The Pre-Summit series, May 1-31, 2012, offers a complimentary opportunity to sample the sessions of the full Summit before registering. (The full Summit runs June 14-29, 2012.) For more details visit here.

A selection of the 25 luminaries presenting include:

• Dr. Marshall Goldsmith – voted the world’s #1 leadership thinker by Harvard Business Review;
•  Sir John Whitmore – the pre-eminent thinker in leadership and organisational change;
• Prof. Vijay Govindarajan – voted the world’s #1 strategic thinker by Harvard Business Review;
• Verne Harnish – named one of the “Top 10 Minds in Small Business” by Fortune magazine;

The skills, topics and strategies attendees can expect to learn about include:

• highly effective coaching,
• sales,
• niche leadership,
• creation of complimentary products and multiple income streams,
• client retention,
• intellectual property,
• social media,
• networking and much more.

This will be the second year that the conference takes place, with 7000 coaches from 129 countries participating via easy-to-use webinar technology. The aim is to deliver “sales-pitch-free, rich content to live audiences” allowing questions to be asked of presenters real-time and interaction with other attendees.

It’s a great opportunity to get exposure and experience different coaches and trainers styles, knowledge and expertise. Click here to register for the Pre-Summit series.

Are you uncertain about how you will do that?

One big problem I’ve noticed that many coaches struggle with is the transition between being a non-coach to a coach.

They’re often busy focusing upon what they think they “should” be doing. They either miss the chances to serve (and even profit) from opportunities already waiting for them or they are too scared to take the next step.

I love to be of service to coaches, particularly those who are just starting out on their coaching journey like you! So I’ve created a special 1 hour session to help with this problem, my From Non-Coach to Coach Discovery Session.

Scheduling wise I can only offer a set number of these sessions a month but they are open to all. I’m now taking bookings for April calls.

Your consultation will be laser-focused on 1 thing, and 1 thing only: You becoming the coach you want to be.

You get my expertise, loving strong coaching, AND specific action steps to move you forward quickly. Together, we’ll …

• Create a crystal-clear vision of exactly what being a coach means for you and how it fits with your business and lifestyle goals.
• Clarify exactly what’s been holding you back from making that transition to become a coach and why you are not already serving clients.
• Identify the next action step(s) for you to take so you can easily make that transition from non-coach to coach

I’ll lay out specific action steps for you, and finally, I will make at least one coach’s request to you to get you going. And the best part?

Your 60-minute From Non-Coach to Coach Discovery Session is absolutely FREE

If you are longing to step up, get out there, start getting clients, start making money AND be of greater service to the world …you can see what a tremendous opportunity this is!

The only “catch” is … you have to act fast to get one of this month’s sessions!

To claim one of these FREE sessions, here’s all you need to do:

The first of two steps to booking your from Non-Coach to Coach Discovery session is to answer the questions below.

The second stage is selecting a time that works for us both, once you have submitted your answers you will be directed to a site to book a specific time for our call.

*(denotes required field)

Name: *

E-Mail Address: *

1. When it comes to making the transition from Non-Coach to Coach, what are your biggest challenges?

2. On a scale of zero to 10, how important to you is it to get these challenges solved, once and for all?

3. What have you tried in the past that didn’t work?

4. Where would you like to be on your coaching journey in 12 months time? (Be realistic, but do stretch a little!)

CAPTCHA Code: *

Are you uncertain about how you will do that?

One big problem I’ve noticed that many coaches struggle with is the transition between being a non-coach to a coach.

They’re often busy focusing upon what they think they “should” be doing. They either miss the chances to serve (and even profit) from opportunities already waiting for them or they are too scared to take the next step.

I love to be of service to coaches, particularly those who are just starting out on their coaching journey like you! So I’ve created a special 1 hour session to help with this problem, my From Non-Coach to Coach Discovery Session.

Scheduling wise I can only offer a set number of these sessions a month but they are open to all. I’m now taking bookings for March calls.

Your consultation will be laser-focused on 1 thing, and 1 thing only: You becoming the coach you want to be.

