Tips to prepare for your PCC Certification Exam: keys to a PCC level session

In my previous post I talked about how to prepare logistically to apply for the ICF PCC Certification via Portfolio: how to make the process of getting the two recordings of real sessions to submit easier. This month I share with you the elements to pay attention to in order to pass the PCC Assessment of the ICF certification.

What are the keys to a session that meets the requirements of the PCC level?

Regardless of the school where we have been trained as coaches, whose underlying model will influence our way of coaching (Dialogic Coaching, Ontological Coaching, Co-Active Coaching, Coaching for Performance, etc.), there is an important common base in the core competencies we learn as coaches. The ICF's11 Key Coaching Competencies reflect this "universal foundation" for professional and transformational coaching, and chances are that - although possibly with somewhat different terminology - most of us coaches have learned our craft within this theoretical framework, especially if the training program has the ACSTH or ACTP accreditation seal of approval.

This being the case, the points I will now present to you will be for many a mere reminder of those coaching behaviors that evidence a clear mastery of the key competencies. But what I do intend is to offer a more summarized view that can serve as a guide to reconnect with this common essence, to recall some good coaching habits and to have a simpler and clearer framework of what will be evaluated by ICF certification examiners.

Demonstrate mastery of the Key Coaching Competencies at the PCC level.

1. Establishes a deep connection with the customer to generate a safe space

In order for our clients to be able to open up, question, dream and excel, the primary condition is that they feel completely safe in the coaching relationship. Competencies 3, "Establishing trust and intimacy with the client" and 4, "Being present in the coaching" underline our responsibility to create that powerful encounter in which something new can emerge. Respect for the client, welcoming the client as a person and not just as a challenge holder, the space we give, and the support and recognition expressed are all elements that contribute to creating a strong foundation for transformational work.

2. Be sure to create a clear agreement on the objective of the session.

If one of the purposes of coaching is to help our clients take responsibility for what they want to change in their lives, gaining awareness and then taking action, we must give them that responsibility - and decision-making power - in the coaching session itself. As highlighted in Competency 2, before going deeper, the coach needs to help the client identify what it is they want to achieve in the session. Often they will not know at the beginning, I at least as a client need the coach's help to sort out my ideas and get down from the undefined mass of thoughts and emotions on a topic to a concrete and tangible question. A clear thread to start pulling on that brings focus to the session. Exploring the meaning of the challenge for the client and exploring what the client believes are the keys to addressing it will help in the process of grounding the challenge of the session. Once the goal has been agreed upon, allow your client to establish indicators of success. How will he/she know at the end of the session if he/she has achieved it? This little twist is actually a great accountability builder: I decide my goal, and I measure my progress at the end.

3. Be guided by your customer

A cross-cutting element throughout the competencies is to ensure our client's agency. As coaches we create the framework of the session and the process, shaping the container for the client's transformation. To create the content we must be 100% partners. Asking the client for feedback on how the session is going, where they want to explore more, or what they are learning, will allow the coach to keep the client's agenda in focus and give them their rightful place as the owner of their coaching process.

4. Coach the person and not just the subject matter.

Another point present in several competencies speaks to the importance of broadening the client's awareness of who they are, as well as the challenge they bring to the session. Helping the client discover more about themselves is key to finding new ways to relate to their challenge. By being attentive to the whole person and listening to what they are conveying beyond words (Competencies 4 and 5), asking questions aimed at exploring their reality and what makes sense to them, their values, emotions, thoughts and needs (Competency 6) and giving the client the opportunity to verbalize what they are learning about themselves (Competency 8), we harness the transformative power of coaching to help the client develop as a human being towards wholeness.

5. Create a grounded action plan

At the end of the session we help the client to concretize what they are going to do to move towards their goal in real life, outside of the session. The client's excitement from a session can sometimes seem like enough of a push to guarantee the success of the action plan. But experience tells us that reality and habits easily take over... That's why Competencies 9, 10 and 11 urge us to test and reinforce the client's real commitment to their action plan. Don't settle for next steps, but explore resources, allies and obstacles, to achieve a sustainable action cycle, and create mechanisms that help the client to take responsibility for himself.

By following these five guidelines you will be able to demonstrate adequate mastery of the competencies required for the PCC level when you submit your recordings!

One more important point: In an examination, the coach's competence is evaluated, not the client's performance. You look at what the coach does in response to what the client offers or asks for. That is, if the client repeatedly offers a goal, emotion, metaphor, etc., and the coach does not pick it up, this is evidence of a lack of response from the coach. Now if the coach from what he has gathered invites the client to a reflection, but the client does not enter, does not respond or does not wish to explore in this direction, the coach's competence will be considered demonstrated.

Coach mentoring is the ideal space to analyze and evaluate your performance level in all these competencies. In a coach mentoring session you will get feedback from your mentor to perfect your technique, observe yourself without pressure, practice the points that are most difficult for you and improve your effectiveness.

If you want to take your coaching to another level with coach mentoring you may find the Mentor Coaching Workshop for Coaches that I organize periodically very interesting. The mentoring hours are also useful to apply for or renew your ICF certification.

Learn more about the ICF Key Coaching Competencies.