Preparing a recorded session for a credential application

For several ICF credential paths, coaches submit a recording of a real coaching session, which is reviewed against the competencies at the level they are applying for. The exact requirements — which paths need a recording, its length, the language, the forms and how it is assessed — are set by ICF and change from time to time. Always check the current requirements on the ICF website before you start. This article focuses on the preparation that tends to help whatever the details are.

Record more sessions than you need

Few coaches produce their best work on the day they decide to record "the one". Start recording well ahead of time, with each client's informed consent, and treat every recording as practice. You will become less aware of the microphone, and you will have several sessions to choose from.

Pick the right conversation

A session that works well as a sample usually has:

• A real topic that matters to the client, not a role-play.
• A clear agreement near the start, revisited during the conversation.
• Room for the client to think, rather than a stream of advice or information.
• A close in which the client designs their own next step.

Sessions that become mostly teaching, mentoring or consulting are rarely a good fit, however valuable they were for the client.

Review before you choose

Listen to each candidate session with the competencies in mind. Note where the agreement was made, where you asked open questions, where you reflected the client's words, and where you spoke at length. A transcript makes this much faster, because you can search for your questions and see who spoke when.

Our certification readiness review checks one session against a level you choose and highlights the competencies worth practising. It is practice guidance only: it is not an ICF assessment and it cannot predict one.

Work with a mentor coach

Many credential paths also involve mentor coaching. A mentor coach who listens to your recordings will notice habits you cannot hear yourself. Bring them specific questions — Where did I miss the client's emotion? Did my agreement hold? — rather than asking for a general opinion. If you are looking for one, our mentor coach directory is a starting point.

Look after your client

The client's consent comes first. Explain how the recording will be used, who will hear it and how long it will be kept, and give them a genuine choice. Remove identifying details where the process allows it, and delete recordings you no longer need.

Give yourself time

Preparation over several months is calmer and more useful than a last-minute search for a good recording. Each session you review teaches you something about your coaching, whichever one you finally submit.