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Event Feedback: October to December 07
Core Competencies Series of 10 26th November2007
Bringing it all together: all the core competencies come out to play
with Michael Stratford, MCC
The client said this:
Michael successfully demonstrated in his 20 minutes coaching with me what he meant by the coaching presence, coaching in the present and creating a space for uncertainty.
He was able to provide a structure e.g.’ what do you want to get out of the session? How would you know? while at the same time, dance with me and allow me to go to a place of discomfort.
You could say his techniques were that of a master: the way he used silences, questions e.g. ‘I hear what you are but not who you are’, ‘So now what?’, ‘Is there more?’ and the lighthouse metaphor to draw me deeper, but it is how and when he used them that was powerful for me.
And at the end of the day, my shift was a result of his presence - of his sense of curiosity, of not knowing and of respect. I felt that he was totally by my side, that he wanted to draw the best out of me, and I responded not from my mind but from somewhere deeper within.
Yes, Michael is indeed a master in coaching. Thank you for your coaching and for raising the bar in coaching.
Joyce Chui Broadbent
The observers said this:
‘If you want to grow your coaching, grow yourself’ said Thomas Leonard.
Coaching is not a function of time but of what happens in that time. 10 minutes can be better than an hour!
Michael suggested that the pivotal competency is Coaching Presence. Who we are as a coach is foundational.
- The presence of who we are (and who we are not – making sure that we are not meeting our own hungers/needs through our clients).
- Preparation: practicing skills with feedback, giving inner confidence to coach in the moment with the person who has turned up in that moment (not based on last weeks notes!) Practice and Preparation allow us to be Present.
- Be willing to be in the space of uncertainty (the “play area” – Winnicott-?). That’s where discovery and connection with the emerging future person occur. Beware expertise (it has a shelf-life!), discovery is eternal.
The right question at the right time to call forth awareness. Questions are a function of identifying with the client and getting coach’s personal stuff out of the way. Being in the moment. “What gets in the way of a powerful question emerging?” Hunger to know, to do it right, to get validation, to feel like one is contributing. Pure consciousness can come through us. It’s not about technique; it’s about who we are.
‘Through the entire course of history across the entire globe, through the future that is yet to come, there is only one of you. You are one of a kind and you deserve the honouring of that. Your dream, vision and goals are unique to you and you deserve the honouring of that to the degree that I will not use anything formulaic on you.’
Coaching demo. Listen to where it goes and what happens out of that. Don’t have to be all things to all people. Use of metaphor about light to get there. Sadness, sigh (bereavement?) to let go of what is not important. Stretch and discomfort.
John Wattis
Michael had a very simple message – that to coach well is to trust and let go of ourselves and to commit to whatever was going to happen in that session. Simple but not easy.
To do that we need to be present and to trust uncertainty.… A great message which he then ‘walked’. Michael suggested that the coach is a provoker of discomfort.
I would say the session highlighted for me how incredibly well he could hold uncertainty.
Very powerful; very valuable.
Helen Acklam
Mastery in Coaching Forum 4 of 4 14th November 2007
Secrets from Psychology with Patrick Williams
In just one hour Patrick provided a whirlwind tour of the psychology underpinning coaching. I would recommend this tele-seminar to any coach who doesn’t already have a grounding in psychology: it provides important breadth of perspective and a good foundation for development of alternative approaches.
Gordon Watt
This session was so good. I will now buy 'The Meaning of Life' by Frankel and Patrick's new book - so inspired am I by the call to continue this journey. Patrick gave so much valuable and vital information on the call that is useful to hear again from the recording.
Strange how my own journey as a coach has naturally led to and encompasses so much of what Patrick spoke of - including training : TA, Carl Jung (use Insights profiling), NLP, Newfield, Brief Coaching, and now Positive Psychology...........many coaches will know just how relevant all this understanding is to the maturing and deepening of coaching.
At last, the real connection between coaching and psychology is visible and understandable for all.
Julie Kay
The call was well thought through and really valuable call. Patrick shared information all coaches should have knowledge of and in which all coach training should be inducting their students in my opinion. Great handouts in preparation for the call.
Jackee Holder
MCC Discussion Forum 3 of 3 12th September 2007
The MCC Credential with Tracy Stevens, MCC
I really enjoyed the recent tele-discussion for the following reasons:-
I was reminded again of the strength of the network of experienced colleagues that exists within the coaching world. The opportunity to reconnect with old friends and hear from a former mentor was great and served to revitalise my link with the community.
I particularly valued Tracy's in-depth knowledge and understanding of the ICF and the way it works, especially in respect of the credentialing process. Up to date information and thinking is invaluable and cuts through any grey areas to bring clarity. It's also a great place to get those niggling questions you may have answered!
