Angela
Spaxman interviews editor and contributing writer Janice
Hunter
Six IAC Certified Coaches
have launched a revealing and informative e-book about their experiences in
getting certified.
You already know Janice
Hunter who writes the much-loved Coaching Moments column in the IAC VOICE.
I had the chance to interview her to find out more about the making of the book
and what's inside.
Janice, first of all, can
you tell us a bit about why you wanted to compile this book?
I've actually been sharing
my own certification journey all year in my Coaching Moments pieces and the
responses I've got have inspired me and let me know that other people have appreciated
the deeply personal moments I've shared as well as the overlaps with their own
journeys.
It was born out of gratitude
to everyone who'd enabled me to pass, especially Barbra Sundquist, whose
faith in me enabled me to write for the VOICE, discover a gift for critiquing
and improve my coaching.
I was lucky; being able
to be an active member of a coaching community raised my game. When I phoned
the co-authors asking them if they'd be interested in contributing to the
book, it became clear from the outset that we all shared a desire to give something
authentic back, to enable others to learn from our challenges, successes and
experiences.
What do you hope will be
the benefits for the readers?
The e-book contains excerpts
from our passing calls so coaching colleagues can hear how the IAC embraces
different styles of coaching; we really hope this feature will be beneficial
to many coaches.
It highlights how different
we are as people which we hope will help other coaches celebrate their own uniqueness.
It also includes sections on how a couple of us failed first time round which
we hope will inspire others who may be in that position.
The cohesion of the book
comes from a long list of 'interview' questions I sent to each of my
coaching colleagues as a starting point. The questions are based on what I learned
or wish I'd discovered sooner on my own coaching journey. Although there's
diversity in the way each coach responded, it's this rich variety of expression
that underlines the basic premise that it takes all kinds of coaches to build
a coaching community. Readers will hear different (or similar?!) responses to
questions like:
- Did you choose 'recordees'
who were a fit for you? Please share your awareness of how some clients brought
out the best in you – or didn't. - Would you say your coaching
improved/got worse/changed as a result of your certification journey? - How did you know you
were ready to start making tapes? - Do you have a coaching
structure for 30 minute calls which you could briefly summarise?
What is your favourite part
of the book?
Its integrity, and the diversity,
freshness and authenticity of the writing! I felt exhilarated as I saw patterns
emerging and realised the book was turning out to be even more 'useful'
than I'd hoped it would be.
Can you share with us
one or two of the most useful tips for getting certified by the IAC?
This is actually a tricky
question because what may seem trivial or obvious to one coach might turn out
to be a huge AHA for someone else. Everyone's unique and at a unique place
on their own coaching journey and the book underlines this.
- Never lose sight of the
'big picture'; this includes an awareness of who you are, your presence,
your reasons for getting certified and your attitude towards your life as
well as the certification process. Only when you're happy to be yourself
can you get out of your own way and be curious about the client's big
picture. Clean up your own stuff so you can be open to everything, comfortable
with silence and able to match a client's tone and energy while you're
bringing out and building on their greatness.
- Learn how to critique
your own calls and build a network of fellow coaches who can support you in
this.
For more info and to buy
the e-book: www.sharingthecertificationjourney.com
IAC Members:
to receive
your 30% discount on the book, click here. This is a special membership
benefit provided by the e-book's authors: Maura Da Cruz, Catherine Miller,
Connie Frey, Kerri Laryea, Jean Gran and Janice Hunter.
