All the best

Welcome!

	Certified Coach Board IACC will own the "Certified Coach" designation and certifies coaches who have demonstrated competence in the 15 Coaching Proficiencies. Read how to become certified. Available October 2002. Watch for details.
	Coaching School Accreditation Council The CSAC, a unit of the IACC, accredits coaching schools and coach training programs which teach/offer the 15 Coaching Proficiencies. Watch for details on how the accreditation process will work. Available November 2002. Watch for details.
	Coach Information Center The Coaching Information Center (CIC), a unit of the IACC, will act as the industry information center, providing both the media and coaches alike with the facts, data and evidence of the viability and benefits of the coaching process. Coach Barb Elgin has stepped forward to run the CIC, which will launch in November 2002. Watch for details.
	CoachingComplaints.org The IACC's Board of Professional Review will be hosting coachingcomplaints.org site where the public may lodge complaints about coaches and be assured a follow up process. (The logo at left may change to soften the tone.) The Board of Professional Review will have the power to revoke the Certified Coach designation of a coach against whom a grievous complaint has been unresolved. Available November 2002. Watch for details.

Background about the IACC
1. There is a new professional association of coaches forming called the IACC -- International Association of Certified Coaches.
2. Membership is free/automatic in IACC for every CoachVille member, although CoachVille members may opt out if they wish.
3. The IACC will thus be the largest professional association of coaches worldwide with 17,000 members.
4. The IACC will be a not-for-profit, with elected board members (called the Board of Governors) after the first year.
5. CoachVille is funding the IACC with a $25,000 launch grant and will work closely with the IACC during the first year as the IACC births and weans.
6. The IACC will also be comprised of several boards, to include:
a. The Board of Professional Review, which will manage/support the coachingcomplaints.org website.
b. The Coaching School Accreditation Board, which will accredit coaching schools who are teaching the 15 Proficiencies, on which the Certified Coach testing/designation is based.
c. The Coaching Information Center, the industry relations unit of the IACC.
d. The Coach Certification Board which will own the Certified Coach designation and manage the testing/certification process, as well as setting the continuing education requirements to maintaining one's Certified Coach designation.
7. Michael "Coop" Cooper is coordinating the IACC efforts and is supported by teams of coaches designing and building out each of the components outlined above.
8. If you would like to get on the announcement/R&D list for the IACC, address an email to subscribeiaccrd@coachville.com.

The Advantages of the Certified Coach designation
Currently, there are at least a dozen coach certifications available to coaches. What makes the Certified Coach designation worth tracking toward?

1. Sophistication and Progressiveness
The 15 Coaching Proficiencies, upon which the Certified Coach designation is based, are, as far as our research has indicated, currently the most progressive and sophisticated set proficiencies used by coaches worldwide. They are advanced by design, elegant during use and effective in both contributing to the wide range of both most commonly sought-after tangible and intangible results.

2. Consistency and Common Meaning
The Certified Coach designation attests to the coach's demonstrated ability with the 15 Coaching Proficiencies. This provides common ground among these coaches and a common, unified brand to the public.

3. Open-Architecture Design Affords Flexibility and Evolution
Even as the Certified Coaches have a common, proven facility with the 15 Coaching Proficiencies, each coach still has significant degree of freedom and flexibility to be themselves, respond to a wide range of client needs and the flexibility to evolve their coaching -- and the quality of coaching worldwide -- using all of the tools and approaches at their disposal, given the open-architecture design of the 15 Coach Proficiencies.

The 3 Steps to Earning the Certified Coach designation
These steps are taken in sequence. The cost to be certified is $200, but any CoachVille/IACC member may take the written examination for free. And the certification fee is waived for the first 500 coaches who qualify to be scorecarded. (see "Waiver" below).

Step 1. Score 80% or higher on a comprehensive written examination.
The exam is administered online, and consists of 200 multiple choice questions from a bank of 1500 such questions), including questions on ethical/legal practices. Any CoachVille/IACC member may take this test online, and at no charge. However, if you do not pass the written test, you'll need to wait 30 days before taking it again. There is no charge to retake the written exam, even if multiple times.

Step 2. Score 80% or higher on the Coaching Proficiencies scorecarding.
You'll be audio taping 3 coaching sessions, with real clients and with their permission, and, after the fact, three Certifying Coaches from the IACC will listen to the RealAudio tape of your sessions and scorecard your coaching, based on your demonstration of the 15 Coaching Proficiencies. (We'll handle the recording process for you.)   You will receive a copy of your scorecard and comments made by the Certifying Coaches.

Step 3. Successfully complete a brief interview with 3 Certifying Coaches.
The purpose of this interview is to cover any of the 15 proficiencies that we not demonstrated during your 3 scorecarded coaching sessions.

Additional information about the certification process.
1. As you can see, we've made the process as simple as possible.
2. Yet, as simple as the process is, we believe it's the most rigorous certification process of any coach certifying agency.
3. In order to pass the written exam, scorecarding and interview segments, you will need to have coaching experience, and full knowledge of the 15 Coaching Proficiencies.
4. We (deliberately) do not require a set number of hours of experience as a coach. Why? Because experience alone doesn't "make you" a Certified Coach. Rather, we rely on validated, real-world demonstration of the coaching proficiencies to award the Certified Coach designation.

