Tomorrow's Life Coach
Volume 4 Issue 7 - September/October 2005

In This Issue: Best of the Best

• Upcoming Classes at ILCT
• Pat's Ponderings ~ Patrick Williams, EdD, MCC
• Editor's Pen ~ Annette Miller, MBA
• Interview with Mary Ann Dietschler, Coach and Speaker
• Announcement
• The Top 10 Reasons to Self-Publish Your Own Written Material – Jim Vuocolo

Tomorrow's Life Coach is a professional monthly online journal of the Institute for Life Coach Training that nourishes the intellect, intuition and inspiration of the personal/business coaching community. TLC continues to gain in popularity among diverse coaches and is highly recommended by Peer Resources:

"One of the best free newsletters, Tomorrow's Life Coach consists of well-researched, informative articles on a variety of key topics for coaches. While a publication of the Institute for Life Coach Training, many of the articles are written by other well-known coaches."

Upcoming Classes at ILCT

• Foundational Coach Training - starts November 15
• Foundational Coach Training for Christian Counselors  - in session, next class
  starts March 17

• Coaching with Spirit and Soul: Coaching Through the Midlife Transition
• Executive Coaching Practicum
• Pocket Your Profits: Introduction to the PeopleMap
• Marriage Coaching

Additional classes, details and online registration at our course section. Some schedules may change; check listing or contact Edwina Adams, Administration/Registration, at edwina@lifecoachtraining.com.

Pat's Ponderings

It was my distinct honor in September, in Brisbane, Australia, to deliver the opening keynote address: "The Future of Coaching: Taking a Stand for Quality" to 387 attendees of the 3rd Australian ICF Conference. My second address was "Theoretical Foundations of Coaching: This Stuff Wasn't Just Made Up!" Both presentations were well received. It was a fabulous conference about Professionalism in Coaching. Our own Lisa Kramer also made the trip to "broaden her horizons" and to celebrate a birthday journey.

Conferences are great places for reconnecting with colleagues. One of my highlights was seeing my friend Sir John Whitmore, author of Coaching for Performance, the first book published on coaching and the workplace. He and I met first in Sitges, Spain at the 2nd European ICF conference. On this trip, I learned that his background includes personal studies in transpersonal psychology including Psychosynthesis, Gestalt, and Jungian principles. (My doctoral degree is in Transpersonal Psychology.) We realized that our paths may have crossed before at Esalen Institute in 1970, as I spent two weeks there and so did he.

Small world, isn't it?

In November, come to the ICF Conference in San Jose, California to be inspired, connect with your colleagues, and learn—learn—learn!

(P.S. My third book, The Law and Ethics in Coaching is out this month...you can order it now).

Pat

Patrick Williams Ed.D., MCC
Chief Energizing Officer, ILCT
Member, ICF Board of Directors
Dean of UKCLC - North America
Department Chair, Professional Coaching 
International University of Professional Studies: "Get a PhD in professional coaching from a reputable university without walls. Go to www.iups.edu...the quickest and least expensive way to achieve a PhD in professional coaching."

Editor's Pen

This issue we are re-publishing two dynamic articles from Tomorrow's Life Coach. Both authors contribute valuable insight for growing your coaching business, and are well known to many of us: Jim Vuocolo and Mary Ann Dietschler. Be sure to catch their excitement and learn from their expertise in self-publishing and speaking.

The quotes chosen for this issue relate to courage. Coaches need courage, clients need courage…it is a universal need. "Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all." (Spoken by Eduard Christoff Philippe Gérard Renaldi, Prince of Genovia, in the movie "The Princess Diaries.")

Would you like to be a "reporter" for the ICF Conference in San Jose in November? Tomorrow's Life Coach is seeking two or three conference attendees that would like to report their experiences in this newsletter for our readers. If you are interested in preparing a casual article such as a short diary, or would be more interested in a more formal report about the conference or a particular highlight—CONTACT THE EDITOR by November 4. We will try to confirm your assignment by November 7 before you leave. Deadline for your contribution will be December 1.

