Friday, January 4, 2002 CoachVille FAQs Update; Situational Solutions... Dear R&D Team... We're redoing the CV website in the next week or so and one of the things I have updated is the Q&A Section of our site to reflect the addition of the Graduate School of Coaching and to clarify why CoachVille and the GSC isn't going the ICF certification/accreditation route.  The updated Q&A list is below.  Would you take a moment to read it over and see if there are any questions that you had BEFORE you joined CoachVille that aren't addressed below? Remember, this is the Q&A list of folks just visiting the CoachVille.com website for the first time who are curious about joining CoachVille. Related to this update... I've been getting clearer and clearer on why CoachVille isn't taking the ICF accreditation route.  I've always felt funny about the ICF accreditation thing but when I recently learned that several Master Certified Coach candidates were failed on part of their exam due to the fact that they offered 'advice' to a client (giving advice is an ICF/MCC no no apparently), it all started to make complete sense to me how CoachVille and the GSC are different in the approach to coaching, coach training and certification. Bottom line is that I believe modern coaching CAN and DOES include making recommendations, giving advice that one is qualified to give, and sharing opinions.  Many, if not most of the schools, are anti advice which is why I believe the ICF sanctioned certification process is biased as well. In chatting with Dave Buck last month, I/we came to realize that one of CoachVille's strengths is that we have developed, and continue to develop, CLIENT BASED SOLUTIONS such as checklists, forms, client programs, 5day programs, step by step guides and more, to give clients strategies and paths to adapt to their needs.  And speaking of strategy, I believe we're one of the few schools that both believes in training coaches in using and crafting strategies with their clients instead of just being 'helpful' coaches. It occurred to me last week, in fact, that the future of coaching is in providing clients with solutions, not just support.     Key distinction:  Solutions, not just support.   I am coming to believe that the best clients will want both and that the most successful coaches will need to be able to offer both, in spades.  Not just support.  I believe this single distinction is why defines CoachVille and our progressive nature.  And I'm guessing this is what the client marketplace will want from coaches.  Solutions, not just support.  And, while it's true, that it can be quite helpful to 'help the client find their own solutions,' I believe the coaches who only have this single flavor of service to provide will be overlooked in the marketplace as coaching goes mainstream during this decade. Given that, the role and scope CoachVille and the Graduate School of Coaching is becoming clearer and clearer.  The QuickScore 100 package is a solution set, really.  In fact, I did up a draft of a larger chart showing the 10 primary categories of the QS, along with the 10 competencies, tools and marketing solutions we offer at CoachVille/GSC. click here to view full size chart Okay, that said, here's the updated Q&A at coachville.com. I'm interested in your reactions, pos and neg, about what I've written above about solutions vs support, and the scope/wording of the Q&A below... Thanks! Thomas CoachVille Q&A Why is the lifetime membership fee only $79? Because all resources are web-accessible and web-delivered.  Once the forms, RealAudio segments, checklists, PowerPoints, and other content is developed and uploaded for your use, the cost for bandwidth and customer tech support is extremely low. Extremely low. So, you are not offering live TeleClass or local trainings, then? No, not through CoachVille.  However, do we offer live TeleClass based training through the Graduate School of Coaching, our full coaching school.  Details at http://www.graduateschoolofcoaching.com/.  Do I have to buy anything else?  Are there other costs? No.  We offer basic coach training online at no extra cost; it's included in your once in a lifetime $79.  However, we do offer specialty trainings and practice development trainings via CoachVille and via the Graduate School of Coaching. Here's a chart that illustrates what's available.   What's the catch?  What are the other charges or costs? No catch; no other required charges.  Welcome to a new paradigm of coach training and networking. Can I see a list of the 10 coaching competencies? Yes, click here.   Is the Certified Coach designation accepted by the ICF? No.  Nor is CoachVille Coach Training Program accredited by the ICF.  Nor is the Graduate School of Coaching and it's accompanying GSC Certified Coach designation.  CoachVille will have become the industry leader and standards-setter for certification and accreditation. Why is the CoachVille Certified Coach designation going to set the industry standards?  A coach is only awarded the Certified Coach designation by demonstrating and proving competencies.  Our competencies are real-world, learnable demonstrate-able, measurable and jargon-free.  CoachVille doesn't base how good of a coach you are by how many hours of training you've taken or years of experience you've had, both of which -- while useful -- simply are NOT very good measures of competency as a coach.   If you can prove competency, you'll be awarded the Certified Coach designation whether you've been coaching for 25 years or 6 months.  Our approach is coach-and-client-centered, not institution-centered.  Big difference in philosophy.  We believe our approach to be progressive.  And the best approach, by far. What, then is the GSC Certified Coach designation? A coach who has been awarded the Certified Coach designation may also go on to earn the GSC Certified Coach designation.   