IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 27, June 2008, Circulation: 12,405


Kerch

From the Editor

Making connection in a great universe,
like the readership of the VOICE, requires
careful attention to the tone and message
of a publication. We think readers want
to find what they’ve grown to expect.
We also believe writers for the VOICE want
not only to share their stories and information,
but also to challenge you to grow. If we’ve
missed the mark on this, please
let us know
.

Nina East’s Tidbits
column
this month is about Mastery #1 – Establishing and maintaining a
relationship of trust. Her work set the theme of this issue.

The beginning of trust is connection. And
each article in this month’s issue
of the VOICE seems to be about connection.
From President Angela
Spaxman’s
letter comparing the
IAC to a MAC! to Jennifer Croft’s marketing piece. We have a new chapter
in Mexico, D.F. and a new
volunteer
coordinator
. And Janice
Hunter’s
Coaching Moments piece
is a breath of fresh air; a powerful, uplifting
message for coaches and clients alike.

Note: Last month we released a new member benefit,
Voluntary Life and Health Benefits.  We should have mentioned
that the plan is only available to coaches
in the U.S. That’s not a very good
way to build connection. I am committed
to better quality control in the future.

Kerch McConlogue, CPCC, PCC
Editor, IAC VOICE
Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org
Web: www.mapthefuture.com

Did
you notice the slightly new mast head and
the Table of Contents for the VOICE? We
want to make the publication easy for you
to navigate and easy to find just what you’re
looking for. Let me know if it works for
you. Send me an email.



Angela

From the President

When people ask me about the IAC's place
in the world of coaching, I say we are the
Mac as opposed to the PC. We're smaller,
we're progressive and we're design-oriented.
Our aim is to create a platform (a coaching
certification system) that encourages people
(coaches) to innovate (learn in whatever
way works best for them to coach masterfully).
Our customers (members) are eager to be
different—in spite of occasional compatibility
problems (many people have not yet heard
of the IAC)—in support of a better way
of doing things (a coach certification system
that is welcoming to all while promoting
excellence, innovation and learning). While
our platform is different, we are still
aligned with other coaching organizations
in that we champion the coach approach and
high ethical standards, just as different
computer platforms advance humanity’s
ability to think and communicate.

This month the IAC Board of Governors has
been working behind the scenes on issues
that may not be very interesting or inspiring,
but are nonetheless critical to our advancement.
We've been improving our technology, clarifying
operating policies, making connections with
potential supporters and creating project
teams. I'm very grateful to all the volunteers
for all those little pieces of time, thought
and energy that go into creating this organization.

Vice President Parker Anderson and
President Angela Spaxman get some fact time at CAM 2008.

We've also been “sharpening the saw.”
In April a group of IAC Board Members and
former Board Members attended A Conversation
Among Masters
conference in North Carolina,
U.S. It was a delightful treat to meet each
other in person and strengthen our connections
throughout the wider community of experienced
coaches. I personally gained some major
insights regarding the power of connecting
on an energetic level. And some of the connections
we made are already adding energy and value
to our organization.

Cheers,
Angela Spaxman
President, IAC
Email:
president@certifiedcoach.org

Web:
www.lovingworkandleading.com

 

 


Congratulations



Caroline Rhodes

from Scottsdale, AZ, United States recently
passed her Step 2 Exam and became an IAC
Certified Coach!





Announcing a New IAC Chapter in Mexico

IAC Chapters are a great way to make connection
to other coaches in your area. Find people
who share your commitment to the Coaching
Masteries™ and people with whom you
might join to improve your skills.

We’re pleased to announce that Alberto
J. Calderón, MSC has taken on the
role as Chapter President for the new IAC
chapter in Mexico, D.F. For information
about upcoming chapter meetings, contact
him by phone at (52-55) 5674-3859 or by
email to moreglobal@prodigy.net.mx.
And visit the new chapter on the web at
www.iacmexico.org.

Check the IAC
site
to see if there is a chapter near
you. Or contact Kerri
Laryea
for information about how to
start one.




New Help for IAC Certification Practice

We have added the Note Sheet to the IAC
Coaching Masteries™ E-book. It has the
same information as the original Masteries
E-book, but the format will make it easier
to evaluate your coaching sessions.

Both documents are available in the same
package—free for members! Click
here
. (Another good reason to join
the IAC
!) To buy the E-book and get
the Note Sheet too, click
here
.

 




by Nina East

In last month’s issue of the VOICE
I shared some insights about the differences
between the IAC Coaching Masteries™
and some earlier definitions of coaching
skills. We received great feedback on the
issue—and a request for more information
about the Masteries. So, as promised, this
is the first in a series of articles which
will explain each of the Coaching Masteries™
in greater detail.

