What is Coaching?
Escuela Europea de Coaching
International Coach Federation (ICF)
Coaching is based on respect for the other as a legitimate other, leaving space for the other to be as he or she is. Coaching is training in communication and leadership skills that promote self-knowledge and the contact of the person with his or her environment.
Our starting point is to interpret people as linguistic beings, who create themselves through language.
Principles of Coaching
No one is in truthful
possession
The misma realidad puede observarse desde diferentes puntos de vista y llegar a interpretaciones y, por tanto, conclusiones diferentes pero igual de legítimas.
People act to the best of their ability
El coaching permite el descubrimiento de nuevas maneras de hacer las cosas a partir del cambio de creencias limitantes.
Every person carries a talent that is waiting to be revealed
Upskiling ser humano es completo, no le falta nada. En su interior contiene un enorme potencial que espera ser liberado. El coaching facilita esta liberación. El coachee es autónomo: es quien decide, quien opta y quien, en último término, resuelve.
People can change
Los hechos no se pueden cambiar, pero sí la interpretación de los hechos: podemos elegir las interpretaciones que les damos. Todo lo que no es genético se puede cambiar.
Confidentiality
Nada de lo que diga el coachee trasciende fuera de las sesiones de coaching, ni de ese entorno seguro.
Being / Doing
El coaching diferencia lo que HACEMOS de lo que SOMOS. Defiende que somos mucho más de lo que hacemos y que podemos elegir quién SER.
Roles in Coaching
Coach
Professional who partners with clients in their personal and professional development. A coach is sort of a taxi driver: the client decides where to get and the coach accompanies by listening, asking questions, fostering new perspectives, a broader vision and new possibilities for actions to obtain different results. This learning process is called Observer Shift. A coach does not do therapy, does not give advice, does not tell the client what to do.
Coachee
It is the coaching client and the main character of the coaching relationship and process. The client sets the goal to be achieved.
Coaching tools
01. The question
Una buena pregunta, una pregunta poderosa cuestiona la realidad que percibimos y nos hace ser conscientes de cosas que, aunque ya estaban ahí, no éramos capaces de ver.
Cuando preguntamos como coaches, cuando ponemos nuestras preguntas al servicio de nuestro cliente, nuestras preguntas no pretenden resolver el enigma, no son para encontrar una solución o nuestra solución o LA solución. Como coaches preguntamos desde la humildad , desde el desconocimiento, desde la genuina curiosidad que vas más allá de nuestro esquema mental y que nos traslada a vivir en el mapa mental del cliente de coaching.
El coach aporta un «saber cómo hacer» para que a partir de un buen nivel de escucha se generen preguntas potentes, que no son retóricas, ni interpretativas, ni estándar. Preguntas que contienen el lenguaje del cliente,
that no contienen juicos, ni soluciones implícitas, que son abiertas, que preguntan por el qué y el para qué, antes que por el por qué o el quién, que son preguntas dirigidas al observador que el coachee está siendo. Preguntas que incomodan (gentilmente) y que van hacía el futuro, hacia la posibilidad, hacia el reto, no hacia el pasado.
Así pues y aquí sí, como un entrenador, el coach facilita que el cliente practique el arte de hacerse preguntas hasta que se convierta en un hábito. Esta costumbre redundará en la forma de reflexionar, incorporando aprendizajes, estimulando una forma distinta y tal vez más rica de pensar, unas nuevas distinciones en su vocabulario, un enfoque distinto que provoque nuevas acciones y con ellas resultados extraordinarios.
Montse Sans, Coach PCC y Coordinadora de EEC Comunidad Valenciana.
02. Coaching distinctions
In coaching, a distinction is the ability to see and understand a new or different nuance related to a concept or attitude. The result of looking at reality differently enables one to act differently.
What the distinction does is to increase the level of awareness, about what we do, why we do it, what we do it for, and it is then that we get a different capacity for action.
Below you can discover some of the awards most commonly used in coaching, explained by several of our coaches and trainers, but remember that there are as many distinctions in coaching as there are observers.
Coaching process
It consists of coaching sessions (meetings or interviews) between the coach and the client. The duration of a coaching process is fixed before the start of the process and depends on the challenge to be met. A coaching process usually consists of 6 to 10 sessions over a period of about six months.
Coaching session
This is each of the meetings between coach and client. It lasts approximately 90 minutes. During this time, the coach will try to change the coachee's viewpoint, that is, to broaden his or her view of reality and discover new possibilities for action.
- A temporal process with a beginning and end
- Between two people: coach and coachee
- In search of an objective and a declared challenge
- Based on planned, private and confidential conversations (language, emotion and body).
- Using questioning methodology to explore beliefs, values, strengths and limitations
- Coachee makes decisions and engages in learning and change
- With this commitment, it is mobilized in a certain direction, deploying its full potential to achieve extraordinary results.
ICF Coach Competencies
At the EEC we follow the guidelines set out by the International Coach Federation (ICF), for which there are 8
key competencies for the professional practice of coaching.
Establish
FOUNDATIONS
1. DEMONSTRATES ETHICAL PRACTICE
Understands and consistently applies coaching ethics and standards.
2. REPRESENTS THE COACHING MENTALITY
Develops and maintains an open, curious, flexible and focussed mindset.
Create the RELATIONSHIP
3. ESTABLISHES AND MAINTAINS AGREEMENTS
Collaborates to create clear agreements about the coaching relationship, process, plans and goals. Establishes agreements for the process and for each session.
