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Friday,
January 4,
2002
CoachVille FAQs
Update; Situational Solutions...
Dear R&D Team...
We're redoing the CV website in the next week or so and one of the
things I have updated is the Q&A Section of our site to
reflect the addition of the Graduate School of Coaching and to
clarify why CoachVille and the GSC isn't going the ICF
certification/accreditation route. The updated Q&A list
is below. Would you take a moment to read it over and see if
there are any questions that you had BEFORE you joined CoachVille
that aren't addressed below?
Remember, this is the Q&A list of folks just visiting the
CoachVille.com website for the first time who are curious about
joining CoachVille.
Related to this update...
I've been getting clearer and clearer on why CoachVille isn't
taking the ICF accreditation route. I've always felt funny
about the ICF accreditation thing but when I recently learned that
several Master Certified Coach candidates were failed on part of
their exam due to the fact that they offered 'advice' to a client
(giving advice is an ICF/MCC no no apparently), it all started to
make complete sense to me how CoachVille and the GSC are different
in the approach to coaching, coach training and certification.
Bottom line is that I believe modern coaching CAN and DOES include
making recommendations, giving advice that one is qualified to
give, and sharing opinions. Many, if not most of the
schools, are anti advice which is why I believe the ICF sanctioned
certification process is biased as well.
In chatting with Dave Buck last month, I/we came to realize that
one of CoachVille's strengths is that we have developed, and
continue to develop, CLIENT BASED SOLUTIONS such as checklists,
forms, client programs, 5day programs, step by step guides and
more, to give clients strategies and paths to adapt to their
needs. And speaking of strategy, I believe we're one of the
few schools that both believes in training coaches in using and
crafting strategies with their clients instead of just being
'helpful' coaches.
It occurred to me last week, in fact,
that the future of coaching is in providing clients with
solutions, not just support.
Key distinction: Solutions, not just support.
I am coming to believe that the best clients will want
both and that the most successful coaches will need to be able to
offer both, in spades. Not just support. I believe
this single distinction is why defines CoachVille and our
progressive nature. And I'm guessing this is what the client
marketplace will want from coaches. Solutions, not just
support.
And, while it's true, that it can be quite helpful to 'help the
client find their own solutions,' I believe the coaches who only
have this single flavor of service to provide will be overlooked
in the marketplace as coaching goes mainstream during this decade.
Given that, the role and scope CoachVille and the Graduate School
of Coaching is becoming clearer and clearer. The QuickScore
100 package is a solution set, really. In fact, I did up a
draft of a larger chart showing the 10 primary categories of the
QS, along with the 10 competencies, tools and marketing solutions
we offer at CoachVille/GSC.
click
here to view full size chart
Okay, that said, here's the
updated Q&A at coachville.com.
I'm interested in your reactions, pos and neg, about what I've
written above about solutions vs support, and the scope/wording of
the Q&A below...
Thanks!
Thomas
CoachVille
Q&A
Why is the lifetime
membership fee only $79?
Because all resources are web-accessible and
web-delivered. Once the forms, RealAudio segments, checklists,
PowerPoints, and other content is developed and uploaded for your use,
the cost for bandwidth and customer tech support is extremely low.
Extremely low.
So, you are not offering live TeleClass or
local trainings, then?
No, not through CoachVille. However, do we offer
live TeleClass based training through the Graduate School of
Coaching, our full coaching school. Details at http://www.graduateschoolofcoaching.com.
Do I have to buy anything else? Are there
other costs?
No. We offer basic coach training online at no extra
cost; it's included in your once in a lifetime $79. However,
we do offer specialty trainings and practice development trainings
via CoachVille and via the Graduate School of Coaching.
Here's a chart that illustrates what's available.
What's the catch? What are the other
charges or costs?
No catch; no other required charges. Welcome to a new
paradigm of coach training and networking.
Can I see a list of the 10 coaching
competencies?
Yes, click
here.
Is the Certified Coach designation accepted by
the ICF?
No. Nor is CoachVille Coach Training Program accredited by the ICF.
Nor is the Graduate School of Coaching and it's accompanying GSC
Certified Coach designation. CoachVille will have become the industry leader and
standards-setter for certification and accreditation.
Why is the CoachVille Certified Coach
designation going to set the industry standards?
A coach is only awarded the Certified Coach designation by
demonstrating and proving competencies. Our competencies are
real-world, learnable demonstrate-able, measurable and
jargon-free. CoachVille doesn't base how good of a coach you are
by how many hours of
training you've taken or years of experience you've had, both of which
-- while useful -- simply are NOT very good measures of competency as a
coach. If you can prove competency,
you'll be awarded the Certified Coach designation whether you've been
coaching for 25 years or 6 months. Our approach is
coach-and-client-centered,
not institution-centered. Big difference in philosophy. We
believe our approach to be progressive. And the best approach, by
far.
What, then is the GSC Certified Coach
designation?