A bonus was hearing about the longer term plans taking shape now within the ICF and its various committees. All very exciting!! We were especially lucky to have Tracy with as us she is the current chair of the ICF Global Credentialing committee.
Anji Marychurch
Core Competencies Series of 10 8th November2007
Designing Actions; Planning and Goal Setting; Managing Progress and Accountability with Jeff Staggs, MCC
This was my first Professional Development call so I was quiet ..... but it was very helpful.
I find planning and action difficult so it hit the spot for me. Particularly helpful were Jeff’s 3 areas for designing action - awareness, intention and attention. I have clients who often "circle Gatwick" i.e. go over the same ground and don’t make plans or take any actions ... so I am going to be much stricter with my first sessions from now on with these clients!
I found the issue about identifying progress the client is making (under Managing Progress and Accountability) interesting - is this measure for me as the coach or for the client and how do we know the client is making progress? The tips to discover this were helpful egg really helping client to think about where they are right now and where they will be in this imaginary, improved future
Alison Dale
Jeff Staggs modelled his mastery by coaching the participants to find their own appreciation of the importance of these 3 core competence and the ways they can be addressed in harmony with other core competencies.
Gordon Watt
UK ICF Members Forum Series on 5th November2007
Community and Individual 5 of 5 with Jenny Bird, MCC
We explored what is meant by community and how communities can be developed.
There was agreement that community required three attributes: fun, like minds and an element of learning. When developing communities it was essential for there to be patience between all participants to unpick all the agendas and reasons for joining the community and, from there, develops clarity and commitment. It was also thought that commitment was affected by the degree of competitiveness, or the degree to which each individual wanted to share their business plans, contracts etc.
Communities can be in the shape of group supervision over the telephone, face to face meetings which could be local coaching circles, attending business networking events or subscribing to online networking sites. We were fortunate to have a breakdown of the different networks within the ICF.
Karen Purves
Inside the Assessors Head Series of 2 October 2007
Part 2 with Alix von Uhde, MCC and Peter Szabó, MCC
The Observers said this:
My thanks to all who took part in the live coaching assessment today – coach, client and the assessors all put themselves ‘on the line’ with great courage and honesty. It was so useful to be able to listen in to the assessment conversation and pick up on the details that assessors are looking for as they track through the core competencies. It was particular heartening to hear how the assessors, Alix and Peter, valued the coach’s ability to hold the client’s space and respond authentically in the moment as opposed to driving through actions.
Kate Burton
Brilliant idea and well worth the 90 mins listening to the MCC ICF assessors. Great exercise to review the core competencies.
Bernard Chanliau
Not only was this a wonderful opportunity to listen to some first class coaching but, for me, listening to the assessors go through the process of assessing the coach's use of each core competency has given me a far greater understanding, not just of what the assessors are looking for in the exam, but of the core competencies themselves - which is going to be a huge help for me in my coaching. Many thanks for a wonderful call - looking forward to the next one.
Soo Hamilton
This was a fabulous call, such rich learning and it really challenged me to reflect on my own coaching and to think about what I currently do,and how I can take it to a deeper level in the service of my clients. I think this is a great model for future calls.
Nick Harris
This was one of the MOST BENEFICIAL learning tools I have ever experienced in regards to preparing for my ICF credentialing process. Thank you. It was well worth getting up at 4:45 AM on the California coast to hear how marvellously the UK supports their coaches! Congratulations, and thank you for allowing me to participate from the U.S.A!
Linda Hodge
The call really helped me understand how assessors assess and illuminated some points that had confused me. I particularly was impressed that the last 2 competencies were said to be n/a in this coaching case .....so that helps coaches to be comfortable when this is the appropriate way forward for clients rather than feeling need to get commitment to goals etc, if this is not where the client wants to go.
Julie Kay
The Coach said this:
Although the thought of taking an exam publicly and having it dissected by two MCCs in front of 12 other coaches was more than a little nerve racking, this was a powerful developmental experience and one that I would heartily recommend to others. The “audience” and assessors quickly disappeared from my consciousness as the client and I engaged. It is WONDERFUL practice at being fully present with a client – if you can do it in this environment (and you will need to for your exam) then you can do it anywhere.
The feedback I had from my assessors was really highly valuable for me. It is not easy to get 2 MCCs to listen jointly to your coaching and then discuss it, identifying in a supportive way the use of the core competencies and to what level (ACC, PCC or MCC) they are being demonstrated. The assessors didn’t hold back, and commented on each of the core competencies, identifying strengths and also areas for development. What’s more, I was able to listen later to a recording of the session and use the feedback as a fabulous developmental tool.
I found the whole experience highly affirming of my approach and style of coaching; invaluable as a tool for continuing my work towards mastery. I would jump at the chance to do it again once I have worked on my areas for development.
Helen Morris
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