4. CULTIVATE CONFIDENCE AND SECURITY
Partners with the client to create a safe and supportive environment. Maintains a relationship of respect and trust.
5. MAINTAINS PRESENCE
Is fully aware and present with the client.
Communicate EFFECTIVELY
6. ACTIVELY LISTENS
Focuses on what clients say and do not say, to fully understand what they communicate and to support them to fully express themselves.
7. EVOKES AWARENESS
Facilitates discovery and learning by using tools and techniques such as powerful questions, silences, metaphors or analogies.
Cultivates LEARNING and GROWTH
8. FACILITATES THE GROWTH OF EACH CLIENT
Collaborates with the client to transform learning and discoveries into action. Promotes client autonomy in the coaching process.
ICF Coach CREDENTIALS
ACC, PCC and MCC Coach. The profile of a good coach is determined by their training and experience. The minimum requirements that ICF demands to qualify for its three levels of accreditation are:
- ACC (Associate Certified Coach): 60 hours of specific training. 10 hours with a mentor coach. 100 hours of experience. 8 clients. Oral and written exam.
- PCC (Professional Certified Coach): 125 hours of specific training. 10 hours with a mentor coach. 500 hours of experience. 25 clients. Oral and written exam.
- MCC (Master Certified Coach): 200 hours of specific training. 10 hours with a mentor coach. 2,500 hours of experience. 35 clients. Oral and written exam
The coach
profession
The Coaching Certification allows the professional to start a new profession as a coach and work with people and organizations providing the necessary tools to achieve their goals.
ICF Coach Competencies
- For professionals, Human Resources and Recruitment staff, team leaders. Necessary management tools for leadership, listening, conflict management and the distinctions of coaching for direct work with people and teams within organizations.
- For teachers and trainers. New skills in managing teams or students so that they can develop their full potential. Listening skills, development, conflict management.
- For psychologists. A complement to the psychology training to be used in your processes.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
I'm interested in coaching, but I don't know if I want to be a coach.
Incorporating coaching skills implies a personal experience, as not only conceptual but also experiential learning takes place.
In our Executive Coaching Certification Program the participants are executives, members of Human Resources departments and senior managers who wish to incorporate coaching tools to be more effective at a professional level, as well as all types of professionals (consultants, psychologists, etc.) who see coaching as another tool in their personal and professional development.
How long does it take to learn coaching?
If you are interested in becoming a professional coach certified by ICF at an international level, you have to take the Executive Coaching Certification Program lasting, in total, a minimum of six months (229 hours*).
In one month (46 hours*), which is the duration of Cycle I, you can soak up the basics of this discipline. In five more months (183 hours*), with Cycle II, you will deepen in all the concepts and competencies necessary to practice as a coach, and you will be certified in a recognized program with an internationally recognized qualification.
If you are interested in to develop leadership and communication skills and to incorporate some of the coach competencies you can take only the first cycle of the Executive Coaching Certification Program.
What are the requirements to become a coach?
It is essential to have a degree and a minimum of three years' professional experience. Furthermore, at the EEC we believe that to be a coach it is essential to have a genuine interest in people.
What are the advantages of training with the EEC?
- All our classroom trainers are at the same time active in-house coaches with extensive experience in executive coaching.
- Our training is based on real coaching experience in the business environment.
- The programs have been designed on the basis of a solid theoretical basis of coaching and proven experience in the field.
- We have trained more than 15,000 professionals. Our programs have been proven effective for 15 years.
- Our programs are adapted to the learning pace of the participant and each client needs.
- We have the highest accreditation granted by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
- We offer a range of programs that cover the comprehensive training of a professional coach.
- You will be able to take part in activities and services after your EEC Alumni training.
Are there any advantages for EEC alumni?
EEC Alumni, which offers training activities, value-added services and quality resources to respond to the concerns and needs of student coaches, is available to people who pass through EEC's classrooms.
What is the profile of the students and the teachers?
The vast majority of students are Human Resources professionals, managers and executives from other areas who wish to strengthen their leadership and people management skills, consultants, headhunters, psychologists and professionals who wish to develop and/or turn their professional careers around. All our trainers are active professional coaches certified by the EEC and accredited, for the most part, as PCCs by the ICF.
How important are approvals?
Approvals are the representation of the standard of quality, the confirmation of a rigorous and exquisite offer. At the EEC, we follow the guidelines set by the International Coach Federation (ICF).
What does the price include? How can I register?
The price of all the programs includes the teaching material (texts, readings, worksheets) necessary to follow the training. Please contact us to find out the prices of the programs. A registration form must be filled in. You can request it by sending an e-mail to info@escuelacoaching.com indicating the city where you wish to train and the name of the program you wish to take.
Steps after certification in coaching.
Once trained as a coach, the adventure begins. As in any other profession, a path of internships, specialization and continuous training begins. To this end, the EEC has program for practicing coaches (Coaching Supervision, Team Coaching, Coaching and Politics...). In addition, EEC Alumni is a lifelong learning community at the service of all EEC-trained students.
Does my staff/team need coaching?
Times of change, mergers and restructuring are the times when coaching intervention makes the most sense. Both the management team and the employees as a whole can be boosted by incorporating coaching skills such as: faster adaptation to change, ability to put oneself in the other person's shoes, improved listening skills.
How do I contract an ECC project for my company?
You can contact us and tell us about your organization's needs in order to assess whether what we offer in EEC fits your needs. You can also consult some of the Strategic Consultancy services you can see here. From there, we are committed to adjusting to your specific needs and particularities. Let us work with you to achieve extraordinary results.