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Coaching and Mentoring Industry
Definitions and Terminology
Coaching and Mentoring Industry
Definitions and Terminology
As with all industries, the Coaching and Mentoring industry has industry recognised terminology.
Terminology simplifies the understanding of how words are used within a specific industry. For example, the Ombudsman Service for the Coaching and Mentoring industry received a complaint against a bus company; and the reason for this is that the word ‘coach’ has many uses in the English language, one of which refers to a method of public transport.
Each word used within an industry implies a meaning, but it is important to remember that this meaning may be different across industries.
The International Regulator of Coaching and Mentoring CIC (IRCM) in its Standards and Ethics has recognised the challenge for Consumers wanting to use the services and products in the coaching and mentoring industry.
Currently, if coaching or mentoring is recommended to a Consumer, the person recommending the service or product has their own definition. The Consumer may have a different definition, and the person or organisation recommended may have another definition. The Ombudsman Service has received a number of complaints based on this confusion, and in the main, the Ombudsman Service has found that the Consumer expectations has not been met.
Therefore, for the purposes of a single international Coaching and Mentoring industry; to simplify the understanding for each Consumer and to manage Consumer expectations, the IRCM has created a single common understanding of the words used within the industry.
The following are the common understandings of the industry words used:
Accreditation or Credentialing is defined as an independent external verification of competence awarded by a Professional Body (accreditation bodies, trade/membership bodies, or associations) to a:
- Coach;
- Mentor; or
- Private Commercial Training Organisation, each course/workshop, and tutors/teachers/lecturers/etc.
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Accreditation must not be confused with Qualification.
Accreditation by the IRCM is awarded to Professional Bodies and Commercial Organisations who are REGISTERED with the IRCM.
The Professional Bodies/Commercial Organisations select to apply to demonstrate that they, through an independent external verification of their accreditation/credentialing services; have committed to the highest standards of competence through building trust, confidence, and excellence in the coaching and/or mentoring industry, as well as their active involvement on the IRCM Steering Committee.
For Professional Bodies, this is reflected in the competence of their Coaches, Mentors, and Private Commercial Training Organisations.
For Commercial Organisations, this is reflected in the competence of the products/services they provide to the coaching and/or mentoring industry.
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Accreditation must not be confused with Qualification.
Accreditation for Formal Education Bodies and Commercial Training Organisations is not provided by the IRCM:
- Formal Education Bodies will be (accredited) approved through their country's government education department/system.
- Commercial Training Organisations will be accredited/credentialed through one or more Professional Bodies, Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
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Accreditation must not be confused with Qualification.
Coaches work with individuals, teams, or groups in a confidential partnership relationship.
The Coaching each Coach uses in this partnership relationship creates a thought‐provoking, forward‐thinking, creative process that inspires each individual to maximise their own potential in an area in which the consumer chooses.
Although a Coach is trained to work across the full spectrum of the consumer personal and professional life; specific niches of Coaching, for example, corporate Coaching, business Coaching, leadership Coaching, life Coaching, executive Coaching, strengths Coaching, and the list goes on; provides each Coach the opportunity to confirm the type or area of Coaching in which they prefer to work. In all niches, the definition remains the same.
Coaches develop the skills and learn the tools and techniques to work with consumers in a one‐2‐one, team, or group relationship.
Coaching is a range of skills, tools, techniques used within the Coaching industry by Coaches.
In the November 2017 The State of Play in European Coaching and Mentoring, Executive Report 20171: coaching is defined as
‘A Socratic‐based future‐focused dialogue between a facilitator (coach) and a participant (coachee/client), where the facilitator uses open questions, active listening, summaries and reflections which are aimed at stimulating the self‐awareness and personal responsibility of the participant’.
Competence on the IRCM’s Directories is demonstrated by:
- each Coach, and/or Mentor who is Registered with the IRCM and Accredited/Credentialed with one or more Professional Bodies that are Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
- each Private Commercial Training Organisation which is Registered with the IRCM and Accredited/Credentialed with one or more Professional Bodies that are Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
- each Formal Education Bodies which is Registered with the IRCM and is automatically provided with a level of approval through their countries government‐led Education Department.
Each individual/organisation Registered with the IRCM has agreed to abide by and (where applicable) incorporate into their training, the IRCM’s Codes of Conduct.
Each individual/organisation Accredited/Credentialed through one or more Professional Bodies, has agreed to abide by and (where applicable) incorporate into their training, the Professional Bodies Codes of Conduct.
