FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
DEFINITIONS
What is Coaching – the Definition?
Coaching provides a thought-provoking and innovative process to assist, support, champion and challenge the client so they are equipped with the strategies for generative learning and to achieve their potential.
What is Life Coaching?
Life Coaching provides the opportunity for clients to explore what’s holding them back, develop strategies for moving forward and to be held accountable as they take action to hit their goals. It’s a conversation-based relationship that can last just a few hours or several years.
Clients can work on areas such as:
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Confidence to take actionï€
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Improving relationshipsï€
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Planning an important projectï€
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Strategies to conquer fearsï€
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Work/life balanceï€
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Health and fitnessï€
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Career development or changeï€
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How to have difficult conversationsï€
The Coach is trained in how to coach each of these areas and is able, through questions and shared insights, to assist the client to formulate their own strategies for moving forward. A Coach doesn’t “tell” a client what to do. It isn’t advice-giving or training. It is a conversation where the client forms their own decisions about how to proceed. The coach facilitates the decision, and then assists the client to set a game-plan, overcome obstacles, take action and form new, beneficial ways of thinking and acting.
At all times the client drives the agenda of the sessions and chooses where they would like to focus. Through this the client learns to take responsibility for their choices and their results, which gives them more opportunities to succeed.
Who are Mentors?
Mentors are individuals providing professional assistance in achieving and demonstrating the levels of coaching competency demanded by the desired recognition level sought by a student or coaching client (mentee).
Mentee’s must record the names and contact details of the mentors with a copy of the agreement for the mentoring sessions and the outcomes achieved.
NOTE: The mentee must attend a minimum of three mentoring sessions with each mentor.
ICG Core Competencies
The ICG Core Competencies are the framework provided by the International Coach Guild to assess and benchmark the knowledge and application of coaching skills.
Download the ICG Core Competencies here
You may access, download and print materials on this website for your personal and non-commercial use. You are not authorised to modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any information, software, products or services obtained from this website without first obtaining written consent from the International Coach Guild with the exception of your authorised ICG Membership Badge.
ICG Code of Ethics
The International Coach Guild is committed to maintaining and promoting excellence in coaching practice. Therefore it expects all members to adhere to the essential elements of ethical, competent and effective practice as set out in this Code of Ethics.
Available for download here You may access, download and print the ICG Code of Ethics from this website
Coaching Hours
Client Coaching Hours
A client coaching hour is 60 minutes of actual coaching with a client who has hired you as a coach and not in any other capacity. Client coaching sessions of less than 60 minutes will count as partial client coaching hours (for example, 30 minutes of client coaching will count as 0.5 client coaching hours). Coaching must be done face-to-face or via telephone or other voice-to-voice services (i.e. Skype).
Paid Coaching Hours
Paid hours include:
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Hours of coaching for which the coach receives payment from the client (payment may be in any amount, or barter of goods or services, including coaching in exchange for coaching)
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Unpaid Coaching Hours
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Unpaid hours include:
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Hours of coaching for which the coach receives nil payment from the client (i.e. pro bono and/or voluntary coaching)
Documentation
As soon as you begin coaching, you should begin logging your client coaching hours. A simple spreadsheet is the most effective log. Three types of clients may be included on the coaching log: individual clients, group clients, and coaching in employment.
Individual Clients
For each individual client, you must log:
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The client’s name and email addressï€
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Whether or not the ICG has permission to contact the client to verify the coaching hour/sï€
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The start and end date of the coaching relationshipï€
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The number of paid and pro bono hours that you coached the clientï€
Individual clients who do not consent to have their names listed must be left off of the coaching log. The consent may be verbal and does not need to be provided to the ICG.
Group Clients
To qualify as group coaching, the agenda for the session must be set by the participants, and not the coach. The session must be facilitation-style (i.e. interaction between the coach and participants). In your ICG Coaching Log, you must note whether the session is an individual session or a group session.
For each group session, you must log:
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The name and email address of one individual in the group (you need to keep a copy of the attendance list of all participants in the group coaching session detailing their names, email addresses and signatures)
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Whether or not the ICG has permission to contact the client/s to verify the coaching hour/s
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The start and end date of the coaching relationship
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The number of paid and/or pro bono hours that you coached the group
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The number of individuals in the group (only groups of 15 or fewer will count)
Each individual in a group counts as a client for the purpose of meeting the total number of clients required. However, you cannot multiply hours by participants in the group. If you coach 15 people for one hour, you can only count that as one hour of coaching, not 15 hours.
