Congratulations! So, you have made up your mind that becoming a personal coach is your life calling, and have embarked on this amazing journey with great expectations.
In addition, if I am right, you are still gathering facts and mulling over a few key points that may have cropped up during your research. These can include thoughts, such as what can I expect the process to look like, how I can make the most of my training, what I can do to ensure that I succeed and ultimately, earn a good-to-excellent living as a novice coach.
The thought of all this is likely a bit daunting. However, it does not have to be. Every life coach has been where you are and has progressed to the next level, and the next, and so on and so on. In fact, many can share testimonies of how their own personal journey began, from operating on a rather small scale to growing and running extremely successful and lucrative practices.
Thankfully, there are strategies and tips you can employ now as a student of coaching to enhance the learning process and guarantee long-term success in your coaching career, no matter what certifications or specialization you decide to pursue.
If you have ever considered any of the above, let me give you some principles and action steps, or what I call “golden rules,” that you can use while you are studying and training for coach certification, which is absolutely required in order for you to become a qualified and professional coach.
Seven Principles for Anyone Desiring to Become a Coach
1. Do your research. Find out and understand thoroughly what is required of you to obtain the level of certification you are seeking. Visit the websites of the major coaching associations, like the International Coach Federation, the International Association of Coaching, and others.
Are the schools you are interested in attending, accredited by those associations and listed in their directory of approved training schools? Contact the schools and make a list of the questions you want to ask them, rating your level of satisfaction with their responsiveness and willingness to help you make the right choice for you. This will ensure you are taking the correct courses and exact amount of credits that you will need to complete the certification process. Although, money can be recouped, wasted time cannot, so knowledge in this area is critical!
2. Don’t underestimate the value of in-class time. Approach your coaching courses as you would a college- or graduate-level course by investing in quality study materials, taking detailed notes, asking thoughtful questions, completing in-class exercises and homework assignments and actively engaging in class discussions and coaching practice.
This is your scheduled time to learn from instructors who are experts in their field, as well as from your classmates who may have insight into a particular topic. Regardless of whether it takes place in a physical classroom or via webinar or teleseminar, coaching instruction is of tantamount importance to practical learning experience. The same applies to self-paced study programs. Take advantage of these scheduled meetings and be sure to remove all distractions and other barriers to learning.
3. Find a coaching buddy. Most coach training schools will include a buddy system as part of their curriculum. However if they do not, you will need to create a system on your own. A buddy is a peer (usually a participant in the same class you are taking) who is studying to become a coach and who has coaching knowledge is generally on par with yours, although this is not always the case.
As you proceed throughout the course(s), you should have the opportunity to pair up with your buddy and practice new coaching skills and techniques using real-life scenarios, each one supporting the other by providing a safe learning environment and mutual, constructive feedback.
4. Make learning creative. Most coaches share a fondness for learning and make it a life-long process. They see possibilities in everyday life experiences that other people often miss. Get in the habit of visualizing how you can help improve someone else’s life with the resources that are already available – during the day, whenever you’re working, interacting with people in your local community, or just walking around your neighborhood or elsewhere.
Even though, your clients are expected to have all the answers, as the coach it is your responsibility to help guide them to the answers they are seeking and help facilitate the process. If you start conceptualizing how this will actually happen while you are still in training, you will be able master the skills you need and you will grow faster in your professional development.
5. Hire a professional coach. A coach who has made the sound decision to walk the self-growth talk invests in authentic opportunities to be coached herself. When you meet, pay attention to the way your coach conducts each session and carefully observe how she demonstrates the coaching core competencies.
This will be valuable to you when you begin to work with your own clients. If you cannot afford to pay for the services of a coach while you are still in training, see if you can work out a barter arrangement where you provide needed services in exchange for her time of coaching. Just remember that every chance at self-improvement is worth the time and effort it takes. You are as good a coach to your clients as you are to your best and truest self. Become the very best you can be – your clients will reward you and the payout will be huge.
6. Be a go-getter. Aggressively locate coaching support groups, community forums and other types of mentoring support, where you will be able to connect with new and veteran coaches from different backgrounds and cultures and from a variety of niches and specializations.
The constant interaction will provide a steady flow of ideas that you can implement into your own growing business. These are suitable environments to continue the learning process and evolve professionally, to exchange resources, to make and obtain client referrals and to engage in other types of networking activities with leaders in the coaching industry.
7. Practice, practice, practice. Who do you know within your family, social or professional network that could benefit from coaching? If you look hard enough, you will probably find more than a handful of people that might be ideal clients for you to practice and develop your skills with over time.
Not everyone will qualify for this spot, however. Generally, only those with an understanding of what coaching is (and what it is not) and showing a genuine interest in self-improvement will make good clients.
Like with your buddy coach, this is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the coaching core competencies you have learned in class. You can also start thinking about the niche or specialization you will adopt. (Note: The sooner you determine the coaching area you want to specialize in and who your target audience will be, the faster you will be able to develop and grow a profitable coaching business).
Be prepared to conduct each coaching session as you would with a paying client. Set up a calendar or time-keeping system, record each coaching conversation, create invoices and send them out to your clients, take good notes, and maintain confidential client files.
Also, keep in mind that unless your practice clients are actual coaches in real life, you will still know more than they do, even at this stage in your education. There is no need to fear imperfection. You are not aiming for coaching mastery, which takes time, extra training and months to years of practice. The more you practice your coaching, the better you will become!
Frankie Doiron is the Founder and CEO of Impact Coaching Academy. She has been a leader in the coaching industry for over 10 years. She understands the needs of those people interested in training to be a coach, as well as coaches who are new or experienced in the profession. She has the expertise and desire needed to identify solutions designed to help coaches achieve the success they want and deserve. For more information, please visit Impact Coaching Academy's website.