What is a Communication Coach?

Everyone loves a definition, so let’s start with one.  Communication coaching is often a cross between communication skills training and "life coaching" - guided self-improvement strategies.  (This is a hybrid model but please note not all communication skills companies and coaches follow this model.) 

Here is a good definition of coaching, from a well-respected institution:
"Coaching is an on-going partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life. Beginning with the clients' desires, coaching uses reporting, exploring, and a consistent commitment to move the client forward. Coaching accelerates the clients' progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are today and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be tomorrow." - International Coach Federation, ICF

Coaching is all about helping people get from where they are in their life to where they want to be.  If everyone is being honest,  we could all do with improving an area or two of our personal or professional communications.  But why don’t people do anything about it?

Everyone knows what to do in life to become more successful but they don’t do what they know.  It is a Coach’s job to help people get what they want in life by breaking down the barriers imposed on them, and empowering them to a new level.  The best analogy you can ever use is that of a Personal Fitness Trainer.  When you go to a gym they will first ask you what your goals are:
Lose weight?
Lose fat?
Build muscle?
Build endurance?
Increase stamina?

They will then see where you are at with regards to your goals.  So for example, if you want to lose body fat they may ask you to take a body fat composition test that will measure your current levels of body fat; you may be asked to take a fitness test, asked what your current eating habits are etc.  After establishing exactly how much you want to lose and over what period of time you want to lose it the trainer will then devise a plan of action of what you must do in order to achieve your fat reduction goals.  Along the way your personal fitness trainer will encourage and motivate you, ask you questions about your motivations and any barriers that you face and will help you.  The end goal of a trainer is to help you achieve your goals a lot quicker and more effectively than if you did it by yourself.  Plus they empower you by teaching you skills and knowledge that you can take with you on your next health challenge or goal.
A Coach does EXACTLY the same as a Personal Trainer but with areas of your life, in this case, communication skills.  

A Communication Coach usually will have a specialty or a few areas of focus.  They may include:

• Interpersonal Skills like meeting new people, first impression management, dating, increasing your network of friends, social party behaviour, building confidence etc.
• Professional Skills like sales, negotiations, public speaking and presentations, body language, networking event skills, team/people management techniques, business writing etc.
• ESL, Second Language/Cultural Communication Skills like accent reduction, grammar and writing, business English improvement, cultural awareness and differences between countries or groups, etc.

Some Communication Coaches will have certification or designation from a governing body, like the NCCA, but most will not have certiification specifically for Communication Coaching as it's a fairly new concept.  They may have industry certifications from other fields like Life Coaching, Business Coaching, TESL/TEFL, Speaking Associations, Management Training etc. 

Most independent coaches will present their relevant skills, education and experience in the communications world on their resume, their online profiles and of course on their websites.  That is where you as a potential client can see their expertise and decide if their focus is right for your goals.  Then it's time to make contact and ask for the next steps.

Different coaches have different assessments, programs and styles of coaching.  It's best to be sure it's a good match for your needs.  Don't be shy to ask qualifying questions.

We at NCCA contribute to this exciting industry by providing information, leadership, guidance on standards and by assessing coaches and coach training programs in Canada.  Help us do that by sharing your thoughts and what changes you would like to see in the Communication Coaching world!

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