Coaching in Employment
Coaching in Employment is coaching done as part of the coach’s employment. In order to count as client coaching hours, coaching must be part of the coach’s job description. Coaching of direct reports (i.e. if you are the supervisor or manager in the coaching relationship) does not count as client coaching hours.
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The coach receives payment from an organisation specifically for coaching the client, or
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The coach volunteers to coach the client on behalf of an organisation that receives payment from a client.
Coaching in Employment should be logged the same as other individual or group clients unless there is an organisational confidentiality policy that prevents you from disclosing the client’s information.
If there is a confidentiality policy, you must provide a reference letter from a contact person at the organisation who is familiar with your work. The reference letter must include:
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The name and contact information for the contact person
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A description of the role of the contact person in the organisation
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A description of your role in the organisation
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Confirmation of the organisation’s confidentiality policy
You must also log:
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An alias for each confidential client (names must be left off record)
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The email address of the contact person at the organisation
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The start and end date of the coaching relationship with each client
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The number of paid hours that you coached each client
MEMBERSHIP
Associate Members
You will receive:
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- Welcome email detailing your ICG Membership Code, ICG Membership expiry date, login for Kajabi (your online members area), and information to Aon Insurance
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- Welcome pack posted to you: ICG Membership Certificate, Aon Insurance Brochure, and ICG Brochure
Recognised Members
You will receive:
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Welcome email detailing your ICG Membership Code, ICG Membership expiry date, login for Kajabi (your online members area), and information to Aon Insurance
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Welcome pack posted to you: ICG Membership Certificate, Aon Insurance Brochure, and ICG Brochure
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Email with login details to the International Coach Guild website members directory (link below) where you will update your personal details, professional experience, qualification and affiliation, and logistical information
HOW TO BE AN ICG RECOGNISED MEMBER?
The Recognised Membership is exclusive only to those professional coaches who have graduated from an ICG recognised course (or recognised through the portfolio pathway) who have successfully completed the comprehensive recognition process with ICG.
As such, there are two application pathways to choose from; the Course Pathway and the Portfolio Pathway. Please review the specific requirements to determine which application pathway best fits your coaching training and/or certification and complete the relevant application form for your appointed level of recognition.
You can get started from here
For more information on being an ICG Recognised Member, you can:
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Attend the webinar titled “How to become an ICG Recognised Member” (optional and available in your online members area for ICG Members)
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Contact ICG via email at contact@internationalcoachguild.com
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
Aon Insurance
Minimum requirements for eligibility of Aon insurance:
1. You have to be either an Associate Member or a Recognised Member with the International Coach Guild
2. You must maintain a minimum of 12 months ICG membership
3. You must have completed at least 100 hours of coaching training
Rental of ICG Office Space
As an ICG member, you are entitled to an incredible 60% discount on the full price of the ICG Office Space.
To check availability or if you have any questions regarding office space hire, please contact the Team at the International Coach Guild (ICG) on +613 9608 7915 or via email on contact@internationalcoachguild.com
Professional Development Opportunities
Each level of membership is provided with different opportunities for Professional Development. So check out your online members area for these here
ONLINE MEMBERS AREA (KAJABI):
All Members of the ICG are given access to an Exclusive ICG Online Members Area. This Members Area contains a wealth of ICG-specific resources for Members Only.
Access the Online Members Area here: internationalcoachguild.mykajabi.com
You get access to the following resources:
(I) Membership Badges
Associate Members: Your Members badges is now available under the Associate Tab > ICG Associate Members Badge
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Recognised Members: Your Members badges is now available under the Recognition Tab
How to add the ICG Recognised Member badge to your website:
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Choose which image you would like to appear on your website, then right click on the corresponding code snippet and click copyï€
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Paste the code as HTML into your website in the side bar sectionï€
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Click save and your new badge is in placeï€
Branding:
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Available for use in your businessï€
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Without prior authorisation and/or membership subscription and/or, use of an ICG badge, or any other version or likeness of the badge, is in violation of the ICG’s badge usage guidelines
(II) Webinars
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The webinar schedule is available under the “Webinar” tab, right hand corner at the top of the page. Click on the webinar hyperlink for registration of selected webinar
(III) Continuous Professional Development
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Available to Recognised Members onlyï€
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A list of resources is available under the Professional Development tabï€
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Recognised Members must attend a minimum of 20 hours of Continuous Professional Development per year since recognition. (ICG will recognise 50% of these hours from being a crew at an ICG recognised course)
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Recognised Members are required to log all Continuous Professional Development hours. Specifically the log must include name of organisation, name of the training, name of trainer, and number of hours attended
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Recognised Members must complete a minimum of 5 hours per year specifically on ICG Core Competencies and 5 hours on coaching methodologies