Mastery #1 – Establishing
and maintaining a relationship of trust

On the surface, this seems fairly simple.
An essential element of any coaching relationship
is a feeling of trust between the coach
and client. Without it, the communication
is often awkward and the client may not
share important information or expectations,
which virtually guarantees the coaching
will be off-target and less effective.

Clients come to coaching to experience
personal growth, discovery and transformation—whether
in their own lives or relationships, as
part of an organization or in business.
One of the most important things the coach
must do is ensure a safe space and supportive
relationship in which this can happen.

Keeping track
of your masteries

If you
haven’t already done so,

download the Masteries E-book
. Having it at your fingertips will help you
become more familiar with each of the masteries, making it easier to recognize
when you are using a specific mastery and how effective that use is.

Pretty straightforward, right?
Well, yes and no.

While many behaviors that might demonstrate
this mastery may be natural to coaches (active
listening, assuring the client, being inviting),
there are also some key places where coaches
go astray.

Establishing and maintaining a relationship
of trust is about the environment you create
in which the client and coach can explore,
question, discover, create and develop sustainable
systems. The desired effects are that the
client is open to sharing and receiving,
the client perceives the coach as their
personal advocate, and the client sees,
or begins to see, transformation and growth
as manageable.

To continue reading, members click here.
To join the IAC, click here.

 



About the Author:
Nina East is the IAC’s Lead Certifier
and the author of PersonalGrowthEnthusiasts.com.
As a coach she helps personal growth professionals turn creative edge thinking
into practical tools and resources, and helps other coaches master the art of
coaching. Find her on the
web at
www.MyMentorCoach.com

   


Please send your questions on the IAC
Coaching Masteries™ and the certification
process to certification@certifiedcoach.org.




IAC's New Volunteer Coordinator

The IAC is pleased to introduce Kristi
Arndt
, PhD, IAC-CC, our new Volunteer
Coordinator. We want to find the position
you’d really like to work in, so Kristi
will be contacting every member who fills
in the volunteer
form
on the website.

Log
in
, check out the list of kinds of help
we’re looking for or fill in the box
at the bottom if you have expertise you
think we need. Kristi will call you. You’ll
make at least one new connection. And that’s
what this is all about.

 



Do you have financial expertise?


The IAC Finance Committee needs you.

Not everyone understands the ins and outs
of finance and the IAC needs a few good
people who do.

If
you are—or if you know—a financial
professional such as a CPA, CFO or financial
planner, etc., who would be willing to volunteer
about 8 hours a year to help make long term
strategic financial decisions, please email
Jean Gran, IAC Treasurer at jean@jeangran.com.


You won’t be responsible for day to
day financial operations of the organization
but we will appreciate your expert financial
advice.


Quarterly meetings of the IAC Finance Committee
are held by phone on a bridge line.

We look forward to hearing from you.


Jean Gran
IAC Treasurer
jean@jeangran.com




5 Ways to Improve Your Marketing

by Jennifer Croft

Whether you’re a first-year coach
or a seasoned veteran, the following tips
can help improve your marketing.

Make Conscious Choices
Every decision you make in your coaching
business, whether you realize it or not,
markets your business. The scope of your
services and products, your pricing, your
voice mail messages, your flexibility, your
responsiveness, your physical location,
your friendliness, your availability, your
employees and partners, your openness, your
payment policies, your email signature,
your demeanor…everything!

Even the most subtle marketing can have
an amazing impact, outperforming any direct
mail piece, display ad, or pay-per-click
Internet campaign. From today forward, consciously
factor marketing into every decision you
make.

Target The Clients Who Are The
Most Likely To Buy Now

One of the most important, deliberate decisions
you can make centers around who’s
going to buy your services and products.
All coaches have potential groups of clients
who could hire them. And many coaches make
the mistake of marketing to too many types
of people and businesses. Savvy coaches,
on the other hand, target only the ones
who are the most likely to buy
now. It might seem counter-intuitive, but
the smaller your target market, the better.

For example, if you’re an Executive
Coach, you’d be more likely to land
clients if you specialized in women who
had reached a glass ceiling in the telecom
industry than if you offered your services
to every middle-level manager in the U.S.
Similarly, if you’re a Life Coach,
you’d be better off targeting overachieving
pharmaceutical reps who work twelve-hour
days than marketing to everyone who struggles
with life-balance issues.

By choosing a niche and emphasizing your
specialty, you’ll build your business
more quickly than if you position yourself
as “all things to all people.”

Introduce Yourself
When you’re ready to approach your
target market, you can take advantage of
some of the most inexpensive and effective
marketing available by giving away samples
of your work. Volunteer your expertise,
offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation
or distribute free assessments and checklists.
Let people get a sample of what you do,
and they’ll be sure to want more!

