By Ruth Gavilán, EEC academic co-director.
In order to respond to the increasing diversity and complexity of the contexts in which coaches operate, and the need for a more inclusive and collaborative approach to practice, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) has carried out an comprehensive review of its key competences model the outcome of which emphasises core competencies that promote connection, empathy and collaboration, recognising that coaching is first and foremost a human and relational process.
Launched in autumn 2025, the new approach is more dynamic and flexible and allows us coaches to adapt to the specific needs of our clients and the contexts in which they find themselves, promoting an more effective and resilient practice.
While this latest update does not add new core competencies (as has been the case in the past), it does add 5 new indicators and updates 11 existing ones. Some of these have not been without debate.
Knowledge, a contentious word in the 7th competence
One of the updated competences that deserves special attention is the seventh competence, «Evoking awareness», whose indicator 7.11 changes from «sharing observations, ideas and feelings» to "sharing observations, ideas and feelings". «sharing observations, knowledge and feelings, without attachment», in order to generate new perspectives for the client.
The incorporation of the word knowledge has provoked an in-depth dialogue in the professional community: many have expressed fear that bringing coaching and consultancy closer together.
However, analysis of the update, together with the ethical and methodological basis of ICF, shows that this change does not alter the essence of coaching, It strengthens it. It recognises the actual practice, accompanies the evolution of the discipline and reaffirms the central principle: the customer is the creator of meaning and the owner of his decisions.
The article shared below is an excerpt of the White Paper published by ICF that explores how «knowledge sharing without attachment» can become an essential practice in practice. The text develops this concept and discusses both its application and the benefits it can bring to coaches and clients.
In addition to the eight aspects of interpretation that ICF brings to the modification of the seventh competency, we have added one more, our own nuance from how we train and use the concept both in the Certification programme and in the programmes and workshops accompanying certified coaches, be it in the Exam Preparation Workshops or in the Supervision programme, among others.
- Competence 7: Evoking Consciousness
- Indicator 7.11. «sharing observations, knowledge and feelings, without attachment».
1. A change consistent with professional practice
Contemporary coaching goes beyond asking questions. It involves accompanying people who are going through complex contexts and seeking to broaden their perspective. In this process, sharing observations, feelings or insights - always with permission and without directing - is already commonplace among experienced coaches.
The update reflects this practice. It defines that the coach can provide knowledge as a resource that stimulates the client's reflection, without becoming an expert who prescribes solutions. Neutrality remains central: the coach offers without expectation of a specific outcome, without attachment to his or her interpretation or to the ultimate usefulness of what he or she shares.
This approach maintains the clear distinction with other professions such as consultancy, where the specialist diagnoses and prescribes. In coaching, knowledge is shared as a choice, not as instruction.
EEC nuance: If the coach does not have enough self-confidence to share knowledge and maintain his or her role as a coach, his or her best option is not to do so and to ask for a mentor coach to train his or her skills in it.
2. Alignment with the KAOs (in English CHO, indicators of knowledge, skills and other) and the Job Task Analysis of 2025
The modification does not come about in isolation. It responds to the findings of the Job Task Analysis (JTA) 2025, in which ICF identified tasks, knowledge and behaviours that characterise the actual work of the coach. Among the conclusions, it is noted that coaches:
- share models, frameworks and theories where they can serve the client,
- adapt their approach according to the context,
- ask permission before providing interpretations,
- offer tools or resources where relevant,
- and check how what is shared resonates with the customer.
In other words: sharing knowledge is already part of competent coaching practice. The update simply acknowledges this explicitly, without changing the core ethics of the profession.
EEC nuance: The last point becomes fundamental to accept the previous ones. Verification is the key for the coach to share knowledge with the client.
3. Reinforce client autonomy
A frequent concern is that the use of knowledge may lead to dependence on the coach. However, the new formulation clearly preserves the autonomy of the client. Knowledge is shared only:
- with the customer's permission,
- without attachment to the result,
- as an invitation, never as a compulsory guide,
- and maintaining the client's responsibility for its interpretation.
The fact that the coach offers a resource does not mean that the coach imposes it. The client decides whether to take it, adjust it, ignore it or transform it. The essence of coaching remains intact: the coach accompanies, the client chooses.
Example: If the client is experiencing a conflict at work, the coach might ask: “I know a framework for conflict styles. Do you want me to share it with you? If the client accepts, he/she still retains full freedom to interpret and apply that knowledge as he/she finds useful.
EEC nuance: And it is also useful for the coach to explore “How do you think having a framework of styles can help you with your challenge?” so that it is up to the client, through reflection, to decide if and how what is shared will be useful.
4. Contextualised change within the global competency model
Sub-competence 7.11 is part of a broader framework that regulates how the coach should act. Competencies such as:
- 1.07 (referral to other professionals),
- 2.01 (the customer is responsible for his decisions),
- 2.10 (the coach is aware of its impact),
- 3.01 y 3.02 (clear agreements and limits),
reinforce that any use of knowledge is done with discernment, ethics and respect for the client's autonomy. The new formulation does not alter this balance; it simply expands the clarity of what the coach can contribute without blurring the coach's role.
