nominations are due at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 11.

ICF Chapter Award: Has your chapter established a coaching presence in your community? Has your chapter created a successful marketing/PR campaign in your community? If you answered yes to either of these questions, your chapter should be nominated!

The ICF Chapter Award is offered in two categories: the Local Spirit, Global Presence—Community Activism Award and the Finding our Voice—Marketing/PR Award. Three awards are presented in each category to small, medium and large chapters.

Tell us what your chapter is doing to promote the ICF and professional coaching in your community. Chapter leaders may nominate their own chapter or a fellow chapter for an ICF Chapter Award. You can download the ICF Chapter Award application here.

ICF Chapter Award nominations are due at 5 p.m. on Monday, August 1.

All 2011 award recipients will be honored at the ICF Annual International Conference this September in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

We are ICF

In addition to educational opportunities, ICF members often cite community as a primary reason for being a part of the International Coach Federation.


Suzan belongs to ICF Turkey.

 Suzan Tana Alalu, ACC is one of these members. “I wanted to see how other coaches work and I also wanted to belong. Coming to the [2010 ICF Annual International] conference and seeing so many coaches together made a big impact on me. It made me a stronger believer for the coaching profession,” Suzan said. Suzan focuses on ADD/ADHD; organizational relationship systems; and team coaching in Turkey. She has been a part of the ICF since 2006.

Finding the conference as a value-added benefit of membership, Suzan said (of the 2010 event in Fort Worth), “I can talk with other coaches, and I can find out about coaching and how coaching is in the world [as well as] the work and experience of other coaches.” ICF members receive a significant discount when registering for the annual conference. Learn more about the 2011 ICF Annual International Conference, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA this September, here.

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.

Coaching Youth in Education

The cutting edge of coaching teens and young adults appears to be in education. This may be because schools are where large numbers of youth gather for a predictable amount of time. Schools are great environments for influencing the learning habits of youth. Many schools welcome coaches provided that it supports both the students and their education. 

I am currently working on my dissertation on “Life Coaching Youth.” Research on youth is limited, as most coaching literature focuses on adults. There is, however, some existing research that provides evidence that life coaching programs for youth may provide multiple benefits. These benefits include; improvement in overall health, and well being, and hope, improved academic performance, goal setting and motivation;  increased ‘cognitive hardiness’ and confidence in themselves. 

I’ve been coaching youth at the high school level since 2005, with great results!  If you are a coach who loves working with youth – consider partnering with a local school to provide coaching services. Funding cuts abound in this current economy, including in educational  settings. Educational leaders are, however, beginning to realize that coaching youth in schools may have several positive effects. These may include increased attendance, academic scores and graduation rates. These are results that grant providers are seeking!

Here are some ideas that I have found successful with coaching youth in educational settings:
• Coaching small groups of students around a specific topic.
• Coaching individual students for short periods of time.
• Working with alternative or charter schools who provide students with academic credit for participation.
• Coaching seniors to support graduation and transition plans.
• Coaching 9th graders to assist their adjustment into high school.
• Coaching college freshman to support their transition.
• Provide coaching to students with AD/HD.
• Provide training for teachers and administrative staff to learn coaching skills.

Most importantly –  don’t forget to seek out support and even peer supervision for yourself.  Coaching youth can be challenging. The ICF Teen SIG meets the first Tuesday of each month at 12:00 p.m. (New York). Join us!

-Sandi Lindgren, LICSW, PCC (www.isupportyouth.com)