Living it up in Las Vegas

Late last month, more than 1,000 coaching professionals, including 295 first timers, met in *fabulous* Las Vegas, Nevada, USA at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino for the 2011 ICF Annual International Conference.

Audience during a general session

Before the conference even officially began, attendees were busy with the Global Leadership Forum (where the six Chapter Award winners were announced; congratulations to ICF Greater Kansas City Chapter—Heartland Coaches Association; ICF Gauteng Chapter; ICF Metro DC; ICF Uruguay; ICF Brazil; and ICF Spain!)* and the ICF Assessor’s Meeting.



2011 Chapter Award winners (not pictured: ICF Spain)

Once conference kicked off the evening of September 24, attendees from 43 countries played to the edge through 32 targeted breakout educational sessions (47 speakers from 39 countries facilitated)—including three world class keynote presentations provided by Michael Gelb, Sir Ken Robinson and Steve Farber.

Sir John Whitmore, September 26 keynote

Steve Farber, September 27 keynote

Tagged onto the September 26 general session was the Annual Business Meeting, led by ICF President Ed Modell, PCC. It was during this segment that the 2011 President’s and International Prism Awards were presented. Congratulations to Peter Goryalov and Irina Goryalova of Bulgaria (recipients of the 2011 President’s Award), and BC Housing and JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP (recipients of the International Prism Award)!*


Peter Goryalov and Irina Goryalova 



BC Housing and Knightsbridge representatives

JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP and Essential Impact representatives

In addition to educational offerings, attendees had the option to sift through the 48 exhibits in the exhibit hall, offering the latest tools and services to coaching professionals. [The ICF would like to offer a huge THANK YOU to all ICF Conference sponsors and exhibitors! Thanks for being a part of our 2011 conference!] And, of course, there were networking receptions each night to cap off each day.

The Exhibit Hall

The Opening Reception was especially popular. This event, led by opening keynote Michael Gelb, included a wine and chocolate tasting as well as a poetry writing contest. In fact, Michael took every submission back to his room that night and selected his top four poems—and gave out prizes at the conclusion of his keynote the next morning.


Michael Gelb (opening keynote presenter) at the Opening Reception

All in all, the event appears to have been an immense success! Were you in Las Vegas for the ICF Conference? We want to know what you thought! What was your biggest takeaway? Favorite feature

*Look for a more detailed post on all award winners coming next week to the ICF blog.

Is This Thing On? 3 Tips for Waking Up Your Full Voice

Barbara's book, available today.

Vocal habits area like any other habit – they’re persistent, unconscious, and difficult to budge. Here are three tips for making your voice come alive.

Break out of your “voice box”

Stretch your voice beyond the way you usually talk. Think of it as a kind of “voice yoga.” A good way to begin is to speak as different characters. Say the sentence: “I am a brilliant coach” as Darth Vader. Now as Luciano Pavarotti (go ahead and sing that one!). Now as Julia Child, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Marilyn Monroe. Notice the changes that occur in your voice. Which ones felt comfortable and familiar? Which ones made your skin crawl?

Challenge yourself to choose the right voice for the job
You unconsciously change your tone of voice all the time. (I hope you don’t talk to your pets the same way you talk to a prospective client!) I invite you to be deliberate about choosing a tone of voice that is congruent with your words and intentions. If you need to project authority, speak low and slow. If you need to incite passion, bring a little Luciano into your sound. If you want to extend compassion, speak with a warmer, gentler tone.

I explain this idea more thoroughly in this short video.

Invite your body to the party
Most of the vocal issues I see are a result of the “dead body syndrome.” The voice gets trapped in the throat. There isn’t enough breath to support a viable sound. The face goes flat and unexpressive. The simple act of bringing more vital physical energy into how you speak will improve your vocal presence.

Barbara McAfee is a voice coach, singer/songwriter, keynote speaker, and the author of Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). She has released six music CDs and lives across the street from the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She blogs at http://www.fullvoice.net/. Learn more at http://www.barbaramcafee.com/. 

A Few of my Favorite Coaching Mantras

Any coach worth their salt (what does that mean anyway?) knows how difficult it is to follow the tenets of coaching in all circumstances. Especially for those clients that are a “challenge.” As a result I have developed some Coaching Mantras that help me maintain my cool and coach like a seasoned swami. I’ll be glad to share a few with you.

“Wanna Bet?” – This is my first inaudible and unspoken response when my client starts out our session by saying “My problem is….” It’s not that I only take on clients that are Big Liars, but years of coaching have taught me that a little digging will reveal the REAL problem which is never what the client thinks it is.

“The Solution Is In The Struggle” – Particularly helpful when you are banging your head against your desk, putting new teeth marks in your pencil, and drawing blood with your fingernails as you clench your fists and attempt not to scream “I have the answer!” The struggle must be theirs, not yours, in order for a lasting effect to take place.

“Silence Is Golden When You Can’t Think Of A Good Question” - This isn’t to say that minutes should pass as you attempt to word the perfect inquiry, but if you trust in the fact that your client is as uncomfortable with silence as you are, then you must believe that he/she will eventually rush to fill in the aural void. Clues and prompts will blessedly abound. And if they don’t, you can always fall back on “Tell me a little more about that.”

