ICF Competencies

The ICF Core Competencies were developed to support greater understanding about the skills and approaches used within today’s coaching profession.

What is Coaching?

Coaching is goal-oriented and forward-focused.  It is both a  professional relationship and process.. A coach helps individuals or groups achieve specific objectives, enhance performance, and promote personal or professional development through guidance, feedback, and support. Coaches use questioning techniques and active listening to assist clients in clarifying goals, exploring options, and creating action plans. Coaching can be applied in various areas, such as personal development, career growth, leadership, and sports, and is distinct from counseling or therapy as it emphasizes present and future outcomes.

ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

What does great Coaching look like?

ICF set out to understand what is great coaching.  With so many interpretations and meanings of Coaching, it was important for the profession to create a consistent standard as a foundation, and to level set expectations for those being coached.

The ICF Core Competencies were originally created in 1998, consisting of 11 Core Competencies.  In November 2019, ICF released an updated version of the competencies. Those updated Core Competencies were integrated into the Credentialing Performance Evaluation and written exam requirements in August, 2022.

The ICF Core Competencies were developed to support greater understanding about the skills and approaches used within today’s coaching profession. These competencies and the ICF definition of coaching serve as the foundation of the Credential process, including the ICF Credentialing Exam. The ICF Core Competencies are organized into four domains based on commonalities and interdependencies between competencies within each domain. There are no domains nor individual competencies that are weighted—they do not represent any kind of hierarchy. Rather, each competency is considered core and critical for any competent coach to demonstrate.

What are the ICF Core Competencies?

After conducting a thorough analysis of coaching practices over 24 months, ICF introduced an updated ICF Coaching Core Competency Model in 2021. This model is based on insights gathered from over 1,300 coaches worldwide, including both ICF Members and non-members, representing a wide variety of coaching disciplines, training backgrounds, styles, and experience levels.

This extensive research confirmed that many aspects of the existing model remain essential to effective coaching today. New elements and themes emerged from the data, enriching it. These include:

  • a heightened focus on ethical behaviour and confidentiality
  • the importance of adopting a coaching mindset and engaging in ongoing reflective practice
  • clear distinctions between different levels of coaching agreements
  • the significance of a collaborative partnership between coach and client
  • the importance of cultural, systemic, and contextual awareness

By combining these foundational components with emerging themes, the updated Core Competency model reflects the key elements of coaching practice in today’s landscape. It sets stronger and more comprehensive standards for coaching excellence both now and into the future.

A: Foundation
1. Demonstrates Ethical Practice

Definition: Understands and consistently applies coaching ethics and standards of coaching

  1. Demonstrates personal integrity and honesty in interactions with clients, sponsors and relevant stakeholders
  2. Is sensitive to clients’ identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs
  3. Uses language appropriate and respectful to clients, sponsors and relevant stakeholders
  4. Abides by the ICF Code of Ethics and upholds the Core Values
  5. Maintains confidentiality with client information per stakeholder agreements and pertinent laws
  6. Maintains the distinctions between coaching, consulting, psychotherapy and other support professions
  7. Refers clients to other support professionals, as appropriate
2. Embodies a Coaching Mindset

Definition: Develops and maintains a mindset that is open, curious, flexible and client-centered

  1. Acknowledges that clients are responsible for their own choices
  2. Engages in ongoing learning and development as a coach
  3. Develops an ongoing reflective practice to enhance one’s coaching
  4. Remains aware of and open to the influence of context and culture on self and others
  5. Uses awareness of self and one’s intuition to benefit clients
  6. Develops and maintains the ability to regulate one’s emotions
  7. Mentally and emotionally prepares for sessions
  8. Seeks help from outside sources when necessary
3. Establishes and Maintains Agreements

Definition: Partners with the client and relevant stakeholders to create clear agreements about the coaching relationship, process, plans and goals. Establishes agreements for the overall coaching engagement as well as those for each coaching session.

