Why is Coach Academy better than other programs?
We believe Coach Academy offers significant advantages over other programs.

• Learning how the human brain processes information through NLP is the cutting-edge capability for coaches today. It significantly enhances your coaching capabilities, communication precision, and efficiency.
• Live, in-person training is just a superior way to learn. Many other programs, like Coach U and UTD, are partially or completely done via web conferencing or teleconferencing.
• We offer a practical rather than academic orientation. Our emphasis is on learning how to coach through extensive practice, not learning about how to coach.
• “Hassle-free” ICF Certification Portfolio Application comes with the program.  Your Credentialing Advisor will personally guide you through the application process and work with your particular experience and situation to maximize documentation of coaching and training hours.  The program also includes an intensive preparation for the coaching exams.
• Earn your NLP Coach Certification. You will receive your NLP Coach Certification immediately after successful completion of the program.
• After the program, the faculty will support you as you prepare your portfolio application.  No other program provides post graduation follow up to support the participants’ certification activities and goals.
• Coach Academy costs less. Other recognized programs cost as much as $10,000-$15,000, and do not include the Mentor Coaching required by ICF for certification. Also, very few offer an early registration discounts or easy installment plans.  

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What is NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and NLP Coaching? 
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a one of the most powerful methodologies for helping people make dramatic shifts in their lives.  It’s based on the idea that with our senses we are only able to perceive a small part of the world.  Our view of the world is filtered by our experience, beliefs, values and assumptions. NLP embodies several techniques that can change the way people think, learn, and communicate.  For example, NLP professionals often deal with a variety of personal issues ranging from reframing negative beliefs to dealing with stage fright.  They also deal with communications, motivation, and peak performance assistance in business or sports.

NLP was originally created in about 1975 by John Grindler, a linguist, and Richard Bandler, a mathematician and gestalt therapist.  NLP is a set of models and principles used to describe the relationship between mind, language and perception. NLP maintains that human behavior is fully a function of our senses—sights, sounds, feelings, smells, and tastes.  It is an explicit and powerful model of human experience and communication.

Today, NLP represents the cutting edge in professional coaching.
 
It allows the coach to assist clients in modeling human excellence, improving human relationships, and creating success in any activity requiring human interaction.

NLP Coaching is simply the most powerful and effective coaching method available. There are different approaches and models for coaching but NLP Coaching gets concrete results faster than others.  Because NLP is based on the study of human excellence, NLP Coaching is the result of studying and modeling the most effective forms of communication - and combining this with the leading edge knowledge of human behavior and thinking patterning. 

An NLP Coach is far more than “just a coach”!  These coaches use the most advanced tools, strategies, and methods for assisting clients to:

• Clarify outcomes
• Align their values and beliefs
• Remove obstacles from the past
• Seek out productive and relevant solutions 
• Implement specific strategies that will give them more assured success in the future.

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Other programs are conducted over the web or on the phone—why is this one in-person?
Some people certainly prefer the convenience of “distance learning”.  However, we have a strong bias for in-person training.  First of all, coaching is a person-to-person business.  Our program is a practical, highly involved approach to developing coaching skills where everyone in the class gets lots of coaching practice.  We honestly focus less on book learning, writing papers, and case studies.  Coach Academy Texas graduates are skilled coaches, not just students of coaching.  Secondly, we strongly believe that building coaching skill is most effective when instructors and participants experience all the subtleties of in-person interaction.  In-person learning and practice is fully interactive for all the participants all the time, increasing the amount and quality of feedback.  Every session is packed full of interactive exercises and multisensory learning activities. 

In-person training offers other benefits too.  First, instructors and participants have an opportunity to get to know each other and build deep personal relationships that will last long past the training.  Second, participants are more likely to be fully engaged – it is much easier to disengage on the phone, multi-task, or respond to a situation in a home or office environment which easily distracts from the learning.  Finally, people working together to achieve a common goal build energy and learn from each other – which is enhanced by physically being together.

There’s simply no substitute for live training to achieve the quality of learning, the richness of the experience, and the intensity of the practice!   It just works better.

