Shawn Asked - I Answered [6 distinct items to look for in good coach training!]
Shawn's email was an honest inquiry about coach training. He wondered what he should be looking for in coach training and asked if I could chat. So we did.
I looked over the coach training org he was interested in and noted a few things he should ask. If you are considering coach training you should be asking these questions too!
1- How many certifications, programs, or tracks do you need to take in order to actually coach people?
This was a problem for me when I took my initial coach training. I'd finish one certification and they would hold out the next as a "must-do" before coaching. After your first coach training with Bridges, you will be fully prepared to offer an actual coaching session.
2- Will all your training be with a facilitator, or are you ever left on your own?
Many coach training orgs have you "practice" coaching with a peer or fellow trainee. If your sessions are not observed or supervised this can actually be a harmful way to learn as you could be practicing poor habits and not even know that you were building a faulty foundation. At Bridges, you will practice coaching in an observed format so you get input and feedback from the start.
3- Will you receive any personal coaching from a trained coach?
Peer coaching is more the norm in many coach training programs, OR you have to sign up for a second or third level track before you experience being coached. Bridges includes 4 personal sessions during the initial coach training, and not only that you get to observe your peer partner's sessions as well, so you get to experience being coached and observing as well!
4- What happens face-to-face?
Bridges coach training uses the required face-to-face time for actual interaction. Most of the teaching is done via videos with an associated workbook and then processed in the weekly sessions. Many coach training orgs count classroom time with a teacher and a number of listeners in the face-to-face hour requirements.
5- What is the instructor: trainee ratio like?
Bridges cohorts usually cap at 8 and are usually less than that. Many cohorts elsewhere have groups of 20+. It's easy to "hide" in a group like that and not get the most out of the personal interactions.
Cohorts meet as a group for 3 three hour sessions in the initial training, but most of your face-to-face time is with your peer partner and a facilitator. This 1:2 (occasionally 3 but we add more time for them) ratio is quite unusual in the industry.
6- How many trainings would you need to take to have what you need for ICF or CCNI credentialing?
At Bridges, you can take 2 trainings and have all you need except for the required coaching hours. (And the total cost is currently under $4,000 - first certification for under $1,600. The program Shwan was looking into came in around $14,000.)
Do some comparison shopping! I'd love to hear if you find anything out there that is close! (Seriously - let me know!)
Honestly, what drove me to write this curriculum and launch Bridges Coach training was my own experience with my coach training. It was expensive, too large of groups, did not have enough hands-on experience, and had too many modules before I could actually launch.
One more thing, some coach training orgs offer niche training and access to worksheets, packets, or programs that you can use with clients. This is guided coaching and not pure practice. While this type of partnering can be helpful, it would not be approved by ICF or CCNI, this type of forward movement is often more coach driven than client driven.
In true coaching, the client sets the agenda, not the coach.
True coaching is the greatest adventure of them all!
Helping people learn to discern their next steps and discover how God is guiding is a gift!