Summary of survey of Anglophone coaches 2014
15 novembre 2014

Summary of survey of Anglophone coaches 2014par Edward Rudick

PREAMBLE

Through the auspices of the Board of Directors of ICF Québec, a first attempt at conducting a survey was made by the Comité des Coachs Anglophones (C o M).  The board was extremely supportive and very interested in the results of the survey designed by Martine Kurtzweg, Carrie Katz and Stephane Gaskin.  Pat Snow was also very helpful in getting the survey out to coaches as was Anne Villeneuve, the professional who directs the day-to-day operations of ICF Québec.

The goals were the following:

  1. To get a sense of what services and activities English-speaking coaches would want from ICF Québec.
  2. To understand more about the makeup of the English-speaking coaching community and their affiliations.
  3. To reach out to the English-speaking coaching community and to show the strong interest on the part of ICF Québec in getting input, creating a real inclusiveness in our local ICF chapter and having greater participation through stronger outreach.


Because of some technical issues, the timing may not have been ideal, since we were on the cusp of the vacation period when the survey was presented.  Although the results may not be scientifically valid, there were definite conclusions that could be drawn from it.

Most significantly, people were enthusiastic and wanted to participate! 

OBSERVATIONS 

  1. There were 68 seemingly unique responses (39 from C o M and 29 from the ICFQ website). The sample size was respectable given the number of coaches in both groups and taking into account some possible overlap as well.

  2. There may have been duplication i.e. people responding to BOTH surveys or responding twice to the same one.  Every effort was made to account for it in summarizing the results, wherever possible. Since respondents were given the choice of anonymity and many chose that route, it was difficult, to be sure.

  3. Despite the instructions that the survey was for feedback from Anglophone coaches, a surprisingly high percentage of Francophone coaches replied to the survey.  On the question ‘’what language do you speak?’’ the vast majority listed themselves as bilingual.

    68% Bilingual (19 respondents from ICFQ, 27 from C o M)
    13% French
    12% English
    7% Other

  4. According to the results regarding membership in ICF and ICF Québec: 

    49% or 19 of 39 respondents from C o M are ICF members
    21% or 8 of 39 respondents from C o M are members of ICFQ members
    13% or 5 of 39 respondents from C o M were past members of ICFQ
    18% or 7 of 39 respondents from C o M PLAN TO BECOME MEMBERS
     
  5. When asked “In what language do you most often coach?”

    35% French or 24 of 68 respondents (17 ICFQ & 7 from C o M)
    44% English or 30 of 68 respondents (5 ICFQ & 25 C o M)
    21% Equally in French & English (7 ICFQ & 7 C o M)

  6. On the issue of certification, in the C o M, there was a longer list of various types of certifications than those found predominantly among ICFQ members responses. In addition, there was a larger variety of coaching specialties mentioned from the C o M group e.g. spiritual coach, wellness coach etc. in combination with business coach, career coach, executive coach etc. than that typically identified by the ICFQ respondents.

  7. 7 out of 39 respondents from C o M have not completed a coaching program nor are they in the process of doing one – representing 18% of the group.

  8. On the subject of more bilingual activities, the combined result was: 65% said they would appreciate more bilingual activities, while 22% said they would not with 13 % not answering.

      YES NO
    ICFQ 16 8
    CoM 28 7


  9. On the question ‘’would you attend the ICF annual conference (congrès) if there was more English content?’’ 50 % of both groups combined said yes they would, with the ICFQ group at 48% and the C o M group at 51%. If we add ‘’maybe’’ would attend, the C o M group is at 90% and ICFQ group at 59% for a combined average of 75%.

  10. Regarding the ICFQ website, 62% of both group looked at the ICFQ website within the last 6 months of which 35% have viewed it in the last month.

      1 mo. 6 mo.
    ICFQ 17 5
    CoM 7 13


  11. On the subject of more BILINGUAL content on the ICF Québec website, 63% combined said they would like more bilingual content with 59% from ICFQ and 67% of C o M answering to the affirmative.

  12. ‘’How important is belonging to a local chapter of ICF?’’ On a scale from 1-10. Sixty-five percent (65%) of all respondents rated its importance between 6 and 10.  Forty-three percent (43%) of all respondents rated it importance between 8 and 10.

      6-10 8-10
    ICFQ 19 15
    CoM 24 14


CONCLUSIONS

  1. The committee took the position that the opportunity for ICF Québec is for building community among all coaches. The key operating principles would be engagement and inclusion of English-speaking coaches into the whole ICF Québec community i.e. making people feel comfortable and welcome.
  2. Participation of coaches from the English-speaking community on more committees of ICF Québec would help in welcoming and integrating more members from the community.
  3. There appears to be a gap between a desire to belong and actually joining which to ICF Québec is an opportunity to grow the chapter if it is well-managed.

RECOMMENDATIONS & ACTIONS TO DATE & GOING FORWARD

  1. Recommendation- Why not set up a group of English-speaking executive coaches to meet at the same time and place as the Francophone executive coaches – good opportunity for meeting each other and interacting?

    Action - The Board as a whole and several committee chairs specifically jumped on the idea immediately. In fact, at the time of writing this article, there is already a group scheduled to meet on November 11th, at the same time and location as the Coachs Exécutifs. This pilot group will explore topics and could be the incubator for different groups, e.g. personal coaches, business coaches, executive coaches etc. that may meet at different venues in the future.

  2. Recommendation- If ICF Québec can create the means to bring in world-class coaches to speak at the annual conference (congrès) or possibly have workshops with simultaneous translation, available through sponsorships, it will enrich the entire community and bring added credibility, professionalism and attendance to ICF Québec events.

     Action – Already, at this year’s conference (congrès) held October 30 & 31st there were three distinct seminars presented in English. In addition, there was a video from the President of ICF International in English with French sub-tittles. Our President, Richard La Rue during his address to the assembly, welcomed the participation of Anglophone coaches and mentioned his desire to create an inclusive atmosphere at ICF Québec.

  3. Recommendation- Continue our efforts to enroll and invite all coaches to join ICF International and become certified AND to take advantage of our local ICF Québec chapter. 

    Action - Recruit members from all communities of coaches, members of ICF Québec, for the various committees of ICF Québec to become an integral part of the committee.

    NOTE: Our committee is always looking for new members who want to participate and bring new ideas. Please contact me!

  4. Recommendation- Creating an “up-levelling” of professionalism which will incorporate & enroll coaches from all communities through connecting with coaches in other chapters with whom we can communicate in either language.

    Action - Several members of our executive team have travelled to other chapters and regional meetings of ICF International.  The reputation of ICF Québec is growing and highly regarded among most ICF International circles. Many of you might remember that the ICF International Conference was held right here in Montreal only a few short years ago.

FINAL WORD

More and more, ICF Québec is adding value to the membership. The value going forward is not only in terms of getting the opportunity to attend quality events with a discount or, in the exercising of our responsibility as coaches to support the profession of coaching through a globally recognized brand that is ICF, but also by enhancing visibility, individual and collective, through a massive campaign to promote ICF Québec coaches through WEB 2.0 in the coming year.

There are opportunities for involvement at ICF and all members, including those of the English-speaking community, are invited to be active members.

Let’s promote ICF and ICF Québec and grow our chapter, our reputation as trained coaches, and our practices.

For Further Information Contact:

Edward Rudick, ACC
Edward Rudick ACC