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Who are the likely participants for the program?
Our participants are experienced professionals who bring their own in-depth knowledge and expertise into the classroom experience.  The caliber of the participants uniquely adds learning value and richness comparable to the most sophisticated programs available.  This program attracts:

• Professional coaches who want to get ICF certified and who provide executive, business, or life coaching services to clients.  The program meets ALL the requirements for both the ACC and PCC levels. We anticipate that at least half of the participants will be pursuing the PCC.
• Organization development or human resources professionals who want coaching training and credentials and who are chartered with providing coaching to executives, managers, and professionals within a business organization
• Coaches or HR professionals who are interested in learning more about the power of NLP for use in their coaching or business roles. Graduates from the program will be awarded the NLP Coach Certification
• Individuals experienced in coaching-related roles, e.g. outplacement counselors, executive search consultants, business consultants, counselors, teachers, social workers, mediators—anyone who is interested in enhancing their coaching skills and/or making a career change to coaching as a profession
• NLP practitioners who want to learn how to coach clients
• Business or sales managers who want to learn better coaching skills
• Counselors, teachers, social workers, or other “people” professionals who would like to better understand coaching and NLP for use in their work
  

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Why is Coach Training so important?
Professional business and life coaching is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Individuals and companies are realizing the value of coaching to improve performance and personal satisfaction. With this rapid growth, a need for differentiation is born. Even experienced coaches are being asked by their clients and potential clients whether they are trained and certified.

In the corporate arena, The Hay Group completed a comprehensive study on leadership development. After identifying and studying the top 20 companies, they concluded:

• Among the top six things that a company should be doing is providing internal coaching for mid-level managers. The reason for “internal” coaches is that so much of the coaching of mid-level managers is focused on learning how to work within the organization. Thus it is important that the coach know the company well.
  Among the top five things that were shown to have little or no effect was internally run classroom-based leadership training for mid-level managers. Although controversial, their findings were crystal clear in this regard.
• A company’s investment in skilled coaching resources is a high impact, strategic decision, and the proven ROI is worth it.

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What is ICF Certification?
The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the dominant independent certifying body for coaches. Numerous organizations offer coach-specific training that includes some kind of certification or qualifies for ICF continuing education.

ICF has three levels of certification – Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and Master Certified Coach (MCC). Organizations requesting or preferring ICF Certification will usually specify the PCC or MCC.

The ACC is an entry level certification geared for new coaches. PCC is the target for most practicing coaches.  It requires:

1. 125 hours of instructor contact (teleconference or in-person) coach-specific training with an emphasis on ICF’s core competencies,
2. 10 hours of mentor coaching with a PCC or MCC that focuses on coaching skills,
3. two letters of reference from PCC/MCC’s,
4. 750 documented hours of actual client coaching, and 5) passing both a written and oral ICF exam.

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Why do I need to be ICF certified?
The world of coaching is changing—it’s one of the fastest growing industries around.  Because there are more and more people becoming coaches, certification is becoming an “entry ticket” with many clients, especially corporations and governmental agencies.  Even experienced, full-time coaches with busy calendars and over 10 years of real coaching experience are getting certified.  Why?  Because the market is shifting—prospective clients are demanding it.  In time, if you are not certified, you could easily lose out on coaching opportunities to those coaches who are credentialed. 

There are a myriad of “certifications” available too.  To start with, you can be certified in hundreds of assessment instruments (e.g. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Hogan, Birkman, Lominger’s 360, MAPP, Kolbe Index, and more).  You can also be certified in selected models (e.g. Sherpa Coaching, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach).  Or you can get certified as a “specialty coach”, such as a Certified Retirement Coach, Certified Career Coach, Franklin Covey Coach or an Essence Chakra Balancing Certified Coach.  Really. . .there are LOTS of options.  But there is only ONE recognized independent certifying body for professional coaches today.  It’s the International Coach Federation (ICF).   If you are serious about coaching, then you should be serious about your professional credentials.  And getting your ICF coach certification is a must.

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How do I obtain the mentor coaching hours and reference letters the ICF requires? 
Coach Academy Texas’ participants will be “certification-ready” on the day they complete the Integrated program – no loose ends.  And that includes all the mentor coaching hours and reference letters you need—they’re an integral part of the program, not left as add-ons for you to deal with separately.  In many other programs, mentor coaching is a separate offering, often at additional cost, or participants are left to fend for themselves to find and engage a mentor coach and obtain reference letters on their own. 

This program will meet the ICF PCC requirements for 10 hours of mentor coaching from PCC or MCC certified coaches, delivered 30% one-on-one and 70% group coaching in groups that do not exceed 10 participants.  This represents a value of at least $1500-$2000 if purchased independently.

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If you are being sponsored by your company, what is the benefit for them?
Corporations that invest in leadership development see long-range benefits from higher productivity and operating results. Making an investment in skilled coaching creates significant leverage for developing leaders. This program will deliver:

• Skilled internal coaches
• Sophisticated coaching approaches using NLP principles
• The right time frame for coaches to really learn and integrate the powerful instruction
• High value training at a very competitive price
• Schedule of training that does not interfere with normal work schedule
• Support from faculty and program professionals to the coach participants after the conclusion of the program
• Credentialed internal staff that adds credibility to the function
• Higher morale and loyalty of the participants as a result of the investment made in their training and development

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What if I have to miss a class or an entire weekend of classes?
If you miss a session for some reason, arrangements will be made for making up an appropriate number of hours.

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