The Coaching Organisations

Working as a Coach, you’ll come across lots of coaching bodies: organisations, associations, schools, forums and networks. Many of these are designed to benefit coaches and further the profession. They can be incredible, inspirational and interesting resources. But who are they and what is the right one to get involved with? This was one of the main questions I asked myself as a new coach and to be honest, I’m still working that out today.

Notable among them are the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the Association for Coaching (AC) and the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC). These could be deemed as the big 3 - the most widely recognised and successful coaching organisations. In my latest episode of the ‘Getting Started as a Coach’ podcast I talk to Victoria Liu and Ina Mulrooney, both seasoned coaches with direct experience of all three coaching bodies to demystify what they do and how they can support Coaches. We explore:

• Practical advice on choosing the right coaching body, considering factors such as cost, continuous professional development, member benefits and networking

• The power of community: the importance of finding a sense of belonging with like-minded people

• The importance of supervision and the types of support, offered by the professional bodies

It was a thought provoking and valuable discussion for me as Ina and Victoria really delved into the considerations of affiliation and membership. I loved how they spoke about ‘finding your spiritual home’ and joining a community of like-minded coaches who are all on an enrichment journey together.

Listen to this episode here