Consulting is determined to be the process of helping clients uncover the root cause or causes of their problem(s); giving expert advice and recommending solutions from a position of professional knowledge and expertise; followed by providing support and guidance.
A consumer is a person or organisation who buys (for a fee or bartered or pro‐bono or free) a product or service for personal or professional development.
Consumers are the individuals and/or organisations who benefit from the services or products provided by individuals and/or organisations within the Coaching and Mentoring Industry.
Consumers are simply buyers, end‐users, clients, customers, students, and members, who can also be coaches, mentors, or owners/staff of coaching/mentoring organisations.
Counselling is a talking therapy from a trained therapist who finds a way to help you deal with emotional issues. It is a past‐ and problem‐focused process, which helps the consumer face the selected topic and finds ways to overcome the problem/issue.
Sometimes the word ‘counselling’ is used to refer to talking therapies in general, but the IRCM recognises that counselling is a type of therapy in its own right.
Counselling can help consumers cope with:
- a mental health condition, such as anxiety, an eating disorder, or depression.
- a physical health condition, such as facing an operation, infertility, or adoption.
- a difficult life event, such as a relationship breakdown, work‐related stress, or a bereavement.
- difficult emotions, such as low self‐esteem, anger, confusion, fear, loneliness, or sadness.
- other issues, such as an event or experience from the consumer's past.
Course and Workshop definitions:
- course is a series of lectures or lessons in a particular subject, leading to an examination and qualification.
- workshop is a seminar, discussion group, programme, or similar, that demonstrates and applies one or more techniques, skills. etc.
Accreditation or Credentialing is defined as an independent external verification of competence awarded by a Professional Body (accreditation bodies, trade/membership bodies, or associations) to a:
- Coach;
- Mentor; or
- Private Commercial Training Organisation, each course/workshop, and tutors/teachers/lecturers/etc.
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Credentialing must not be confused with Qualification.
In its research, the IRCM has determined that ‘excellence’ is performing so well that it’s surpassing ordinary performance standards.
The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘excellence’ as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.
Wikipedia explains that ‘excellence’ is a talent or quality which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards.
Experience is simply professional knowledge and skill, acquired by professional practice.
Professional practice includes working with consumers (one‐to‐one, teams, groups), continuing professional development, and feedback and reflection.
External Verification on the IRCM’s Directories is demonstrated by:
- each Coach, and/or Mentor who is Registered with the IRCM and Accredited/Credentialed with one or more Professional Bodies that are Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
- each Private Commercial Training Organisation which is Registered with the IRCM and Accredited/Credentialed with one or more Professional Bodies that are Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
- each Formal Education Bodies which is Registered with the IRCM CIC and is automatically provided with a level of approval through their country's government‐led Education Department.
- each individual/organisation Registered with the IRCM has agreed to abide by and (where applicable) incorporate into their training the IRCM’s Codes of Conduct.
- each individual/organisation Accredited/Credentialed through one or more Professional Bodies has agreed to abide by and (where applicable) incorporate into their training, the Professional Bodies Codes of Conduct.
Individual means that the relationship is a one‐2‐one relationship between a Coach and a consumer; or a Mentor and a consumer; or an organisation and a consumer.
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Team generally means that the relationship has more than one consumer working with the Coach, Mentor, or organisation.
There are many definitions for team; but the one commonly adopted definition is that defined by:
Katzenbach and Smith (1999): ‘a small number of people with complimentary skills, who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach, for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.’
Kozlowski and Bell (2003): ‘collectives who exist to perform organisationally relevant tasks, share one or more common goals, interact socially, exhibit task interdependencies, maintain and manage boundaries and are embedded in an organisational context that sets boundaries, constrains the team, and influences exchanges with other units in the broader entity.’
Hackman and Wageman (2005): ‘direct interaction with a team intended to help members in the co‐ordinated and task‐appropriate use of their collective resources in accomplishing the team’s work.’
David Clutterbuck (2009): ‘helping the team improve performance and the processes by which performance is achieved, through reflection and dialogue.’
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Group generally means that the relationship has more than one consumer working with the Coach, Mentor, or organisation; but does not necessarily mean that the two or more consumers are working to achieve a single goal for the same organisation.
More often, group Coaching or Mentoring relates to the same development topics that are important to a number of people at the same time i.e. learning a skill, developing a hobby, learning a new tool or technique.
Membership is defined as being a member of a group, for example, being a member of a Professional Body, Association, Support Group, etc.
