Coaching study findings to be released during International Coaching Week

History was made five years ago when the groundbreaking ICF Global Coaching Study was released, providing the coaching industry a global perspective and valuable baseline data on the coaching profession as a whole. This “first look” at the life of the industry was considered one of the largest pieces of research undertaken prior to that time and provided insight into some of the key issues facing the coaching industry at that time.

And in only a matter of weeks, history will be made again when findings from the greatly anticipated follow-up to the 2007 ICF Global Coaching Study will be released during International Coaching Week. Like its predecessor, the 2012 ICF Global Coaching Study was commissioned by the ICF and undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). It is one of the most ambitious pieces of global industry research ever conducted on the field of professional coaching.

In the six months of 2011 it was conducted, 12,133 responses were received from coaching professionals across 117 countries [the 2007 study saw 5,415 respondents across 76 countries].

The findings from the new study will prove especially useful in highlighting the growth of the coaching industry and uncovering those trends that have emerged over the last five years.
Findings will be released throughout International Coaching Week, February 5-11. Those who participated in the study can expect to receive an advance copy of the Executive Summary at that time.

Later that week, a copy of the Executive Summary will be made available at Coachfederation.org/Coachingstudy2012. Bookmark that link for the most up-to-date information regarding the 2012 ICF Global Coaching Study. And, be sure to sign up to receive the latest ICF press releases directly in your inbox as the ICF plans to release findings to the press throughout International Coaching Week.

In addition to the release of this research, special presentations around the study findings will be held at both ICF international and regional events around the world. Look for more information on these appearances throughout 2012.

Questions about the study? Contact the ICF at icfpr@coachfederation.org.

Pricing a blended coaching offering

I have just about begun to familiarize myself with the world of coaching and the possibilities it has to offer are exceptional and so very energizing!
What has been playing on my mind of late, is the possibility of providing blended coaching.

I have been in the field of learning and development for over 13 years now and I can see that blended learning has never been taken as seriously as it is today. We talk about a learning continuum and various ways in which the same skill or topic gets reinforced in the life of an individual, through various media.

Applying that construct to coaching, I have been thinking what it would be like if we were to offer our clients, a blended coaching model and have a differentiated pricing for that.

I know many of us might argue that well, that is what we have been doing all this while though the question I have to ask, really, is how does your blended coaching model then impact your pricing model?

From what I understand, most coaches still charge per hour of coaching, or per set of classes. Some even offer free trial classes, which makes a lot of sense. How about we become purposeful about the way we coach? We all know the implications of varied learning styles – the fact that different people respond better to different forms of learning. Maybe we have data to prove that tele-coaching is the most effective – maybe we don’t. I am still learning so would love to hear from the people out there who are much more aware about this field.

What would I want to offer to my clients? A varied experience which is predictable and does not make me question the amount of time I spend on a client.

Let’s say, we start with a tele-coaching session, which is usually a free or optimally charged trial session. If the next class is a week later, we could consider offering to our client, depending on their openness to this, of course, a daily or twice / thrice a week text or a daily ping on chat or a daily email (I would avoid a daily call) – whichever works most for them.

This would reinforce some things that have been discussed, keep the discussion alive in the mind of the coachee and also remind them that needed to do some work which will help them achieve their goal. Elliott Masie refers to this part of coaching as Nano-Coaching. I think it is a powerful way of providing the client a window to reach out, a window to think and a moment to follow through.

I would perhaps add a fraction of my cost on top of the amount I would charge for the tele-coaching in case a client would like to go for this kind of a blended coaching model.

Some options might look as follows:

1. Weekly teleclass costs ‘x’ per week (for an hour long class or whatever duration is agreed upon)
2. Weekly teleclass + contact twice a week via one chosen mode of communication costs ‘x’ + ‘y’ a week
3. Weekly teleclass + daily contact via a blend of options costs ‘x’ + ‘z’ a week

What other pricing models do we have in prevalence? Any best practices / learning from practioners?

Namrata Arora

Namrata Arora is a learning and development professional and has been working with MNCs for over 13 years in India. She has been involved in various aspects of learning and development from learning design, development and evaluation to learning organization design, learning strategy and innovation. Namrata is passionate about issues related to women and is an active member of women related forums in her organization and in her city. She is currently pursuing a coaching certification course from ICA and intends to specialize in coaching working women who go through choosing to take up alternate careers or give up their careers owing to their personal circumstances. You can follow Namrata at http://whatiamiswhatichoose.wordpress.com or reach her at namrata.arora.singh@gmail.com.

There is no try – for a Happy New Year!

I gave up on New Year's Resolutions years ago.  It's not that I'm a pessimist; it's just that it never worked!