Certification fee waivers
The fee to be certified is currently $200. We are waiving the certification fee for the first 500 coaches who qualify to be tested for certification. Please wait for announcement on how to qualify.

Additional fees
1. If you do not pass the written exam, there is no fee to retake the exam, however, you'll need to wait at least 30 days to take it again.
2. If you are not scorecarded at 80% or higher on your 3 client coaching sessions, you will need to pay a $100 retesting fee for any of the 3 segment you do not pass.
3. If you do not pass the interview, there is no cost to you to be re-interviewed but you must wait 90 days and complete the recommended studies suggested by the Coach Certifiers.
4. There is a $25 charge for your Certified Coach certificate, should you wish to order one.
5. After you are certified, you will need to complete 20 hours of continuing education per year from providers approved by the IACC. You will be able to complete these 20 hours per year online (at a very low cost), through TeleClasses or through live trainings and conferences. This continuing education is mandatory and may include updates to the certification process to ensure that all certified coaches have met the most current certification requirements (Note: CoachVille will be just one of the approved continuing education training providers. We expect there to be dozens.)

How to prepare for the written exam and scorecarding

1. Master the 15 Coaching Proficiencies.
Learn the 15 Coaching Proficiencies backwards and forwards via the CoachVille.com website via RealAudio or transcript (free as a CoachVille/IACC member), and/or attend a live 2-day training called the Certified Coach Intensive offered by CoachVille (details at http://www.coachvilleconference.com) in 16 cities during 2002 and 2003.

2. Listen to 50 hours of the Coaching Critiques.
Listen to at least 50 hours of the Coaching Critiques (free; coming October 2002) which are real coaching sessions featuring coaches who have scored 4 or 5 stars on their coaching session scorecarding. This is the best way to understand how you'll be tested, as well as providing you with voice-over commentary from the Coach Certifiers during each session. This alone can act as a coach training program or to supplement any formal coach training you've done.

3. Work collaboratively with your current clients.
Work closely with your current clients and ask them to help you coach them better in the 15 Proficiencies. Most clients are happy to help you improve your skill set.

4. Work with a mentor coach or Certified Mentor Coach (CMC).
Work with a mentor coach or Certified Mentor Coach who has been trained in the 15 Proficiencies. Remember, the exam is based on your intimate and specific knowledge of the 15 proficiencies. Whatever else you might know about coaching will be helpful, but if you don't know these 15 Coaching Proficiencies, you will not be able to pass the test. Certified Mentor Coaches are listed at certifiedmentorcoach.com. To prepare for and earn the CMC designation, enter the Graduate School of Coaching.

5. Enroll in a coaching school or program accredited by the IACC.
A school accredited by the IACC is a school that is teaching the Coaching Proficiencies well. Currently (9/02), the School of Coaching, the Graduate School of Coaching and CoachVille are the only 3 accredited IACC schools, but by the end of 2002, expect to see at least 5 more schools adopt the 15 Proficiencies and becoming accredited by the IACC. Within 2 years, we expect about 25 to 50 schools and coaching programs will be accredited.

How to Get Involved in Certifying Coaches
The IACC is in the business of certifying coaches and relies upon highly experienced Certified Coaches to certify newer coaches. We call these highly experienced Certified Coaches who have undergone additional training, "Certifying Coaches." It is an honor to be a Certifying Coach and the process to become one is rigorous.

The first step in this path is to become what's called a Critiquer, which is a coach who listens as Certifying Coaches listen to coaches sitting for the orals segment of their coach certification exam. Each coach seeking the Certified Coach designation is recorded as they coach 3 different clients over the phone. Later, these RealAudio files are played on a conferencing bridge where 3 Certifying Coaches listen to the coaching sessions and scorecard the coach's 'performance.'

Critiquers are visitors/listeners in this process. As they get more experience listening to these critique sessions, they'll be asked to share their own observations and contribute a ScoreCard of how they rated the coaching session. Based on the quality of their scorecarding, a Critiquer may be asked if they would like to become a Certifying Coach. At that point, the steps below are begun.

Becoming a Certifying Coach is not a simple process. After all, the Certifying Coach is the 'protector' of the Certified Coach brand. The IACC is currently developing the first 10 Certifying Coaches. We expect that, within 2 years, there will be approximately 200 such Certifying Coaches which will be enough to keep up with the demand for the Certified Coach testing process.

Critiquers are not compensated directly. However, the learning is priceless, especially if you plan to become a Mentor Coach or a Certified Mentor Coach and/or to have your own coaching school.

In summary, a Certifying Coach knows the 15 Proficiencies intimately, and has developed the 'ear' to determine how well another coach is able to demonstrate these 15 Proficiencies.

How to become a Certifying Coach
We mention above that it is the Certifying Coaches who will be scorecarding the coaching sessions you will be having with clients, and you may be wondering what a Certifying Coach is, and how to become one.

