Competency #5: Maintains Presence

Coaching Through It

DEFINITION: Is fully conscious and present with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded and confident.

1. Remains focused, observant, empathetic and responsive to the client
2. Demonstrates curiosity during the coaching process
3. Manages one’s emotions to stay present with the client
4. Demonstrates confidence in working with strong client emotions during the coaching process
5. Is comfortable working in a space of not knowing
6. Creates or allows space for silence, pause or reflection

WATCH: Pamela Richarde, MCC
READ: ICF Core Competency 5: Maintains Presence

• Season 1 Episode #4: All the Feels in Coaching + Storytelling
• Makes coaching unique, key to the profession
• More action-oriented -- all new core comps start with verbs: “Invites another human being to emerge”
• Ability to notice what is going on with the client – when they have an “aha” or a realization
• Big thing: allowing it to be okay to not know as a coach
  • Be curious
  • Not giving suggestions, holding space for for the client to discover a way forward
  • Poor presence: too fast to reaching a solution
  • Give enough space between and get comfortable with silence
  • Avoiding the co-gestions -- not telling what to do in the form of a question

Questions:

• What ways do you bring care into your coaching?
• How do you invite your clients to emerge?
• What ways do you show confidence in your questions?
• How do you step into the “not knowing” space?
• What ways do you flex your curiosity muscle? (avoid the checklist or framework)
• What does silence look like in your coaching sessions?

Books

• Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker
• Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence by Amy Jen Su & Muriel Wilkins
• HBR Article: The Leader You Want to Be by Amy Jen Su

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How are you thinking about your coaching presence? Tell us about it!

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• Connect to the hosts: @laurapasquini & @julieclarsen

Music credit: The song reCreation by airtone has been remixed under a CC-BY license.