You get my expertise, loving strong coaching, AND specific action steps to move you forward quickly. Together, we’ll …

• Create a crystal-clear vision of exactly what being a coach means for you and how it fits with your business and lifestyle goals.
• Clarify exactly what’s been holding you back from making that transition to become a coach and why you are not already serving clients.
• Identify the next action steps for you to take so you can easily make that transition from non-coach to coach

I’ll lay out specific action steps for you, and finally, I will make at least one coach’s request to you to get you going. And the best part?

Your 60-minute From Non-Coach to Coach Discovery Session is absolutely FREE

If you are longing to step up, get out there, start getting clients, start making money AND be of greater service to the world …you can see what a tremendous opportunity this is!

The only “catch” is … you have to act fast to get one of this month’s sessions!

To claim one of these FREE sessions, here’s all you need to do:

The first of two steps to booking your from Non-Coach to Coach Discovery session is to answer the questions below.

The second stage is selecting a time that works for us both, once you have submitted your answers you will be directed to a site to book a specific time for our call.

*(denotes required field)

Name: *

E-Mail Address: *

1. When it comes to making the transition from Non-Coach to Coach, what are your biggest challenges?

2. On a scale of zero to 10, how important to you is it to get these challenges solved, once and for all?

3. What have you tried in the past that didn’t work?

4. Where would you like to be on your coaching journey in 12 months time? (Be realistic, but do stretch a little!)

CAPTCHA Code: *

I’m currently looking to schedule at least the next 6 months worth of guest posts – if you’d like to be one of them contact me via here.

Want to know more info before making an offer to be a guest poster in 2012?

Topic/content

I am very flexible about the topic of the Friday guest posts – I ask that it is something that you think will be of interest to coaches.

I love the fact that this has produced a range of topics, approaches and opinions. I know that this is a very broad brief so if you want a bit more guidance I also offer a list of questions that you can use to act as a catalyst to spark some inspiration about what you want to write your post about. (After all I am a coach and we do like questions )

The only other request that I make is that you show respect to others views. It’s perfectly OK to discuss why you like a particular approach as long as you don’t throw insults at those who don’t agree with you.

I’ll also mention at this stage I don’t impose any word limit, I allow my posters as many words (or few) that you need to say what you want.

Date

You’ve probably noticed that the Friday guest post is posted on a Friday (normally around 6.30am UK time). So I ask that guest posters send me over their copy by the Wednesday lunch (UK time) allowing plenty of time to make any tweaks you want and generally schedule the post to go live.

If there is a particular Friday you’d prefer a post to run because it helps to promote an event you are running, etc I’ll do my best to accommodate that request. In the event I have two people wanting the same date I think the fairest thing to do is schedule them on a first come first served basis. If that does happen I will make sure that I’ll communicate this with you and offer alternative available Fridays.

Bio

At the end of each guest post you may have noticed an “About the author” heading, this is where we put your bio. I think this gives the reader the opportunity to find out more about you and your background. I also like it to include ways (ie a link(s) ) for anyone who wants to find out more about your work etc to easily do that.

Experience

While some of the fantastic guest posters of 2010 and 2011 have decades of coaching experience we have also had some who are just establishing their coaching practice. So do not rule yourself from being a guest poster because you don’t think you have enough experience. As far as I’m concerned it’s that mix of perspectives that makes the Friday guest posts what they are.

What are you actually committing to?

1. Providing a guest post via email by the date agreed
2. Providing a bio to be included on your guest post, again by the date agreed.

That’s it – if you are on twitter and you let me know your username then I can include that in any promo about your post.

Want to be a 2012 guest poster?

Contact me via the form here. If previous occasions when I have issued an open invite is anything to go by do act quickly if you want a specific Friday.

Still got questions?

Ask me either by adding a comment below or dropping me an email.

Thanks and a Happy New Year!

A mix of different topics providing support and solutions for a range of problems and questions were deliberately selected. You’ll notice that there is a mix of books, audio and other products spaced throughout the 12 days. Some will be more appealing if you are new to coaching, whilst others will be more attractive if you have more experience.

I invite you to explore the following and decide which one is most useful for you.

