Life/Professional Coaching with Greg Porter

This looks at the whole relationship, not just a specific conversation. According to the ICF site, this competency is defined as: It is extremely important for a client to be honest and open to reap the full benefits of the coaching process. To achieve this a coaching relationship must be built on mutual respect and trust. The site goes on to say that it used to be called Trust and Intimacy but "intimacy" had too many definitions and cultural implications so they switched to "safety". The idea though is that the coach holds a space and has a presence where the client feels comfortable to share freely. This makes sense to me. As a coach, I'm trying to get the client to open up and explore. That exploration can sometimes take a client to a place of vulnerability. It's important to get there but it's only possible (and ethical) if they feel safe to do so. Another quality of this is the positionality of the client. The coach must acknowledge and honor the cl...

In terms of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), ethics and standards really come into play if you are doing things that you aren't supposed to be doing.  A couple examples would be: Failing to maintain the confidentiality of the coaching relationship     -  If you bring up another client or talking about how you will share parts of that coaching session Saying something that is offensive to the client     -It seems obvious but you've got to be aware of where the client is coming from. It's a relationship after all; how can you expect to have a regular conversation let alone one where you are both vulnerable if you insult them. Consulting     -Coaching is about the client, not the coach. The client has all the needed skills and materials to do what they need to do. If you are consulting, you are telling the client what they need to do. But, really, you probably don't know what they need to do. You can't know the totality of the situation s...