John Honor: Hello! My name is John Honor and I have worked as professional coach for three years and I am a member of International Coach Federation. In this video, I am going to talk about benefits of earning an independent credential after you have completed a coach training program.

On my path to becoming a professional coach, I completed a coach training program to learn the skills, behaviors, and professional business practices important to be an effective coach. After completing my training program, I applied for credential with International Coach Federation. Part of the role of the ICF, this is served as an independent body that issues credentials to coaches who can demonstrate the coaching competencies and ethical conduct that a professional coach is expected to possess.

Gone beyond an initial training program, earning an ICF Credential requires additional training over the years. So clients will know that you are serious about ongoing professional development.

Besides providing independent confirmation of your coaching skills after you have completed a training program, there are other benefits of earning a credential.

Clients are becoming more and more savvy about coaching. As a self-regulated profession increasingly clients are looking for assurance about a coach's qualifications. To protect their investment some clients including major for-profit organizations and branches of the government are requiring that their coach possess a current credential from a recognized standard body such as the ICF.

Findings from the ICF 2010 Global Coach and Awareness study show that 92% of clients are satisfied with their coaching experience, when their coach is credentialed, 55% of which were very satisfied with their experience. Happy clients help grow your coaching business. The study also showed the clients who had worked with a credentialed coach were more likely to recommend coaching to others.

Make plans to earn a credential as part of your journey into professional coaching.