Design A Marketing Plan
To grow your coaching business at a steady
pace, design a plan that details how much
time and/or money you’ll devote to
marketing. Stick to the marketing plan,
even in busy times. And in slower times,
ramp it up!

Track All Of Your Marketing
As you spend precious hours and dollars
on marketing, track all of your efforts
and investments. For instance, if you launch
a website, install a hit counter. If you
place an ad, measure the response. If you
join a networking group, evaluate how much
new business originates from it. Chances
are, if you paid to have your house cleaned
or your lawn mowed, you’d check to
see whether you got your money’s worth.
Do the same with all of your marketing.

Conscious choices, narrow target markets,
free samples, marketing plans and results
tracking—give one or all of these
marketing tips a try, and you’ll soon
see how much easier it is to obtain and
retain clients.

  

About the Author: 
Jennifer Croft has 25 years experience in
marketing and is the co-author of Search
Engine Optimization For Coaches: 101 Tips.
She specializes in writing website content
that can attract search engine referrals.
Visit her website at www.searchenginecoaching.com.

 
 




"Coaching Moments" takes a
thoughtful look at how coaching
can be interwoven into our daily lives. 

Birdsong ~
by Janice Hunter

Love
has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
To melt and be like a running brook that
sings its melody to the night. To wake at
dawn with a winged heart and give thanks
for another day of loving. ~ Kahlil Gibran

I woke very early today, too early to start
clattering and clanging in the kitchen so
I grabbed a book, a pen and spiral bound
notebook and wandered out into the garden,
heading for the table, sipping the glass
of blueberry juice I’d poured for
myself.

I
laid my books on the table, the blue and
white tablecloth dew-damp under my sleepy
arms, and I sat there thinking ‘These
birds are really loud!’
Cheeping, cooing, chirruping, whistling,
trilling, tweeting, chattering…I slowly
started to single out each songbird’s
soaring celebration of a new morning.

The sun, burning off the last few patches
of mist, cast shafts of light through the
laurels, turning web-hung droplets to twinkling
crystals whenever the fresh morning breeze
rustled the branches, dark green against
a clear blue sky.

I breathed in the fragrance of moist earth
and caught the scent of the mock orange
blossom by our back door. Feeling more alive
than I had for months, I thought about writing
some morning pages, hoping to explore and
dispel the shadows that have been settling
round me.

I opened the notebook, half heartedly fiddling
with my pen as I sat listening to the birds,
Soon I would hear the sound of distant traffic;
the humming of an aeroplane across the sky;
the faint clattering of cereal bowls and
spoons; the sound of kettles and radio alarms
carried on the breeze. I put down the pen
and leaned back in my seat, unwilling to
leave the moment even to capture it.

A big fat bee came buzzing around the bushes
by my feet and made me smile! I hadn’t
seen one for months. So many tales of the
bees disappearing; with them would go the
soundtrack to my childhood garden memories
of damp grass and daisy chains, dandelions
and buttercups.

Suddenly,
a flash of red and a choot choot choot
– a robin, on the fence behind the berberis
bush. He stopped, looked at me, bobbed his
head three times and flew off.

And
I knew, knew then as I know now, with a
certainty that leaves no room for fear or
doubt: I was meant to write this
piece. I was meant to write. I
was meant to wake up early, to love that
bee, to be that robin, to share
with you the beating of my “winged
heart” on a grateful spring morning.

And you were meant to read this. For without
the life and the breath and the experience
you bring to these words, they would only
be pixels on a screen. Like the bee, you
touch the lives of strangers, you’re
woven through the fabric of a million memories,
you create moments that leave the world
a better place. You and I – like the robin
– have a message to bring, a song to sing
in the eternal dawn chorus.

Today,
as you choose to wrap your heart around
the moments that make up a life, how will
you share your precious gift with the world?
You were born with talents, you’ve
worked hard to build skills, to create connections
– but they’re just the channel. You
are the gift.


About the Author:

Janice
Hunter is a writer and IAC certified coach who lives in
Scotland with her husband and two children. She specialises
in homelife coaching (helping people create authentic,
spirit-filled homes and lives) and also enjoys supporting
other coaches through her writing and collaboration.

www.sharingthecertificationjourney.com

Janice has
compiled all of her Coaching Moments pieces from the last
two years into a free 46 page ebook, 'Coaching Moments: a
Collection of Articles about Coaching in Everyday Life'

which can be downloaded

here
or from her

site
.

Contact
Janice at
lovingthedetails@aol.com
.

 






Your
Feedback


We'd love to get your feedback on any issue related to the
IAC. Do have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas
for improvement regarding anything we do including
membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction
of the organization, or anything else at all? Please send an
email to
feedback@certifiedcoach.org
. Please help us improve.




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rights reserved. International Association of Coaching

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