Mentors work with individuals, teams, or groups in a confidential partnership relationship.
The Mentor is a knowledgeable, experienced and trusted guide or advisor. In Mentoring each Mentor uses their own working knowledge and personally gained experience to create a partnership relationship that is guided, thought‐provoking, forward thinking, and creative process that inspires each individual to maximise their own potential in an area in which the consumer chooses or the organisation requires.
Each Mentor has the knowledge and personally gained experience in a specific niche. Unlike Coaches, Mentors do not work outside their own niche. In all niches, the definition remains the same.
Mentors use their own knowledge and personally gained experience to work with consumers in a one‐2‐one, team or group relationship. Mentors may also use the same skills, tools, and techniques a Coach uses.
Mentoring is the definition of the knowledge and personally gained experience each Mentor has attained; which may also include a range of skills, tools, techniques, and general industry knowledge used within the Mentoring industry by Mentors.
Peer‐to‐peer Mentoring is where, for example in the Coaching and Mentoring industry; a Coach or Mentor seeks guidance from a more experienced and qualified Coach or Mentor. It is the IRCMs recommendation that the only Coaches or Mentors contacted for advice and guidance should be those who are IRCM Accredited.
In the November, 2017 The State of Play in European Coaching and Mentoring, Executive Report 20171: mentoring is defined as
‘A long term relationship that meets a development need, offered by a senior or more experienced individual to a junior or less experienced individual where the less experienced individual receives guidance, advice and support to help their development’.
Professional Recognition is determined by the Competence of each individual/organisation within the Coaching and Mentoring industry.
For consumers searching for individuals/organisations within the industry, it is important that the individual/organisation they select to work with has a Professional Recognition.
Qualification is awarded to each student (Coach and/or Mentor) through the successful achievement of their training on a course, from their Training Organisation.
Qualified students are usually issued with a qualification certificate that shows their success in a specific course or workshop.
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Qualification must not be confused with Accreditation or Credential.
Registered on the IRCM’s Directories demonstrates that each Organisation and Individual provides a level of commitment to excellence by demonstrating that they have agreed to abide by the IRCM’s:
- Code of Industry Standards and Ethics,
- Industry Core Competencies,
- Disciplinary Procedures, and
- recognise the Ombudsman Service for Consumers.
The IRCM Registered or Accredited Professional Bodies and IRCM Registered Formal Education Bodies have committed to building trust, confidence, and excellence in the coaching and/or mentoring industry through their inclusion on the Directory, and active involvement on the IRCM Steering Committee.
The IRCM Registered Private Commercial Training Organisations, Support Groups, and Individual Suppliers (Coaches and/or Mentors) have committed to building trust, confidence, and excellence in the coaching and/or mentoring industry through their inclusion on the Directory,
and timely involvement in their responses the IRCM Steering Committee request for information, surveys, and questionnaires.
Supervision is where a Coach or Mentor seeks advice or guidance from a more experienced and qualified Coach or Mentor.
It is the IRCMs recommendation that the only Coaches or Mentors contacted for supervision should be those who are IRCM Registered and accredited with an IRCM Accredited/Registered Professional Body.
In the November, 2017 The State of Play in European Coaching and Mentoring, Executive Report 20171: Reflective Practice and Supervision is defined as: What is reflective practice?
Reflective practice is widely accepted as an effective method for learning and continuous professional development. How this is achieved has been widely debated and this debate continues, reflecting different traditions within coaching and mentoring. We believe reflective practice is an essential part of professional development. This can be fulfilled in different ways. What is supervision? One popular method drawn from counselling and clinical environments is coaching supervision. This can be one to one (or one to a few) involving a facilitator (supervisor) who supports, guides and encourages the participant (a coach) in a reflective process.
Coaching supervision may be defined as: The process that occurs when a mentor or coach brings their work to a supervisor in order to be supported, reflective and engage in collaborative learning for their personal development for the benefit of themself, their clients and their organisational clients’.
Therapy is defined as the treatment of someone who has a mental or physical illness and is treated without the use of drugs or surgical intervention.
Course and Workshop definitions:
- course is a series of lectures or lessons in a particular subject, leading to an examination and qualification.
- workshop is a seminar, discussion group, programme, or similar, that demonstrates and applies one or more techniques, skills. etc.
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Version 5, November 2021
© 2012‐2021 International Regulator of Coaching and Mentoring CIC
All Rights Reserved
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Currently, all information provided by and correspondence with the IRCM is in English.