Annette

Annette A. Miller, MBA
Editor, Tomorrow's Life Coach
Life Coach, ILCT
Member, ICF, IAC, CCN
President & Executive Coach, LifeSync Coaching®
Certified Birkman® Consultant - providing deeper insight into your being
Authorized Affiliate, Extended DISC® - the world's fastest growing assessment system
amiller@lifesync.com
www.lifesync.com

Letter to the Editor:

Dear Editor:

It was wonderful to read in your last issue about the different doctoral programs available to coaches and the great research projects underway. I am in the doctoral program at the International University for Professional Studies (IUPS) for Professional Coaching and Human Development. I chose IUPS because the program is self-directed and very flexible allowing me to work at my own pace. I work closely with an advisor/mentor for support. The flexibility was a crucial factor. The few doctoral programs in coaching available at the time were primarily in executive coaching. I work in the field of education. I am interested in doing research on how personal development in middle school empowers and motivates at-risk students to learn. It may be a pipe dream, but can you imagine an education system where the focus is on helping students develop their full potential instead of on standardized test scores? The IUPS program is also very affordable - another factor in my decision. When I saw that Dr. Patrick Williams and Dr. Lloyd Thomas serve on the board, the program had instant credibility for me - it was a no-brainer! I'm looking forward to your updates on research in coaching in future issues. It is an exciting time to be in this fledgling field!

Warm Regards,
Linda Tarr

Interview with Mary Ann Dietschler, Coach and Speaker

Editor: Mary Ann, just to give our readers a sense of what you do as a coach, tell us about the kind of people you coach.

Mary Ann: I coach a variety of people from new coaches to small business owners to young people entering college. Although my clients are from different fields they have one thing in common: like me, they absolutely refuse to settle for average and continually search for ways to live life more abundantly.

Editor: Mary Ann, I heard you speak at the first annual Christian Coaches Conference and you were fabulous-one of the best speakers I've heard! You've got a great dry humor and really keep the audience entertained while presenting valuable content. How did you develop your speaking skills?

Mary Ann: Thanks Annette. It helps to have an audience as receptive as those attending the coach's conference.

My first experience speaking to groups was as a Mary Kay consultant and then sales director. Like everyone else, I was nervous at first and literally clung to the podium. It took months to pry myself free and to relax, and years to give myself permission to be who I really was in front of a group.

What helped me overcome my nervousness was passion about the topic; an unwavering belief in the product and opportunity, and a sincere desire to help my team "get it."

Editor: Could you tell our readers what kind of speaking engagements you have done in the past year or two? And be sure to tell us about being on TV!

Mary Ann: Twice a year, I teach two workshops for a local college, one on the DISC behavior styles, and the other on Coping with Difficult People. One attendee hired me to teach the DISC workshop for his employees, and gave each one a behavioral profile for Christmas. Now I coach him and his girlfriend on the communication.

Last fall I had the privilege to teach a two-day woman's retreat on "Transitioning through Change". A few weeks later, I spoke to another group on "The things we tolerate". 

Recently I appeared on "Living the Life", a talk show produced by the Christian Broadcasting Company. And a week ago, I was interviewed on a local radio show. Next to a teaching a teleclass, I think radio is my favorite venue.

Editor: How would you mentor a coach who was interested in developing services as a speaker?

Mary Ann: The first step would be to work with them to develop a topic answering the "What" questions like, "What do I know? What have I personally experienced? What am I passionate about?" For example, after raising three strong willed kids, I was passionate about tough love, so I spoke to and encouraged other parents on the subject.

Next, I would want them to whittle down their vast supply of information to no more than three points. More than three and people tend to get lost in the maze of words. Then we would answer the "How" question. "How will you get your point across?" This is the fun part when the message comes alive with colorful stories to reinforce our points. 

Editing-the hard part-fine-tunes the message, and then we have to practice, practice, and practice some more. I practice on unsuspecting friends and family observing their natural response. 

The "Who" and "Where" questions need to be answered next: Who would be interested in my topic? Where do they gather?

I realize this involves marketing-the part no one likes. The more precise we are answering these two questions the easier the marketing will be.

Editor: Mary Ann, we'd like to know why you are a speaker! Does it support your coaching services or vise versa?

Mary Ann: My reason for speaking is the same as it was when I was a Mary Kay Director: I love to share what I've experienced especially if it I'm confident it will help others. 

Speaking definitely supports coaching. An audience has the unique opportunity to observe and interview a speaker from a distance without making a commitment. If they feel a connection (and if I stay connected with them via my e-zine and an occasional email, etc.) chances are when they need a coach, they'll think of me.

Editor: Do you have any other comments you like to share with our readers?

