Which competency can make or break a session?

Posted on: 23 Jun 2021

Although all coaching competencies influence the outcome of a session, many master coaches would agree that the competency that holds the most power to make or break a session is ICF Core Competency 3: Establishes and Maintains Agreements.

 

In the updated ICF Core Competencies, the ICF explains 11 behaviours for establishing and maintaining the coaching agreement. Five of these behaviours relate to establishing the agreement at the outset of the coaching relationship, three to establishing the agreement at the outset of a session, and the other three relate to managing and completing the session in alignment with the established agreement.

 

In the updated PCC markers, this equates to four assessment indicators which are observable during a session. However, when coaches try to integrate these behaviours into their sessions, they often run the risk of sounding formulaic, thereby losing much of the potential power held within this competency.

 

Fran Fisher, MCC and ICF Assessor, teaches coaches to use the coaching agreement to support their clients in discovering their underlying motivations and issues at the beginning of the session, rather than later in the session or not at all. In so doing, the competency of establishing the coaching agreement becomes much more than making sure you and your client are on the same page. When done well, the process of establishing the coaching agreement can become the pivotal moment which can make or break a session as your session is clearly focused and directed towards what the client really wants — which is often quite different to what they bring to the session.

 

 

In its fifth year running, the Creating the Coaching Agreement Peer Coaching Round will support you in mastering the process of creating the coaching agreement not only to pass an ICF performance exam, but to make your coaching more transformational than ever. This year’s round includes audios from Fran’s My Portable Mentor and The Wisdom Way Coaching Mastery program, as well as five creating the agreement demos by Fran. We have also provided structured guidance for getting the most out of the audios and reinforcing your learning with your peer partners. If you were a past participant of a Creating the Coaching Agreement Peer Coaching Round which did not include The Wisdom Way audios, you can also participate again and get access to the new audios for a discounted price here. If you were a past participant of the 2020 round and already paid for all of the audios, but would like to practice your coaching agreement process by participating again in this round, you can register as a participant only here.

 

As always, we’re also offering the Creating the Coaching Agreement Group Mentoring Session (available for registration separately as a participant here or as an observer here) to learn from Fran’s feedback on your own and others’ processes of establishing the coaching agreement.

 

You can find out  more information about our Creating the Coaching Agreement Peer Coaching Round as well as the Group Mentoring Session here, or if you’re already convinced this round/session is just what you need to transform your coaching sessions, register for the peer coaching round starting in July here and register for the group mentoring or observer session happening in October here.

 

Supporting you in tapping into the power of the coaching agreement,

 

Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC and Global ReciproCoach Coordinator