Coach training programs – Virtual, In-person or Hybrid?

Introduction

A question that we get asked by most of our prospective students is “should I do virtual or in-person?” What are the pros and cons of each? This question is highly relevant right now, as training providers reopen their classroom doors and offer their programs virtually.

The purpose of this blog is to help you to make an informed choice that maximizes your learning experience and achieves your goals of becoming the best leadership coach you can be.

Maybe you are a busy working professional with young children? Would it be a logistical and financial challenge to travel to the training? Are you more extroverted and keen to socialize and network? Are you a more tactile learner, working best in groups, face to face and getting energy from being in-person? Maybe you have a learning disability, making it difficult to sit still or to move around. We have had students with all of these challenges and our goal is to design and schedule our programs to meet all these needs.

Tracking Student Performance

We offer coach training programs both in-person, virtually and as a hybrid. Our programs are offered during the week and also at weekends. We have lots of data on training effectiveness and feedback on student experience. Our hybrid programs allow us to ask students which they prefer and why and we are able to do comparisons of both.

We track the quality of the coaching throughout the program with robust metrics aligned to the ICF Core Competencies. Our goal is to exceed ACC competency upon completion of our program. Our Mentor Coaches are well trained at assessing and defining competence levels, allowing us to draw upon objective data to compare these two options.

Preparing you for the real world

In North America, 90% of coaching is done virtually - either on the phone or video. Students attending in-person programs are always curious how coaching can be done over the phone or video.

8 Criteria to help you choose

We have grouped the criteria for making a virtual vs. in-person decision into 8 categories. This is based on conversations with students before, during and after the program.

In-person vs. Virtual - Comparison

Conclusion

The short answer is – it depends. Hopefully you can use the 8 criteria above to help you choose which option works best for you based on your own personal circumstances and learning preferences. Feedback from our students results in some preferring in-person, some preferring virtual but students highlighted the benefits of cost and time savings of doing some of the learning online.

About ACT

A Leadership and Performance Coaching company focused on developing exceptional leaders, helping leaders become Aware of their impact so they can make better Choices leading to Transformative results.

Our commitment to transformative learning, innovation and diverse thinking, and making an impact in the world is at the core of what we do. We are a family-owned, service-driven company who partners with the Brown University School of Professional Studies, organizations and government agencies to deliver our life changing programs.

ACT, in partnership with Brown University School of Professional Studies, an international leader in executive education, is excited to offer ACT’s ICF accredited Leadership and Performance Coaching Certification Program. ACT shares Brown University’s mission to develop reflective leaders, to effect change in the world, and to improve human welfare.

Click to find out more about ACT's Leadership and Performance Coaching Programs