Day 1 – “The Life Coaching Connection: How Coaching Changes Lives” by Steve Chandler

Day 2 – Get Clients in 30 Days by Elizabeth Purvis

Day 3 – Playing Cards For Happy Managers & Happier Employees

Day 4 – The One Page Business Plan: The fastest, easiest way to write a business plan by Jim Horan

Day 5 – “Effortless Success” by Michael Neill

Day 6 – “The 8th Habit: From effectiveness to greatness” by Stephen R. Covey

Day 7 – Time Trade

Day 8 – “Coaching for performance” by Sir John Whitmore

Day 9 – Maestro Conference

Day 10 – “Get Unstuck & Get Going … on the stuff that matters” by Michael Bungay Stanier

Day 11 – From Non-Coach to Coach Discovery Session

Day 12 – Adopt A Word

There are many other coaching resources out there, like on this list, some are complimentary and others require an exchange of money. Coaches, if you were to add one extra coaching resource to this list what would you add and why?

Feel free to share you thoughts in the comments box.

As a child one of my favourite Christmas songs was the 12 days of Christmas something I have loosely taken as a theme for daily posts in the run up to Christmas.

Starting tomorrow, each day for the next 12 days I will be posting about a different coaching resource. I intend to include resources that are in different mediums, covering a mix of topics and in a range of different prices (including some complementary resources.)

Depending upon your coaching experience and style I suspect that you will find some resources more appealing and attractive than others. As you read each post I invite you to consider which one(s) would be most useful for you. I also invite you to share your own thoughts in the comments section.

Scheduling wise, the site will also still have the daily quote of the day posts and the personal development and guest posts will be returning after Christmas.

The 12 days of coaching resources

I think it is such a waste that I keep talking to individuals who have developed their coaching skills and knowledge yet are not doing anything with them.

They have fallen in love with coaching but are afraid to take that next step by working with a “real person” outside of that safe training environment.

You have invested time and effort into training and practicing; you may even have a bit of paper that declares to the world that you are certified. Yet I keep meeting coaches where something is holding them back from coaching “real people”.

Now I understand the fear and/or procrastination that can happen – even to coaches! We can get caught up in our thoughts – full of what if’s and negative suggestions about our own capabilities and value.

This often results in either not taking any action or keeping busy “just” doing yet another course or task before actually doing any coaching.

Today may be Halloween, a day traditionally associated with scary stories, but I want to offer an alternative to any fear of using your skills and knowledge with “real people” you had.

I invite you to share your skills and knowledge with others. I understand that may seem a huge task to do on your own. So I have designed a special program to make that easier – “Start coaching ‘real people’ in 90 days”

It is a program that when you show up powerfully and take action you will be coaching real people and so much more comfortably than when you started. If you want to have your own coaching practice this is also a program that will move you forward much quicker.

This will be a program that supports you as an individual coach. Here are just some of the results that are possible for you in our time together:

• Actually be coaching real people!
• Overcome your fear about coaching
• Feel happier with the prospect of someone giving you money for your coaching
• Identify how to charge for your coaching
• Move closer to becoming the coach you really want to be
• Have created a Welcome Pack that you are using with your coaching clients

For full details about how you could “Start Coaching ‘Real People’ in 90 Days” click here

To read the recap of September – December 2010 click here. And for the second recap covering January – April 2011 click here.

May 2011

May began with Frederique Murphy sharing a post about how you, as a coach, can know how effective you are with your clients. Read “Chuuut… Watch out” here.

Marketing was the focus of our next post as the “Marketing Goddess” Elizabeth Purvis provided valuable advice in “What to say when they say ‘Yes, but …’”

Andrew Ferdinando runs Hubworking, based in London that hires out meeting rooms to business people on an hourly basis. Ideal for use by coaches it’s probably no surprise that coaches are one of his biggest sources of business. In his post “Successful coaches – observations from an outsider” Andrew shares the things he’s seen work for coaches.

“What the Belbin!” was our next post by Liz Scott. In a post she discusses a framework that she utilises in her coaching.

June 2011

“I ‘Sell’ Coaching” was Billy Moyer post about what he considers is the most important thing that we do as coaches.

Karen Williams, experienced coach, mentor and author of “The Secrets of Successful Coaches”, shared her thoughts and expertise in “become a confident coach”.

