Last night I stayed up for a UAC part 2 class at midnight and it worth it. Angela Byrd taught the class and she said some profound things like : “We can only take people as far as we are.” All of the tools won’t help a client if we can’t facilitate their self awareness. Solution focused models work on problems which are symptoms of their (our) lives. If you only work on the symptoms, the client will, at some point resume the behaviors that caused the symptoms. So, the goal is to awaken awareness of the behavior patterns that cause the symptoms.
When we give a homework or fieldwork assignment we should ask ourselves: “Am I giving this assignment so that the client will think I’m a good coach or to awake the client’s awareness?”
Archive for September, 2007
Suzy´s 10 Tips for learning at ICA
1. Believe in yourself. Acknowledge yourself for choosing such a unique ICF approved Coach training program full of supportive people. Something like ”WOW, I am such a clever person, I’m really on the “cutting edge!” After you calm down, read the information in the SUPPORT section. Click: Support, Knowledgebase, FAQ’s. After that, click DOWNLOADS and read the WElCOME TO ICA pages, then: Introduce yourself on the Discussion Board in the CAFÉ and SOCIAL AREA under INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR COMMUNITY.
2. Get a buddy or a peer coach early on in your studies, even if you´re not sure what a peer coach is and you think you don´t need coaching. A peer coach can help you get used to the ICA culture. Just do it, even if you feel like you’re out of your “comfort zone”. Read the Discussion board at least once a week and participate.
3. Take charge of your learning, this is YOUR program. This is YOUR life. Everyone learns differently, you get to choose how you’d like the program to work for your personal learning style.
4. Believe in the Process: The Coaching Process and the Learning Process. You won’t necessarily see or feel the changes at first, but somewhere along your journey you’ll notice a positive difference in your life.
5. Ask lots of questions; if you need to know something and it can help your learning, ask for it. Send and email to SUPPORT, to the Coaching Teachers, or ask other coaches on the discussion board. Questions that you have, are often the same questions that other people have, so you’ll also be helping the other coaches. No question is too silly or stupid. This is a SAFE and POSITIVE environment.
6. Learn from your colleagues. In classes you’ll often learn more from the other coaches than from the class materials. Don’t get me wrong, the readings are fantastic (and don’t forget to read them BEFORE you take the teleclass), but sometimes when you hear a technique or skill “in action” in a class, you’ll learn the information easily just from the example. To MUTE your call, press *6. To UN-MUTE yourself, press *6 again. Its always nice to mute yourself if you suddenly need to eat a snack, or for those of you taking classes late at night or early in the morning, if you nod off, the snoring might disturb others on the call.
7. Show up to classes, and do the homework that is meaningful to you. It’s easy to take it casually and then be in a rush to get everything done when you get nearer to graduation.
8. It’s allowed to take a class again if you need to.
9. You get out of the class what you bring to the class. At the beginning, if you’re not used to the teleclass format, at first it’s ok just to listen to get a feel for it. Remember though, that it’s easy to disappear to the back of the class and mentally go somewhere else. Even if you don’t participate, you can practice your “Power Listening” and then maybe even write about the class in your BLOG. After a while, set a goal for yourself to make at least one comment, “checking-in not included”, during every class you attend.
10. Read the assessments page in your first months at ICA, ask questions about what you don’t understand, and then make a timeplan for yourself. It will help you structure your learning so you won’t be under extreme stress close to graduation.
My coach encouraged me to offer 2 people a trial session, one friend and one person I don’t know very well. I did it, and it felt very weird. Well, the good friend said “yes” and the other person I haven’t heard from yet. After I asked, I realized how difficult it had been for me to ask. I thought to myself, “this must be what guys feel like when they ask a woman out on a date.” I had to remind myself not to take it personally if I was rejected. Actually I had already been rejected once by another good friend so I should actually acknowledge myself for getting out of my “commfort zone” and asking again. So far I am coaching 2 clients, friends, 1 friend didn’t want to be coached and the person I didn’t know but asked anyway is still on the fence, but who’s keeping score?
