FAQ's Answered by Sali Taylor, IAC CC
IAC Certifier and Chair of the Certification Committee
We
have spent the last year and a half developing new intellectual
property for the IAC to use as the basis of masterful coaching for the
IAC certification system. The new Masteries are now ready for release
and posted on the IAC website (http://www.certifiedcoach.org/learningguide/masteries.htm).
Because we recognize that many of you have invested considerable time
and resources in preparing for certification based on the original 15
Proficiencies, we have allotted a generous transition period. Next
month we will post the specifics of the transition timeline, and how
the implementation of the Masteries will apply to your certification
goals. We are taking thoughtful steps to ensure a smooth and seemless transition.
Why did the IAC decide to develop the Masteries?
We
believe there is a need for an independent organization offering
certification for coaches who can prove their mastery by demonstrating
their skills regardless of the type of training they've received or the
number of clients they have coached. The purpose of the Masteries is to
provide the basis and standards for a truly independent certifying
body, without allegiance to any coach training schools or
organizations. Our goal is to create a vehicle for evaluating effective coaching in the moment.
Specifically, the IAC certification focuses on masterful coaching
skills that are observable and can be measured by our certifiers during
recorded, half-hour sessions with two different clients.
Replacing
Thomas Leonard's Fifteen Proficiencies (15P) seemed like a daunting
task, but truthfully it was Thomas' style to rework and
evolve coaching standards, and we are confident he would be pleased at the
direction the IAC is taking. One significant element in our process was
having three IAC certifiers participate on the Masteries development
team. We made every effort to design the content from the perspective
of how certifiers would evaluate the coaching demonstrations, making
sure all points are observable and measurable.
How are the Masteries different from the Proficiencies?
There
are only 9 Masteries as opposed to 15 Proficiencies. We believe the
reduced number of categories and very simple and clear descriptions of
the Masteries makes them more user-friendly for the coach candidate as
well as for the certifiers.
Are the Masteries complete?
There
will always be a need to refine and update the Masteries from time to
time, as coaching continues to evolve. That said, we believe we have
identified some basics that are evergreen, providing an enduring
foundation.
Where do you stand in terms of Implementation?
We
have developed a certifier's scorecard and have been doing parallel
Masteries/Proficiencies scoring for the past few months to ensure
consistency. Coaches are passing or failing similarly under both sets
of materials. We feel the language of the Masteries is more concrete
and not as conceptual as the Proficiencies. The Masteries are proving
more effective by eliminating gray areas, making it easier to identify
and credit the behavioral cause of a specific effect.
What will I have to change about my coaching in order to get certified using the IAC Masteries?
If
you have understood and effectively incorporated the Proficiencies into
your coaching, its highly likely you will pass under either system.
Certification under either the Proficiences or the Masteries is not
about your individual coaching style. Bot sets of standards require
that you use high-level communication skills and relationship skills to
connect with you clients to support them in their journeys.
What support will the IAC provide for people learning to use the IAC Masteries?
The
Masteries are very thorough and we believe give enough content to start
using them right away. We will have some open tele-meetings with
members to determine any questions or confusion around the Masteries.
This will be an invaluable contribution to help us to determine if
there is a need to develop possible additional study guides. Watch for
the announcements of these tele-meetings in the next few weeks. While
the Masteries are the intellectual property of the IAC, we will
encourage coach training schools and mentor coaches to integrate our
material into their curricula. The IAC is not a training organization.
It is and will remain an independent certifying organization and
membership organization.
Do you see these standards applying to coaching worldwide?
While
our international team has made every effort to use the simplest
language possible and to reflect a truly universal perspective, we
recognize that we are not going to be able to anticipate every
permutation of cultural differences. Rather we see this as an evolving
and organic process. There will be opportunities for review and
evaluation as we go along to ensure effectiveness or appropriateness of
the standards in each situation.
What are your feelings about the IAC Masteries implementation?
All
the certifiers are excited and ready to go forward with this new
system. Our experience using the Masteries so far has confirmed that
this system is able to provide the most objective, clearly observable
and measurable system for fair and accurate evaluation. And while we
have been very pleased in our relationship with the CoachVille team, we
are thrilled to now be able to offer materials leading to a
certification that is completely independent of all training
organizations.
Sali Taylor, IAC-CC, trained at Coachville's Graduate School of
Coaching and received the Thomas J Leonard "T" Award for contributing
to the evolution of coaching in 2004. She has a private practice as a
Creative Life Coach and is also an award-winning artist.
http://www.SaliArt.com