Our next post invited you to have fun as Andy Lucas shares his expertise and experience in the post “Games and surprises.”

Practical advice and expertise about “What to include in your email newsletter” was shared by Djanira Cortesão.

July 2011

What should a coach have if they want to succeed? Angus MacLennan’s “Coaches Need Coaches Too” provides his thoughts and observations about the Business Essentials.

Our next post saw Karen Wise, an organisational development consultant and coaching psychologist, share “5 tips when starting a new job.”

Cindy Hillsey asks about your coaching business in our next post “Does your coaching business reflect the YOU of today?”

A question that many coaches and those entering the profession ask was what Steve Chandler answered in “How to get coaching clients.” In this post Steve also generously offered a pdf of his book “The life coaching connection”.

Elizabeth Purvis also addressed the issue of finding clients in her post “How to get high-end clients when you DON’T have a big list (yet!)”

Lenny Deverill-West rounded the month off for us with his post “How to use lessons about spaghetti sauce in your coaching”

August 2011

August guest posts began as Jeff Thompson asked us “You do what with your hands?”

“Your coaching services needs YOU!” urged Marie Yates as she shared her expertise with practical advice and pointers for coaches.

Anja Schuetz shared her thoughts about “Loving Communications: A coaches view.” What do you notice as you visit her post about the communication discussed?

Amber Fogarty completed a fabulous year of guest posts with a piece about “Knowing versus doing.”

I’d like to thank all the guest posters for taking the time to share their thoughts and expertise. There are also some more superb guest posts lined up for the remainder of the year.

If you have been reading this and thinking you’d like to be a guest poster than drop me an email and you may be reading about your post in next years recap.

Today’s post covers the months January 2011 – April 2011.

January 2011

In our first guest post of 2011 Dr Anne Perschel shared one particular experience with a client in the post “The Experiment.”

Karen Wise then asked the question “Is there a public misperception about coaching?”

Melani Luedtke-Taylor then shared how the experience of starting her own coaching business reminds her of one of her favourite movies, The Wizard of Oz. Find out how in the post “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.”

Janis B. Meredith’s guest post discussed what she wants from one specific type of coach – how many of these are similar to what the people who use your coaching want? Read 9 Traits Parents Wish for in Their Kids’ Coaches here.

February 2011

Dave Doran discussed some potential risks he sees in running a coaching business as he asked, “Is your coaching business at risk?”

The week after young coach, Marlon Fihosy shared his experience and lessons learnt so far with the post “How can we guide what we have no plan for?” This is a post that focuses upon building coaching clients and overcoming initial hurdles.

In “One String to the Bow: 5 lessons for the Two-Dimensional coach” David Lurie used his observations of working with a lot of coaches over the past couple of years.

At the end of the month Merlyn Sanchez discussed the subject of testimonials and coaches in “Testimonials.” Covering feeling uncomfortable asking for them, how to ask for a testimonials and what to do with them once you have them.

March 2011

March began as Chris Morris returned with a post sharing more valuable thoughts from his coaching experience and approach. In a post that talks about how Chris works and introduces you to his dog Barnaby – not sure what the connection could be? Read “Defence is the first act of war” here.

The next week discussed social media as Nicky Kriel shared “The perks and pitfalls of Social Media for Coaches.”

Jeff Weigh’s “Keep checking the view” shared thoughts about goals and reflecting.

Cindy Hillsey asked “Who is your ideal client and why do you need one?” Containing advice and questions about how to identify your ideal client and why that’s important.

April 2011

In “Making the Most of Your Brand: YOU!”, Jennifer Holloway discussed the mix of things that defines who you are and what you’re all about – your own personal brand.

Richard Nugent invited coaches to consider congruence in coaching with “Are you walking it?”

Communication skills in coaching were the focus of the next weeks post as Beverley Ireland-Symonds asked, “How effective are your communication skills?”

“The Black Box” is Lenny Deverill-West’s post about memory and how new discoveries in neuroscience can be helpful to coaches and change workers.

The month ended as Amber Fogarty shared her thoughts and experience with those who are uncoachable and unapproachable in “Am I Uncoachable? Am I Unapproachable?”

