Tuesday, September 4, 2012

ICF Global Liaison

Opportunities Abound at ICF Global in London this October –
 
by Kam Gupta ICF Global Liaison. ICF-Chicago. citkam@gmail.com
Dear ICFC members and coach community. Below are a few of the
InfoPoints worthy of your immediate attention.
Volunteer at ICF Global 2012Registered attendees are invited to volunteer on-site in a number of roles, including: room hosts and tube station greeters. Choosing to volunteer allows attendees to meet new people and give back to the profession. How do you volunteer? Simply access the Volunteer Portal to sign up.
Official conference app coming soon!For the first time ever, the ICF International Conference will offer an interactive app to conference attendees! The app will include an interactive show schedule; sponsor and advertiser listings (and product searches); session and event schedules; show alerts; and social media interaction.
It will be available for download from Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012 and the application stores as a native application for iPhone/iPod Touch and Android users, a hybrid version for BlackBerry, and as a Web-based application for all other smartphone users. Bookmark Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012 to know when the app is available for download!
Meet our Provocateur! Neil Mullarkey, co-founder of the Comedy Store Players (Europe's top improve troupe)
is serving as Provocateur at ICF Global 2012.
In previous years, a master of ceremonies (MC) has made introductions and observations during conference general sessions. This year, the MC role will expand into a role known as Provocateur. Basically defined, a provocateur is a challenger. Neil will challenge us by provoking our limits, and urging us to stretch beyond the natural boundaries of our comfort zones to stimulate and enhance connection and growth. The Provocateur (Neil) will truly be an extension of both the educational and inspirational experience at ICF Global 2012.
Begin planning your conference scheduleBefore even stepping foot inside the Novotel London West, attendees are encouraged to have an idea of the educational sessions they would like to attend while at ICF Global 2012.
There are 42 different breakout sessions over the course of three days (led by 70 catalysts from 12 countries)—sessions, corresponding catalysts, and CCEU (Continuing Coaching Education Units) requirements are outlined at Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012. Take time now to peruse these sessions and determine which will benefit you and your practice most.

Important Conference hot links

President's Letter for September 2012

Dear ICF-Chicago Members,

I’m delighted to be kicking off a brand new year with ICF-Chicago!!  I’d like to thank Kam Gupta for his leadership and generous spirit as President last year and I look forward to working with him in his new role as Past-President.  His sage wisdom is a gift.  I’m also excited to be stepping into the role of President.  I am humbled to be taking the helm of a great organization in a thriving community and am committed to you, our membership, in making ICF-Chicago the place for “All Things Coaching”.

I recently completed with a client who successfully found her passion and pursued a new career.  At the end of our last session she said, “when my friends ask me about coaching I really don’t know how to explain it to them”.  WOW!!!  And, this was after ten coaching sessions!  What if we could engage every member of our community in a conversation about coaching that would inspire potential clients to commit to coaching?  What would your coaching practice look like?  My guess is clients would be knocking down your doors.  So this year our stake for ICF-Chicago is Connecting Coaches & Clients & Community to Learn, Earn & Engage.  What the heck does that mean???  It means a commitment to engaging with our communities to really get the message out about the essential need for coaching…NO KIDDING , connecting our master coaches to our newly minted coaches via a powerful mentor relationship and supporting all coaches in developing thriving coaching practices (clients and $$$). 

I’m blessed to be working with a Board of talented volunteers committed to the ICF-Chicago community.  Each board & committee member brings their unique energy, abundant talent and amazing creativity to make sure all our members have a great experience with ICF-Chicago and I’m thrilled to be teaming up with them.  Please contact any board member or Denise Bouchard if you’d like to join us in our great adventure.

BTW…You may be wondering what happened to “CCF”.  We’re still here…just undergoing a little face lift which includes a realignment of our branding with ICF.  As one of the largest chapters in North America, we want ensure that the community knows that we are part of an international organization dedicated to the support and advancement of the coaching profession.  We’re also introducing our new membership program which promises some great benefits…more info to come.

I’m looking forward to supporting each of you as we Connect Coaches & Clients & Community to Learn, Earn & Engage.

Namaste
Teresa Saxton
President