The primary difference is that the GSC Certified Coach designation is an advanced designation conferred to coaches who have been trained in the set of Client Programs & Solutions available only through the Graduate School of Coaching. Why doesn't CoachVille and the Graduate School of Coaching go the ICF route? For two simple, but important reasons. 1.  CoachVille is now the largest body of coaches worldwide, with nearly 10,000 members and graduates.  Good or bad, numbers drive the industry.  And with a growth rate 10 times as much as the ICF, CoachVille and its members are driving the industry and setting the standards at this point. 2.  The second reason is that we feel that the ICF certification process is fatally flawed given we don't believe is properly tests for competence (rather it 'tests' mostly for hours of training taken and approved experience, neither of which, in our view have much to do with competency, especially in a profession where the body of knowledge is replacing itself every 18 months.)  Also, we feel the ICF system is flawed because it's biased against the coach offering solutions and advice to clients.  The ICF model is based on the traditional therapist don't-give-advice model.  We feel this is not useful for modern day coaching where the client wants the flavors of coaching that appeal most to them at any given moment, not a single flavor of coaching 'approved' by the ICF.  At CoachVille, we see ourselves as the Haagen Daz of coaching; many flavors, all delicious.  We feel that the ICF is limited to endorsing only only flavor of coaching:  vanilla.  This thwarts innovation in our industry and ultimately harms the client. We formed CoachVille in order to improve the quality of coaching worldwide.  We've had to bypass the ICF in order to do this because we don't see them changing anytime soon.  Welcome to evolution.   Can I be licensed to teach the modules that I've taken via CoachVille.com? Yes and no.  Yes, to the modules that aren't directly coach-training oriented.  No, to the modules that are.  At this point, we are not licensing anyone to teach/offer a live or TeleClass version of our e-modules.  But you can be licensed to teach the TeleClass Leader Training, various 5-day programs, e-marketing, cyberskills and other programs that will appeal mostly to the public, for a nominal fee. What will I need to do to get certified via CoachVille? CoachVille will award the Certified Coach designation, starting in the Spring of 2002.  To pass, you'll need to demonstrate knowledge and competency in 10 areas.  There is an extra cost for testing/certification.  We expect this to run $150-200.  Becoming certified is entirely optional. We will likely spin off this part of the process to a not-for-profit Coach Standards Board.  The GSC Certified Coach designation will be be available in Fall 2002. Some of the materials appear to include Coach U materials.  What's the connection between CoachVille and Coach U? I started Coach U in 1992 and developed 80% of the materials they are currently using in the Coach U Coach Training Program.  CoachVille negotiated a license from Coach U that permits me/CoachVille to weave in key components, concepts, programs and checklists of what I originally created for Coach U, as long as it's not a cut and paste job.  And, I've written many new programs and coach training modules since selling Coach U in 1996.  It is these latter programs, modules and concepts that are the basis of the CoachVille Program.  And, remember, over the next several years, we'll be creating additional original work together via the R&D effort among the founding members of CoachVille (meaning you....). So, how much cross over of concepts and materials is there between Coach U and CoachVille? About 30%.  But the primary difference is that our program is organized around client situations.  You learn coaching skills, concepts, distinctions and phrasing within actual situations vs 'separately.'  Think case studies.  That's our approach.  We feel that the learning is integrated better as a result of situationalized learning. Will CoachVille be setting up coaching chapters around the world. Yes.  We are developing these now.  We've started with about 100 CoachVille Study Groups, on our way to 500 with a year or two. Can I access the e-training if I live outside of North America? Yes, of course.  As long as you have Internet access (33k, 56k, or higher), you can access all of the materials and RealAudio segments. Why are you doing this (launching CoachVille)? I feel that we're all only 3% along the path of being extraordinary coaches.  The coaching technologies/competencies are very new and not very sophisticated -- yet.  I feel that, together, we can significantly advance the quality of coaching that is being delivered. Are there any other reasons? Yes, I'm a big believer in professional networks and less of a believer in professional associations.  I've designed and positioned CoachVille to be a professional network. When is the lifetime fee of $79 going to increase? Good question.  But we don't know.  We priced membership extremely low as a way to make the membership buying decision a no-brainer.  Excellent pricing, like $79, makes that possible in today's market. Will the lifetime membership ever change to be annual membership? No, not for those members who come into CoachVille as lifetime members.  Lifetime means lifetime.  However, in the future, we may move to a monthly or annual membership or e-services-package scheme, depending on market conditions.   When will the training modules be interactive (vs just RealAudio/transcripts)? By late 2002.  It's a big project to package training/info/demos into an interactive format.  But that's our plan and we have the budget for the design, systems, conversions and hosting.  Once it's up, the maintenance cost is very low. Immediate access 100% satisfaction guarantee. Special quantity pricing is now available for corporations, schools,  professional networks, affiliates and resellers. details here Best, Thomas