Thursday will see us finish recapping a year of guest posts as we cover the months May – August 2011.

Missed part one where we looked at posts from September – December 2010? Read it again here.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every guest poster who has already taken part. As always there is some fantastic posters scheduled for future weeks.

I know for many coaching often focuses upon the present and the future rather than looking back – however I wanted to draw your attention to the guest posts that we have had over the past 12 months.

So in the first in a series of 3 posts running this week I invite you to explore ones you may have missed when they were first published or re-visit one you have previously read to see what new insights it will give you now.

September 2010

Our very first guest poster Liz Scott started with a post about what is, for her, the most important coaching skill. In “Listening” she shared three levels of listening.

Chris Morris then shared a note to his younger self. I wonder what advice you would share with a younger you? Find out what Chris wrote here.

Our third poster Jeff Weigh picked the subject of  “Discover your Passion“.

“Get it Done” was the subject of our next guest post as Stever Robbins shared a question and answer session all about 9 steps to work less and do more. Procrastination, conquering technology and managing interruptions were all touched upon.

Clean language and x-ray listening expert, Judy Rees provided our last guest post of September 2010 with a post that discusses the impact phrasing language can have. “The power of parrot-phrasing” can be found here.

October 2010

“Let’s talk about context” was the invitation from Lenny Deverill-West who shared what context is and about Context and Exception mapping.

Sue Sharp, our next guest poster, specialises in marketing for start up businesses and provided a guest post all about “Marketing for Coaches“.

In “The Source of Personal Power?” Andy Lucas, who assists clients to empower themselves, discusses the topic of empowerment in more detail in this post.

Richard Nugent has spent time with some of the very best coaches on the planet – and is highly skilled himself. In “The evolution of a coach” he reflects upon his coaching journey so far.

Frederique Murphey used her first guest post to tell us a story and discuss metaphors in the post “Once upon a time …!”

November 2010

“Supercoach” Michael Neill got November’s guest posts off to a fantastic start with a post that discussed “Transformative Coaching” It’s a post that gives details about how changes that transformative coaching leads to can be usefully viewed in three levels …

Terri Carey is a Virtual Assistant to the world’s finest coaches and shared her expertise about creating your own biography in the post “Biographies for coaches.”

Our next post saw Dr Colin Clerkin sharing a technique he likes to use in the post called “What would you see as the credits roll …?”

In the final November post Nicky Kriel shared tips of how to run a successful coaching business in the post “5 Ways to Make your Coaching Business Successful.” How many of these points are you doing?

December 2010

“How you Act is What You Will See or Read: Coaching tips for a good relationship with the Media” was our first December post. Jeff Thompson shared his expertise, including a simple formula of how he handles media inquiries, including a few key points.

Angus MacLennan then shared some tips to improve your networking skills in the post “Networking for coaches.” How many of these points do you use?

Karen Williams provided the final guest post before the festive and New Year celebrations. “The secrets of successful coaches: What stops coaches from running a successful business?” shared her experience and knowledge about running a successful coaching business.

Tuesday will see us recapping over the guest posts from January – April 2011 with Thursday covering May – August 2011.

Here is some information for those interested:

Topic
Your choice, whatever you think will be of interest to coaches/those interested in coaching.

I know that’s a broad brief so if you are struggling to choose a specific topic let me know and I can send over a list of questions specifically designed to be a catalyst for a spark of inspiration.

Word count
As many (or as few) as you feel you need to say what you want!

If it helps, the average guest post word count falls in the 250-500 range. You’re welcome to use that figure as a guide, just remember it’s not a rule – If your guest post is outside of that I’m not going to refuse to publish.

When for?
The post itself is published at 6.30 am (UK time) on the agreed Friday (that’s 1.20am EST). I ask that I have the copy to format by noon UK time (which is 7 am EST or 4 am PST) on the Thursday.

I assign Fridays on a first requested basis and do my best to coincide and accommodate any promo schedules for events/product launches you may have.

Dates often go fast, if this is something you’re interested in doing my advice is to contact me sooner rather than later.

Bio/links
I’ve taken the view that readers like to know about the author and have the option to click through to find out even more/get in touch/ sign up for offers etc. So I do ask that you provide a bio.