You see, I always thought that New Year's Resolutions was about giving up stuff, and trying to do things differently.

So I would write the list.  Does this sound familiar?

• Stop eating junk food.
• Watch less television.
• Read a book a week.
• Give up smoking.
• Get healthier.
• Get a better job.
• And so on…..

And it never worked.

What's the problem?  Well, this list, or any list like it, is just too general, too negative and not at all easy to follow.

Then I realized that the story I was telling myself was looking at the past critically, but not really creating a new story for the future.   You see, if you want make positive change, you need to create a new story.  And that story needs to be encouraging, specific and uplifting.

Here's an example of a New Year's Re-Story!

2012 will be magnificent.  I will embrace the abundance in my life and welcome a healthy, fulfilled and enriched version of me! This means:

• I will exercise regularly – walk my dog twice a day and go to Zumba classes 3 times a week (fill in your routine here!).
• I will continue to read books that feed and encourage my creativity – (list 5 books here!).
• I will cook with my kids regularly and broaden our healthy choices with more salads and fresh fruit, and home baked cakes and cookies for treats!
• I will explore the following business opportunities (list here those ideas that you haven't looked into fully yet!).

Lisa Bloom, PCC

Do you see the difference?

Most importantly, remember the wise words of Yoda, "do or do not, there is no try!"

Lisa Bloom, PCC is founder of Story Coach Inc. and the Certified Story Coach Program.  Download her ebook ‘Using Stories to Get Great Clients’ at http://www.story-coach.com.

Creating a new habit for the New Year

Some researchers say it takes as little as 21 days for a habit to form (this certainly depends on the person, and perhaps more importantly, on the habit).

Regardless, forming a habit it strictly that: you have the power to start (or break) habits. The start of New Year often has people thinking about changes they want to make in their lives. Many a good-intentioned resolution winds up being lost or forgotten in the busyness of day-to-day life.

However, if you were to do something differently in 2012, and you were to begin today, you could (potentially, or at least be well on your way to…) have a habit made of this action before January is over. Pretty great thought, huh?

What is something you would want to make a habit of in 2012? Maybe it’s something like daily journaling, working on/updating your business or marketing plan one more hour per week, or meeting a coaching peer for lunch at least once a week for accountability purposes.

No matter what it is for you, start today and make a goal to stick with it for the next 21 days—just to see what happens.

Happy New Year!

Take your life from good to great in 2012...

The below post is by Jayne Warrilow, a 2011 ICF Annual International Conference speaker. Watch for posts from other 2011 conference speakers on the ICF blog over the next several months.

Do you know what determines absolutely everything in your life?

Every thought, every feeling, every person, every event is the result of your energetic state of being. Who you are, what you have and what you do is directly linked to how you show up energetically to the world. It is your vibrational state, your energy which resonates out into the world.

Your energy is comprised of your physical body’s energy, your emotional and mental energy and the energetic properties of your soul itself. It is the most precious asset you have. It determines everything you experience. The quality of your energy determines the quality of your life and most importantly you can change your energy and change your world.

Unfortunately, most of us are unaware of this and we just let it all happen unconsciously. We don’t treat our energy with much love or respect. We allow the state of our physical body, our emotions and our thoughts be affected by our external environment. We put other people first. We say what we don’t mean. We impersonate ourselves. We follow paths that are not aligned with our soul purpose, or even what we really want. We can end up in a life we don’t want to lead, surrounded by people who don’t support the truth of who we really are. Our energy becomes blocked and our life reflects this mess.

Don’t let this happen to you. Choose a different path and take good care of your energy. What would your life be like if you took better care of your energy? If you had more energy to invest in your relationships, your coaching business and your life? If you didn’t leak energy on being the coach you think you should be and became authentically who you already are?

You can’t manifest what you want if your energy is a mess. The simple truth is the more you bring your energy into alignment with your authentic self, the easier life gets. You will attract more abundance.You will resonate clearly. You will re-ignite your passion, come out from behind yourself and stand in your truth.

Jayne Warrilow

You are an energetic being. It is time to learn more about your energy so you can come into alignment with your thoughts, emotions and soul. It is time to get out of your head and into your body, to bring your thoughts, words and actions into vibrational integrity. Time to become all that you can be... and take your life from good to great.

Jayne Warrilow is CEO of Resonant Coaching, specializing in advanced level training for coaches. Jayne’s powerful work which she has successfully implemented in the C-Suites of global organizations, integrates a holistic, energetic approach into coaching ultimately leading to resonance, to the next level of mastery and beyond. For more information: www.resonantcoaching.com.