Briefly, a Certifying Coach is a coach who has:
1. Earned their Certified Coach designation.
2. Has been coaching for at least 3 years.
3. Has participated in at least 50 hours of scorecarding/critiqueing.
4. Has successfully scorecarded a series of 5 rigorous coaching/client situations.

Should you wish to mentor other coaches, it would be to your advantage to becoming a Certifying Coach (currently, invitations are made by the Board of Governors of the IACC). As the critiquers and Certifying Coaches scorecard the thousands of coaches who will be earning the Certified Coach designation over the next several years, they'll be listening for those coaches who have that special ear that indicates they would be especially effective as a Coach Certifier.

Timing and Availability
The components of the Certified Coach testing/certification process are being made available as follows...

Late September
1. Complete the design of the online ScoreCard used by all Critiquers and Certifying Coaches
2. Complete the computer systems to track the critiquing management and scheduling process.

October 2003
1. Have the written exam available online.
2. Start scheduling critiquing sessions, starting first with the Certified Mentor Coaches.
3. Approve the first 10 Certifying Coaches and complete their training.

November 2002
1. Open up the critiquing session to the next group of coaches seeking certification.
2. Approve 5 more Certifying Coaches.
3. Start awarding the Certified Coach designation to the first coaches who have passed all testing segments.
4. Being accrediting coaching schools and programs on the 15 Coaching Proficiencies via the CSAC (Coaching School Accreditation Council, a specialty council within the IACC).

December 2002
1. Ramp up to be critiquing 200 coaches a month.
2. Ramp up to have approved 25 Certifying Coaches.
3. Continue to expand capacity.

What should you do now?
If you are interested in testing for the Certified Coach designation, here is what you can do now:

1. Take the online written exam, when available in October 2002. It's free.
2. Watch for announcements for available slots to have your 3 coaching sessions scheduled and critiqued. Free for the first 500 coaches approved; please wait for announcement, however.

Questions and Answers

1. I went to Coach U. Will I be able to pass the Certified Coach exam?
Yes, but like any coach, you'll need to study separately for the Certified Coach exam. This, because the Certified Coach exams are based on the 15 Proficiencies and until a coaching schools come to weave in these 15 Proficiencies into their training, you'll need to study separately for them via CoachVille, the Graduate School of Coaching and/or the Certified Coach Intensive. We'll be accrediting as many coaching schools just as quickly as they can qualify.

2. Should I go to one of the Certified Coach Intensive this Fall?
CoachVille offers this training, which is currently the most focused training for coaches wishing to pass the Certified Coach exams. CoachVille and the IACC, while separate entities, are working very closely over the next year to transfer the intellectual property related to the 15 Coaching Proficiencies (the basis for the Certified Coach exam) from CoachVille to the IACC. Within a year or two, you'll see competing coaching schools offering a similar-type of training for coaches wishing to offer an immersion experience for coaches wishing to go toward certification. And, that said, the Certified Coach Intensives assist to prepare you for the Certified Coach exam but do not guarantee your passing the exam. City and date information are at http://www.coachvilleconference.com.

3. Do I have to be a Graduate School of Coaching student in order to become a Certifying Coach?
No. Anyone may become a Certifying Coach as per the steps outlined above.

4. What's the difference between a Certifying Coach and a Certified Mentor Coach?
A Certifying Coach has proven their ability to determine how well a coach demonstrates the 15 Coaching Proficiencies. A Certified Mentor Coach (available via the Graduate School of Coaching) is a coach who mentors and trains coaches in both coaching skills, coaching proficiencies, practice development, niche selection and more.

5. How does the Certified Coach Designation compare with the ICF designations?
Please read the features of IACC's Certified Coach designation.

6. Is there a process to appeal the decision of the Certifying Coaches?
Yes. We are working out the details and will announce the appeals process in October 2003.

7. The IACC/CoachVille connection seems awfully close. Will the IACC be totally independent, or not?
Yes, it will. During the first year, the CoachVille/IACC connection will be extremely close.   IACC is forming as a not-for-profit, member-based and voting oriented professional association with its own Board of Governors. CoachVille is funding the development of the IACC with a grant of $25,000 in cash, online systems and use, plus the intellectual property associated with the 15 Coaching Proficiencies. Within a year, you'll see the IACC operate very independently, much like the ICF did after it was formed by Coach U back in 1994.

8. How do I join the IACC?
All CoachVille members will be automatic lifetime members of the IACC at no additional fee, although a CoachVille member may opt out of becoming part of the IACC. If you are a CoachVille member and wish to be a member of the IACC, no action is needed. If you are not a CoachVille member and you wish to join the IACC. To join CoachVille, visit coachville.com. Within the next 12 months, the IACC be developing its own revenue streams to support it long term, including conferences, continuing education classes and services. The current plan is to keep the membership fee for the IACC at zero.

Do you have a question that is not addressed above?
Please email it to Michael "Coop" Cooper, the coordinator of the IACC at coop@certifiedcoach.org.

questions?

please email

coop@certifiedcoach.org