If you want to include a photo that is fine – you are responsible for ensuring there are no copyright issues with any pictures you send. i.e. only use photos you either own or have permission to use in this context.

Experience

While some of the fantastic guest posters we’ve already had have decades of coaching experience we have also had some who are just establishing their coaching practice – so do not rule yourself out from being a guest poster because you don’t think you have enough experience. As far as I’m concerned it’s that mix of perspectives that makes the Friday guest posts what they are.

Who is the audience you are writing for?

• Coaches/ those interested in coaching.

• Generally they have a range of experience from just starting to think about possibly becoming a coach through to established coaches. Likewise, a broad range of niches are represented by those who visit and read the site.

• The majority are UK based with the US being the next largest geographic region readers come from. However, there is an international readership, useful to know if you are considering referring to something specific to your country – i.e. a particular TV program, local event or local dialect etc, a brief explanation will make it easier for all. 

Promo

I’ll mention at this stage that there will be various tweets scheduled to go out throughout the actual Friday that the guest post is scheduled for – these will probably show up in your mentions feed as they do normally include your twitter username.

Interested?

I’d love to hear from you – fill in your details here.

Still got questions?

Drop me an email and let me answer them

You may also have deduced that Coaching Confidence, the coaching blog, is entered in the Best Coaching Blogs 2011 competition. Obviously I’d love if you would spare a few moments to vote for us.

I’d thought I’d spend a few moments sharing why I started this blog. The final “push” was when I read an “advanced” coaching article that advised coaches to interact with their coaching client during the actual coaching session.

At first I was convinced that there was a typo somewhere and what I was literally reading was not actually the authors meaning. However, it was repeated several times and I could spot no other interpretation so had to come to the conclusion that this had to be the actual “advanced” message.

I cannot begin to imagine how anyone can coach without interacting with a client. In my mind, even non-verbal communication, such as nods, raised eyebrows etc are interactions. It certainly isn’t what I class as a piece of advice for advanced coaching.

Having got on my soap box to a friend and colleague about how much better quality information could be given than interact with your client I realised I was “preaching to the converted”.

One of the possible explanations I’d looked for in that post was if the author had been advising about increasing interaction in general. Whilst I’d found no evidence that was the intended meaning, I did think it sounded a fun approach. As I am so passionate about supporting and nurturing coaching skills and talents creating my own coaching blog would be one ideal way to do this.

I was also keen to have a regular guest post feature. For three reasons:

1. I believe that having an exposure to different approaches, opinions and techniques give coaches a greater flexibility when they coach. Something that, in my mind, helps you to be a stronger coach so you can adapt to the individual in front of you.
2. I don’t expect that my approach to coaching will be every other coaches approach – yet I still wanted to provide a space where all coaching styles could get an opportunity to share. I want to credit my audience with the intelligence but also have the responsibility for deciding which ones appeal to them.
3. I wanted to provide an opportunity to support the guest posters by providing a space to connect with a new audience.

I know that my work is about supporting, nurturing and encouraging coaching skills and talents for all levels of coaching. It’s what I love doing. It’s also what I check if a particular post has the potential to do when I sit down to blog.

Technically it could be classed as part of a marketing strategy; however, I did not wake up one morning and think, “I know, I’d love to start a marketing strategy!” I did come to the realisation I enjoy writing for this blog – I enjoy this form of interaction.

I have never claimed to be a marketing expert yet the one piece of “marketing advice” I give to coaches when I’m asked is to find strategy(s) that you enjoy doing – rather than ones you hate. You are far more likely to do something that you enjoy more than something you hate. The best conceived marketing strategy and knowledge in the world is not going to create clients if you don’t put it into action!

You’ll notice if you click through to the best coaching blogs 2011 nominations that there are other coaching blogs there. If you enjoy this blog I’d love you to vote for us. If you have the time, why not have a look at the links to the other blogs at the same time. You never know when that right comment may just give you the nudge to take that next step!

After all, who knows if and when I’d have started this blog if I hadn’t read about interacting in a coaching session!

Click here to vote for us in the Best Coaching Blogs 2011.