6 Responses

1. Not entirely ….
   Hi Helen, I’ve done a coaching course through the Coaching Academy and I can confidently say their training is really excellent with a widely accepted brand. However. They use really persistent sales techniques to suck you in and they chased me for months and months in an attempt to extract a four figure sum in return for one of their courses. I simply dug my heels in until they came up with a distance learning option which suited my pocket. I would say by all means go along to this weekend course but be prepared for the sales calls and if you’re someone who doesn’t easily say no, give it some extra thought before commiting.

2. Coaching training
   Hi Helen,

   I joined the Association for Coaching last year and they offer many opportunities to learn about and develop coaching skills at a very reasonable price for members.

   One recent seminar was – How To Ensure Your Coaching Achieves A Return On Investment. Cost to members £17.50.

   In addition they run co-coaching local forums – the local one to me runs every month for about £10.00 to cover costs.

   There is one near you in Cookham and you can get the details from the association website:

   http://www.associationforcoaching.com/home/index.htm

   Cheers.

3. Free Weekend..Free Lunch
   Hi Helen
   I attended one of these and the presenter was engaging and credible.

   The only problem was that they quoted the non-existent research about written goals from Harvard, and poorly represented the Mehrabian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Mehrabian) research as well as several other factors.

   When I spoke to the trainer after the event (a senior person in the organisation) they promised they had the references and would be please to send them to me – after chasing them for several weeks they admitted that they could not find the references and would not include the content again… they still are!

   Someone else I know attended – signed up.. started the programme then opted out and got a refund.. then several months later received an email thanking them for their assignments and presented them with their success certificate.

   Draw your own conclusions.

   Is it worth attending.. yes CPD is CPD and it can be useful networking – I got 2 days work out of attending…
   Mike

4. Less than rigerous
   Helen

   I attended the weekend and had a great time. I then signed up and since then have been less than impressed. As Mike indicated the referencing, both names and facts has been less than rigerous to the point (in my mind, that would undermine the credibility of a coach if they came to me with the said ‘facts’).

   The accelerator days are good fun. The content and process is variable; at one there were over 100 attendees and the impact (in my mind) was severly diminished (this was raised with the CA and they indicated step would be taken).

   Would I recommend going to the free taster: Yes
   Would I recommend signing up: not based on my experiences (and the CA are well aware of my reasons).

   Hope this helps.

   Peter
   Chief Executive
   TrainerBase
   The Association for Learning Practitioners

5. Go but be careful!
   As said by people before, The Coaching Academy courses are good – I found them entertaining and very motivational (and yes, masses of people attending).

   I actually signed up to train as a coach and qualified several years ago with them.

   However, the previous comment about the sales pressure is true. Be prepared to be badgered to sign up for further courses, CDs, books, etc. – ranging from hundreds to a couple of thousands of pounds – all sounding wonderful but…

   I too had a run in with them – was informed by letter that I had passed with a Distinction but when I received my certificate, it said Merit…!

   So, go on the course and enjoy, but be prepared for the hard sell!! They are a very successful marketing company!

   Good luck!

6. cool
   Its a nice one. Please I want ask for some little financial assistance and donations for my team in nigeria