Who says coaching is an easy profession? I’m constantly coaching myself to be a great coach while I’m coaching my clients – a whole lot of self-talk going on. I’d love to hear some of your personal favorite coaching mantras. I can use all the help I can get!

Laurie Lawson


Laurie Lawson’s philosophy: Coaching is life-changing business but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun while you’re doing it.



Laurie Lawson

 She is a Certified Empowerment Coach (www.eljny.com), a Professional Credentialed Coach, a Certified EQ Mentor, a Mentor Coach for iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching), President of the Board of the International Coach Federation in New York City (www.icfnyc.org), Executive Producer of Coach World TV, Creator/Host of Coach Chat Radio, a previous member of the ICF Global Membership & Community Committee, and a current member of the ICF Global Ethics and Standards Committee. She facilitated a workshop at the 15th International ICF Conference in Texas, participated in Fitness Magazine's "You Can Do It Challenge" as a Life Coach on their Panel of Experts, and appeared on ABC’s Business Week Weekend television show.

She is also a Writer/Reviewer for Electronic Link Journey, a published author, a US distributor for Points of You, The Coaching Game, and in her spare time, she dabbles in numerology (http://www.doingitbynumbers.com/).

Lend a hand in your community

Last month, we asked our Facebook fans “coaches, how do you give back to your community?”

Just as we suspected, coaches are very giving individuals! If you are looking for a way to get involved, read on to find out how other coaches give back to their local communities:

“Each year I offer pro-bono coaching to a specific number of deserving people. (Deserving = willing and capable to do the work required, but don’t have the financial means).” (Demyan Rossouw)

“Offer complimentary workshops and coaching at local Gay and Lesbian centers.” (Rick Clemons)

“We engage ourselves into some not for profit projects like Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland.” (Meissner & Partners)

“Organize ‘equal opportunity’ programs for the children of women prison inmates in Delhi.” (Seth Rosario)

“By working five years as a board member of the ICF Chapter in Germany and since, four years as ICF Chapter leader in Berlin, Germany.” (Martin Jessen)

“Being present in as many opportunities as possible with any member of the community where I am: experiencing consciousness as is.” (Rodolfo Rosales)

“I volunteer my time by providing free advice/consultation for those who need help and also involve others in these communities: 1) coaching resources (expanding and increasing awareness of the coaching community); 2) Global Voices Bulletin (being a voice for all global philanthropy initiatives).” (Queenie TCoach)

“That is a great question, I’m considering starting a group called ‘Coaches in the Community’ to provide volunteer services to organizations and/or community projects that need a little extra helping hand.” (Tracey Pitts)

“Through a Hand Up Coaching.” (Nora Whalen)

“By offering a pro bono coaching package (four free sessions) ongoing, for those who need my services, are willing to follow through, but cannot otherwise afford them.” (Carol Pressnall Leek)

What about you? How do you give back? We’d love to know—share it with us on at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.

They’re Just Not That Into You: Why The Way You Describe Coaching Might Be Repelling Your Prospects and What To Do About It

“Hi. My name is Alexia Vernon, and I’m a coach. I help all kinds of people—leaders, new grads, nurses, social entrepreneurs and small business owners—close the gap from where they are to where they want to be. I do this by asking powerful questions, mirroring back what I’m hearing (and not hearing) and by asking people to take big risks to achieve big results.”

The above description, I’m embarrassed to say, is pretty close to what used to come out of my mouth and decorate my website for the first few years of my coaching business. Like so many well-intentioned coaches I know and work with, I spent a lot of time talking about what I do and who I do it for at the expense of NEVER identifying the problem that the people I work with have and how I solve it.

Whether you’re currently working with one coaching client or one hundred, step back for a moment and ask yourself the following. “What’s the reoccurring obstacle that the people I work with have that they would pay every dollar they possess to solve—once and for all?” That’s what needs to be coming out of your mouth—your identification of that problem and a vision of who that person will be once it’s solved.

Unless your clients are looking to be coaches themselves, they don’t care how you do what you do or who you do it for. They care that you understand how they are stuck. And more importantly, they want you to show them what unstuck will look, taste, smell, sound and feel like. Walking into a room feeling confident and competent. Making big bucks and even bigger impact. Having the greatest love affair of their lives—with themselves.

Your sexy copy is always in painting a picture of the payoff for arriving at your prospect’s desired result.

Alexia Vernon, ACC is the President of the Nevada Professional Coaches Association (NPCA) and is an in-demand career and workplace author, speaker, coach and trainer. She empowers people to build careers and companies that are successful, sustainable and full of soul. She is the author of Awaken Your CAREERpreneur: A Holistic Road Map to Climb from Your Calling to Your Career and has been featured on CNN, NBC, CBS MoneyWatch, ABCNews.com, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Mint.com and dozens of other media. Learn more about Alexia at AlexiaVernon.com and follow her on Twitter @AlexiaVernon.