  1. Explains what coaching is and is not and describes the process to the client and relevant stakeholders
  2. Reaches agreement about what is and is not appropriate in the relationship, what is and is not being offered, and the responsibilities of the client and relevant stakeholders
  3. Reaches agreement about the guidelines and specific parameters of the coaching relationship such as logistics, fees, scheduling, duration, termination, confidentiality and inclusion of others
  4. Partners with the client and relevant stakeholders to establish an overall coaching plan and goals
  5. Partners with the client to determine client-coach compatibility
  6. Partners with the client to identify or reconfirm what they want to accomplish in the session
  7. Partners with the client to define what the client believes they need to address or resolve to achieve what they want to accomplish in the session
  8. Partners with the client to define or reconfirm measures of success for what the client wants to accomplish in the coaching engagement or individual session
  9. Partners with the client to manage the time and focus of the session
  10. Continues coaching in the direction of the client’s desired outcome unless the client indicates otherwise
  11. Partners with the client to end the coaching relationship in a way that honors the experience
4. Cultivates Trust and Safety

Definition: Partners with the client to create a safe, supportive environment that allows the client to share freely. Maintains a relationship of mutual respect and trust.

  1. Seeks to understand the client within their context which may include their identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs
  2. Demonstrates respect for the client’s identity, perceptions, style and language and adapts one’s coaching to the client
  3. Acknowledges and respects the client’s unique talents, insights and work in the coaching process
  4. Shows support, empathy and concern for the client
  5. Acknowledges and supports the client’s expression of feelings, perceptions, concerns, beliefs and suggestions
  6. Demonstrates openness and transparency as a way to display vulnerability and build trust with the client
5. Maintains Presence

Definition: Is fully conscious and present with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded and confident

  1. Remains focused, observant, empathetic and responsive to the client
  2. Demonstrates curiosity during the coaching process
  3. Manages one’s emotions to stay present with the client
  4. Demonstrates confidence in working with strong client emotions during the coaching process
  5. Is comfortable working in a space of not knowing 6. Creates or allows space for silence, pause or reflection
6. Listens Actively

Definition: Focuses on what the client is and is not saying to fully understand what is being communicated in the context of the client systems and to support client self-expression

  1. Considers the client’s context, identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs to enhance understanding of what the client is communicating
  2. Reflects or summarizes what the client communicated to ensure clarity and understanding
  3. Recognizes and inquires when there is more to what the client is communicating
  4. Notices, acknowledges and explores the client’s emotions, energy shifts, non-verbal cues or other behaviors
  5. Integrates the client’s words, tone of voice and body language to determine the full meaning of what is being communicated
  6. Notices trends in the client’s behaviors and emotions across sessions to discern themes and patterns
7. Evokes Awareness

Definition: Facilitates client insight and learning by using tools and techniques such as powerful questioning, silence, metaphor or analogy

  1. Considers client experience when deciding what might be most useful
  2. Challenges the client as a way to evoke awareness or insight
  3. Asks questions about the client, such as their way of thinking, values, needs, wants and beliefs
  4. Asks questions that help the client explore beyond current thinking
  5. Invites the client to share more about their experience in the moment
  6. Notices what is working to enhance client progress
  7. Adjusts the coaching approach in response to the client’s needs
  8. Helps the client identify factors that influence current and future patterns of behavior, thinking or emotion
  9. Invites the client to generate ideas about how they can move forward and what they are willing or able to do
  10. Supports the client in reframing perspectives
  11. Shares observations, insights and feelings, without attachment, that have the potential to create new learning for the client
8. Facilitates Client Growth

Definition: Partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action. Promotes client autonomy in the coaching process.

  1. Works with the client to integrate new awareness, insight or learning into their worldview and behaviors
  2. Partners with the client to design goals, actions and accountability measures that integrate and expand new learning
  3. Acknowledges and supports client autonomy in the design of goals, actions and methods of accountability
  4. Supports the client in identifying potential results or learning from identified action steps
  5. Invites the client to consider how to move forward, including resources, support and potential barriers
  6. Partners with the client to summarize learning and insight within or between sessions
  7. Celebrates the client’s progress and successes
  8. Partners with the client to close the session

For more information on ICF Competencies : ICF global site