A coach who has been awarded the Certified Coach
designation may also go on to earn the GSC Certified Coach
designation. The primary difference is that the GSC
Certified Coach designation is an advanced designation conferred
to coaches who have been trained in the set of Client Programs
& Solutions available only through the Graduate School of
Coaching.
Why doesn't CoachVille and the Graduate
School of Coaching go the ICF route?
For two simple, but important reasons.
1. CoachVille is now the largest body of coaches worldwide,
with nearly 10,000 members and graduates. Good or bad,
numbers drive the industry. And with a growth rate 10 times
as much as the ICF, CoachVille and its members are driving the
industry and setting the standards at this point.
2. The second reason is that we feel that the ICF
certification process is fatally flawed given we don't believe is
properly tests for competence (rather it 'tests' mostly for hours
of training taken and approved experience, neither of which, in
our view have much to do with competency, especially in a
profession where the body of knowledge is replacing itself every
18 months.) Also, we feel the ICF system is flawed because
it's biased against the coach offering solutions and advice to
clients. The ICF model is based on the traditional therapist
don't-give-advice model. We feel this is not useful for
modern day coaching where the client wants the flavors of coaching
that appeal most to them at any given moment, not a single flavor
of coaching 'approved' by the ICF. At CoachVille, we see
ourselves as the Haagen Daz of coaching; many flavors, all
delicious. We feel that the ICF is limited to endorsing only
only flavor of coaching: vanilla. This thwarts
innovation in our industry and ultimately harms the client.
We formed CoachVille in order to improve the quality of coaching
worldwide. We've had to bypass the ICF in order to do this
because we don't see them changing anytime soon. Welcome to
evolution.
Can I be licensed to teach the modules that
I've taken via CoachVille.com?
Yes and no. Yes, to the modules that aren't directly
coach-training oriented. No, to the modules that are. At
this point, we are not licensing anyone to teach/offer a live or
TeleClass version of our e-modules. But you can be licensed to
teach the TeleClass Leader Training, various 5-day programs,
e-marketing, cyberskills and other programs that will appeal mostly to
the public, for a nominal fee.
What will I need to do to get certified via
CoachVille?
CoachVille will award the Certified Coach designation,
starting in the Spring of 2002. To pass, you'll need to
demonstrate knowledge and competency in 10 areas. There is an
extra cost for testing/certification. We expect this to run
$150-200. Becoming certified is entirely optional. We will likely
spin off this part of the process to a not-for-profit Coach Standards
Board. The GSC Certified Coach designation will be be available in
Fall 2002.
Some of the materials appear to include Coach U
materials. What's the connection between CoachVille and Coach U?
I started Coach U in 1992 and developed 80% of the materials
they are currently using in the Coach U Coach Training Program.
CoachVille negotiated a license from Coach U that permits me/CoachVille
to weave in key components, concepts, programs and checklists of what I
originally created for Coach U, as long as it's not a cut and paste
job. And, I've written many new programs and coach training
modules since selling Coach U in 1996. It is these latter
programs, modules and concepts that are the basis of the CoachVille
Program. And, remember, over the next several years, we'll be
creating additional original work together via the R&D effort among
the founding members of CoachVille (meaning you....).
So, how much cross over of concepts and
materials is there between Coach U and CoachVille?
About 30%. But the primary difference is that our
program is organized around client situations. You learn coaching
skills, concepts, distinctions and phrasing within actual situations vs
'separately.' Think case studies. That's our approach.
We feel that the learning is integrated better as a result of
situationalized learning.
Will CoachVille be setting up coaching chapters
around the world.
Yes. We are developing these now. We've started with
about 100 CoachVille Study Groups, on our way to 500 with a year
or two.
Can I access the e-training if I live outside
of North America?
Yes, of course. As long as you have Internet access
(33k, 56k, or higher), you can access all of the materials and RealAudio
segments.
Why are you doing this (launching CoachVille)?
I feel that we're all only 3% along the path of being
extraordinary coaches. The coaching technologies/competencies are
very new and not very sophisticated -- yet. I feel that, together,
we can significantly advance the quality of coaching that is being
delivered.
Are there any other reasons?
Yes, I'm a big believer in professional networks and less of
a believer in professional associations. I've designed and
positioned CoachVille to be a professional network.
When is the lifetime fee of $79 going to
increase?
Good question. But we don't know. We priced
membership extremely low as a way to make the membership buying decision
a no-brainer. Excellent pricing, like $79, makes that possible in
today's market.
Will the lifetime membership ever change to be
annual membership?
No, not for those members who come into CoachVille as
lifetime members. Lifetime means lifetime. However, in the
future, we may move to a monthly or annual membership or
e-services-package scheme, depending
on market conditions.
When will the training modules be interactive
(vs just RealAudio/transcripts)?
By late 2002. It's a big project to package
training/info/demos into an interactive format. But that's our
plan and we have the budget for the design, systems, conversions and
hosting. Once it's up, the maintenance cost is very low.
Immediate access
100% satisfaction
guarantee.
Special quantity pricing is now
available for corporations, schools,
professional networks, affiliates and resellers.
details
here
Best,
Thomas
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