All coaching programs have certain coaching certification criteria you need to meet in order to receive your certification. It’s up to you to know what these criteria are, and to determine if they meet your needs when you are trying to start your career as a coach.

Get a Certification – Earn More Money

According to a 2012 ICF (International Coach Federation) global study, coaches who have a credential earn more than those without one. Being a credentialed coach is one way that you can tell the world that you are a professional. Having a certification from an accredited school means you have put in the time and effort to become the best coach you can be.

But, don’t just go through the motions to receive that certification. Understanding that coaching certification criteria are an important part of earning that piece of paper will make you a better coach. If you realize that certifications are based on various coaching certificate criteria, then you will be taking classes to learn, and not just taking them so you can hang a piece of paper in your office.

The Basic Coaching Certification Criteria

To be a successful coach requires hard work, patience, and a dedication to serving your clients. It also helps to learn the basic skills needed to become a good coach who can help find the outcomes your clients are seeking.

Here are a few of the basic coach certification criteria you should be looking for when deciding on what program to take and how to best jump start your career.

• Coaching Skills – these include the basics, such as active listening, reflection, summarizing, identifying the client’s needs, offering positive support, and providing specific and timely feedback.
• Communication Skills – these are covered in the basics, but communication is so important it needs to be addressed twice.
• Leadership Skills – do people listen to what you have to say? Do they tend to follow your advice? Can you lead individuals or groups and help them make changes. Coaches must be leaders to be successful.
• Business Skills – many coaches are entrepreneurs and they need to know how to start and operate a business if they want to succeed in a competitive field.
• Marketing Skills – no list of coaching certification criteria is complete without marketing. If you can’t sell yourself and your services, how are you going to acquire clients?
• Time Management Skills – every business person needs to know how to manage their time. There are often not enough hours in a day to get everything done, but tasks have to get done!

Finding the Right Coaching Program

The right coaching program will offer most or all of these coaching certification criteria in their training and as part of the certification process. If a program doesn’t have what you need, it’s not the right one for you. Yes – you have to find one that fits your budget and schedule, but don’t scrimp on money if the program doesn’t offer exactly what you need to be a successful coach.

A good coach is both born and made. Nature and nurture make a successful coach. If you have the passion, intuition, and dedication, you were born to be a coach. With the right certified wellness coach training, you will also be made a coach!

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your 30-day coaching blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
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