Organisations applying for EMCC European Quality Award (EQA) accreditation for coach mentoring training programmes will be expected to demonstrate equivalence to the EMCC’s competency framework, the result of evidence-based research.
The framework competencies are arranged under the following headings:
- Who we are (personal attributes)
- Our skills and knowledge (what we need to learn and develop through training and experiential learning)
- How we coach and mentor (practical application and assessment of the learning)
- How we manage the process (what we will do to maintain and develop an effective, professional approach).
The aim of the competency framework was to offer guidance on what to expect for all programmes. The levels of programme recognised for the EMCC EQA are:
- Foundation (for line managers)
- Intermediate (for internal coaches)
- Practitioner (practising coaches)
- Master’s (for those wishing to develop further coaching expertise).
Extracted from the competency framework are 11 considered fundamental: self-awareness; beliefs and attitudes; self-management; contracting; managing the process; action planning and goal setting; evaluating; questioning; listening; feedback; use of language.
Focusing on the fundamentals, what will be covered in the training programme? Let’s take “self-awareness”. Applying the EMCC competence framework headings for self-awareness, as they relate to values a typical foundation level 3 programme, is likely to include:
1. Who we are
Helping delegates identify their personal values could include:
- listing value descriptors and asking delegates to select those relevant to themselves;
- completing a self-assessment questionnaire with value statements.
2. Our skills and knowledge
Training in values could be:
- input on the definition of values (ethical, political, social, cultural);
- how they vary between people;
- providing strategies for managing conversations that affect values.
3. How we coach and mentor
Hold sessions in which delegates:
- role-play case studies;
- identify scenarios where their own values may be exposed.
4. How we manage the process
Raise awareness for delegates about:
- the importance of being non-judgmental about others’ values;
- the likelihood that a client’s and business’s values may not align.
Lisa Wynn is an author of the EMCC competence framework and standards. She is also an EMCC EQA assessor and chair of the UK Standards Committee. For tips on applying for the EQA, see “Prize possession”, Coaching at Work, vol 2, issue 6.
Next issue: Lewis looks at the EMCC competencies relevant to training programmes for managers as coaches.
Volume 3, Issue 4