Mary Ann: Yes, don't wing it! Your audience deserves the best. Set aside time to prepare, practice, and rehearse. People love stories but not if they have to struggle to connect them to the main point, so tell stories that pound your point home. The minute before you stand up to present, think of a time when you were your absolute best, accepted and loved by all, and then dig down deep to recapture that moment and bring that person to the stage.

Editor: Thank you so much, Mary Ann, for letting us interview you for Tomorrow's Life Coach!

Mary Ann Dietschler graduated from the ILCT Christian track. She is a coach, author, workshop and retreat speaker. Since publication of this article in August 2003, she has become a certified PraiseMoves instructor (www.christianalternativetoyoga.com.) Her monthly e-zine, "The Insighter" is free and especially enjoyed by those who make insight a priority. Visit her web site at www.CoachMaryAnn.com or contact her at M@CoachMaryAnn.com. 

Announcement

For the November issue (deadline November 1), we are looking for "Grateful Fors" from coaches and clients. These should be one to three sentences long. Please include your name (as a coach) for your "Grateful For" statement and a descriptive title (ex. MCC, Retirement Coach), and for your clients who want to participate, just their title (Marketing Manager, Politician, etc.) The client statements will not be identified with the coach's statements.

We are looking for coaches to write an article for the December issue (deadline December 1) on coaching to non-profits and community-related coaching. It would be interesting to include any coaching related to hurricane relief or other disaster relief efforts.

As we develop the 2006 editorial calendar, we invite you to suggest topics and potential contributors. Themes currently under consideration include Coaching Excellence, Is Your Business a Hobby?, and Marketing.

Please contact the editor to participate in Tomorrow's Life Coach.

The Top 10 Reasons to Self-Publish Your Own Written Material

You can become a "self-publisher" by taking your material (book, manual, report, newsletter, etc.) and by-passing all the "middlemen" by going directly to a printer and handling all the marketing and distribution of the product yourself. As a self-publisher you invest your talent, time, energy and money. The benefits you receive are entire control over your product and all the profits! Here is a condensed version of 10 good reasons why you should self-publish.

1. Self publishing may be the only way to get published. You may not be able to get anyone to professionally look at your idea. Self-publishing may be your only realistic solution at a given point in time.

2. As a self-publisher you get to keep all of the profits from your sales. It's not a matter of greed; but ask yourself why you might settle for 4%-6% in royalties from a publishing company when you can have it all!

3. You have absolute marketing and editing control when you self-publish. According to a Writer's Digest poll, 60% of the largest publishing firms do the final editing; 23% select the final title; 20% will not even consult an author on the cover design, and 37% do not involve authors in promoting their own material.

4. Major publishers may receive up to several hundred manuscripts a week. Unless the have already published your work, the odds they will even look at your material aren't very high. There are thousands upon thousands of manuscripts, etc. being sent to publishers continually.

5. When you self-publish you are in control every step of the way. By depending on another publisher to make things happen for you, you take the chance of never getting anywhere.

6. By self-publishing you gain a different perspective. You will be able to see the complete marketing picture from a publisher's point of view, and gain the credibility of "walking the talk" regarding something creative that you believe in.

7. Self-publishing will save you valuable time. Even if a publisher did accept your work, it takes an average of 18 months before the first copy reached the market place. This can become a toleration, especially if you can't afford to miss a market that may quickly pass by.

8. Self-publishing eliminates the waiting and wondering. Waiting for a letter from a publisher that may never come can be a frustrating and embarrassing experience. Self-publishing is a proactive process!

9. You get more directly involved in the entire process. When you self-publish and get more directly involved in marketing you will obtain a more total business picture, and develop greater skills than you otherwise would have.

10. As a self-publisher you will receive greater business tax advantages. This can be important - especially if it means off-setting some of the income received from the sale of your work; something royalties alone cannot provide!

Published July 2003 in Tomorrow's Life Coach. © 1997 by James S. Vuocolo. All rights reserved. This list may be reproduced and distributed without change, and with proper attribution. You may email the author at: jim@LifeCoachConsulting.com.

Tomorrow's Life Coach™

Patrick Williams, Ed.D., Publisher
Annette Miller, Editor, amiller@lifesync.com
© 2005 Institute for Life Coach Training
www.lifecoachtraining.com
Phone: 888-267-1206
info@lifecoachtraining.com