EEC nuance: As in the points mentioned above, the coach has to check with the client whether what has been shared, responded to, etc., is being useful for the purpose of the conversation. In this sense, knowledge sharing is no different from any other behaviour that the coach exhibits, always within the framework of the competency model.
5. A response to real customer expectations
In practice, clients often ask for the coach's perspective: “What tools do other clients know”, “What framework could help me think about this? Systematically ignoring these requests can lead to distance, frustration or a sense of lack of accompaniment.
Refusing to share knowledge for fear of “stepping out of coaching” can even weaken the partnership, as the client may perceive that the coach does not respond to his or her real needs. Conversely, when the coach shares neutrally and without attachment, the relationship is strengthened. The client feels support, presence and commitment.
The update legitimises this dynamic and incorporates it in a way that is aligned with ICF's ethical principles.
EEC nuance: Ethical principles are the basis, and that the coach is aware of his or her biases in sharing perspective, too.
6. A reflection of the overall maturity of the profession
For years, coaching has defined itself by differentiating itself from other professions. Today it is in a phase of consolidation: there is methodological clarity, international standardisation and evidence of impact. The profession no longer needs to define itself by negation, but by contribution.
The change in 7.11 recognises that coaching has matured. We now know that the most effective practice integrates reflective dialogue with contextual knowledge, while maintaining the ethical balance that gives coaching its meaning: not directing, not imposing, not prescribing.
This step positions coaching as a professional discipline capable of responding to the challenges of a complex world with rigour, presence and flexibility.
EEC nuance: The professional coach must also show the same maturity and, in the case of knowledge sharing, leave full autonomy to the client to discern its usefulness, as well as to ensure that the conversation remains aligned with the established session agreement.
7. Supporting the development of specialised coaching
The profession has diversified into areas such as:
- executive and leadership coaching,
- wellness and health coaching,
- career coaching,
- academic coaching,
- systemic coaching.
In these specialities, the coach's knowledge is a valuable asset. Clients do not seek it as instruction, but as a framework that expands possibilities. A leadership coach may refer to emotional intelligence; a wellness coach to the neuroscience of stress; a systemic coach to organisational models.
Shared as an invitation and not as a prescription, this knowledge enhances reflection without compromising autonomy.
EEC nuance: Clients may seek the coach's knowledge as an indication or guideline to follow, and it is in the coach's skill to offer it as a tool to expand awareness and open up new possibilities for behaviours, actions and outcomes.
8. Enhancing the credibility of coaching
Recognising that coaches can contribute knowledge, within a sound ethical framework, increases the credibility of coaching with organisations, leaders and clients. The profession is positioned as a rigorous field that combines exploration, self-awareness, methodology and contextual understanding.
Coaching is more robust when it can integrate knowledge that facilitates reflection without interfering with the client's self-determination. With this update, ICF strengthens the image of the coach as a professional partner who accompanies with skill, preparation and presence.
EEC nuance: If we understand “credibility” as making coaching more trustworthy, we believe that knowledge sharing is not fundamental to the trustworthiness of the coach and coaching. The coach's presence, listening, ethics, for example, are fundamental to the reliability or credibility of the coach and coaching.
Conclusion: a step forward for the profession
The update of indicator 7.11 does not change the nature of coaching, but rather consolidates it. It acknowledges the reality of the practice, respects the autonomy of the client, clarifies the role of the coach and legitimises a richer and fuller collaboration within the session.
The final message is clear: knowledge can be present in coaching, as long as it is shared without attachment, with permission and in service of the client's learning.
The client remains the creator of meaning. The coach is a partner who brings presence, perspective and resources to expand possibilities. This evolution does not detract from the purity of coaching; it gives it strength, coherence and a future.
EEC nuance: Sharing knowledge can be a valuable way to serve the purpose of coaching, as long as it is done within the ethical framework that defines our profession. This is how we understand it at EEC.
When a coach integrates observations, knowledge or models with the client's permission, without attachment to the outcome and in coherence with the ICF Code of Ethics, he or she is acting in full alignment with the Key Competencies. Far from invading the client's space, it expands the client's possibilities, facilitates new perspectives and deepens the quality of the process.
A book and a workshop on Competences
Ruth Gavilán is a PCC coach, co-directs the Academic Department at EEC, participates as a coach mentor and facilitator in Certification and Mentor Coach programmes. She is co-author, together with Silvia Guarnieri, of the book Competence Handbook for Coaches, published in 2025.
Regular moderator of the activity Sessions Observed and Analysed at EEC Alumni, the expert will present in detail what is set out in this article in an activity on 5 February, which will be open to the public: Updating competencies: the impact on your practice.
