Ed Modell: Hi! My name is Ed Modell. I am a professional coach and a member of the International Coach Federation. In this video I will be talking about some guidelines to keep in mind when selecting a professional coach to work with after you have interviewed several coaches. You have done your research on coaching, thought about what objectives you want to address, and invested time into interviewing several coaches, now it's time to make a final selection and then think about what's important to include in the contract between you and the coach you select. Take some time to compare your notes and review all of the pros and cons you have collected during your interviews with coaches.

Hopefully you interviewed at least three coaches during this process and most likely collected quite a few notes from the many questions you asked each coach. Consider how you feel about each coach. Do you feel comfortable with their level of education and training? Did you receive positive information from their references? Are you happy with how the coach prefers to deliver coaching sessions in terms of method, length, and frequency of sessions? Are you able to afford the coaches' fees? Also important is to think about whether or not you had a good rapport with the coach.

Coaching is a partnership, a relationship, there has to be a connection between you and your coach that feels right to you in order for the process to be effective. If you don't feel like you can talk openly to a particular coach, they are not the right one for you. Once you have made your selection, be sure to request the contract from your coach.

Having a contract in place will make sure that everyone knows what's expected from the coaching partnership. The contract must include details on how sessions will be you offered, such as via phone, in person, or some combination, how support outside of sessions will be offered, fees for any services provided, and the initial term or length for the coaching partnership. Follow these tips to help ensure your coaching experience is a positive and effective partnership.