[Neurons] The Meta-Coach System

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

Re: The Meta-Coach System

 

With all of the activity going on right now about Meta-Coaching, and
questions --- I put together the following presentation --- that will soon
be on the Meta-Coach website.  

 

 

 

THE META-COACH SYSTEM

 

Everything You Always Wanted to Know

About Meta-Coaching

But Didn't Know Who to Ask

 

 

 

 
L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

 

 

 

Yes, when you first look at the Meta-Coach System it can be confusing.
That's because it is rich, complex, layered, has numerous steps and stages,
is the most systematic approach to the field of coaching and so can easily
overwhelm and confuse.  Since that is not our design, let me see if I can
de-mystify the Meta-Coach System and answer common questions we receive.

 

The Name

The term "meta" (pronounced "met" as in "I met a fascinating coach the other
day") is a Greek term for "above, higher, and about."  In coaching, it
refers to coaching at a higher level.  It refers to not coaching the content
of a person's expertise or area, but to the processes and structures that
govern that content-to the invisible processes in the back of the mind that
governs our thinking and emoting.

 

A sports coach may not have the expertise of the player being coached.
Michael Jordan's coach undoubtedly cannot play like Michael Jordan.  Don't
expect Tiger Woods' coach to play better golf than Tiger.  Their expertise
is not in the content of the game.  The expertise of a great coach concerns
the form, structure, and process of how the client works or operates.

 

In Meta-Coaching, the coach works with the invisible structures behind the
scene that controls the client's expertise.  The Meta-Coach works with
beliefs, perceptual filters (called meta-programs), thinking patterns
(called cognitive schemas), and self-reflexive consciousness (called
meta-states).  All of these frames of mind that the client brings to the
session operate "in the back of the mind" and these are the frames that the
Meta-Coach can detect, identify, and address.  And doing so often finds "the
switch" as the leverage point for transformative change.

The Structure 

Meta-Coach is based on several models that address the seven components or
elements of "coaching" itself.  That is, if you were to ask, "What is
coaching?" the answer lies in seven factors that make up the discipline and
field of coaching.  What are these seven components?

 

Coaching as a discipline is- 

           1) Communication - a conversation like none other that focuses
exclusive on a client's best dreams and hopes for a more compelling future.

           2) Unconscious back-of-the-mind communication that elicits the
mental and emotional frames which governs the client's experience that gets
to the heart of things.

           3) Generative change - that takes the client to his or her next
level of development and/or even transformation.

           4) The implementation of the change - so that the solution, new
performance, or difference can be actualized in the world, made real, and
the progress that makes can then be measured.

           5) Systemic thinking and working - so that the conversation and
change is holistic and healthy for every aspect of the client's life.

           6) The self-actualizing of one's highest and best potentials -
so that the client moves to his or her next level of development and success
and unleashes potentials.

           7) The facilitation of all of these dynamic processes - a
conversation that enables the client to find, access, and mobilize his or
her best resources for making the change real.

 

If this is what coaching is then what are the models that can enable a Coach
to effectively coach?  We asked that question at the beginning when we first
designed Meta-Coaching and we came up with the following models.  These
models inform and guide a coach in the actual practice of coaching.

 

Coaching is -                                            Models for a
Meta-Coach for Effective Coaching

1) Communication                                           The NLP
Communication Model

2) Reflexive unconscious communication     The Meta-States Model of
Reflexivity

3) Generative change for transformation       The Axes of Change; The
Crucible 

4) Implementation and Measurement             Benchmarking Model;
Mind-to-Muscle Pattern

5) Working Systemically                                 The Matrix Model

6) Self-Actualization
Self-Actualization Quadrants

7) Facilitation of multiple processes               The Facilitation Model

 

 

The Modules of Meta-Coaching

This structure now explains the first three modules of the Meta-Coaching
System.  If Meta-Coaching is based on seven models, then the modules
provides a training program for learning and practicing the models.

 

Module I: Coaching Essentials.   

The essentials of the NLP Communication model that enable a coach to
powerfully and effectively engage in a conversation like none-other that
facilitates the unleashing of potentials and generative change as a Coach
asks incredible questions that call forth the best in the client.  In Module
I you learn the Meta-Model of Language that was modeled from two world-class
communicators who could facilitate transformative change by their questions-
Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir.  You also learn the basic NLP communication
principles: We communicate from state to state; the meaning of your
communication is the response you get; effective communication begins by
entering into the client's world and matching it; resistance indicates the
lack of rapport in the communication; etc.  You also learn fifteen basic
meta-programs that govern communicating and how to recognize and use a
person's communication style.

 

Module II: Coaching Genius.

In this module you learn the essence of how to work with the special kind of
consciousness that humans have- self-reflexive consciousness.  If you don't
know how to get to the thoughts and feelings "in the back of the mind" of a
client, you will miss the most important beliefs, frames, understandings,
permissions, decisions, etc. of the client.  But when you can recognize the
layers and spiraling levels of the client's thinking-feeling, you can get to
the heart of things quickly.  Then you can get to the heart of the client's
meaning-making processes and facilitate a fierce conversation like
none-other.  In this module, you learn the Meta-States Model and experience
14 Meta-State patterns that are all coaching patterns.  The immediate
application is for accessing your own personal genius or mastery so that you
can step in and out of your best "flow" state and so be "in the zone" at
your will.  This will empower you with the very best state to operate from
as a Coach.

 

Module III: Coaching Mastery.

We call Module III the Coaching Bootcamp because this is the 8-day intensive
(9 am to 9 pm daily) where you learn the next five models.  Yet even more
important than the presentations and learnings are the practices- every day
you will do a full coaching session and you will be a client and you will
watch a coaching session from a meta-position.  And during the coaching
sessions, you will be benchmarked on the seven coaching skills so that you
know where you are, what you do well, your strengths, and what you need to
do to take your skills to the next level - and reach competency level.

 

In this module you learn the Facilitation Model so that you can operate as a
Change Agent as a Coach (the Axes of Change Model), so that you can think
and work systemically with your client and be able to "follow their energy
through their mind-body system" (the Matrix Model), so that you enable the
implementation of the change in the contexts of their life and measure their
progress (the Benchmarking Model), so that they unleashing their highest
meanings and best potentials (the Self-Actualization Quadrants).

 

In this module you will experience group coaching as you and a small group
of other coaches will become a team and then as a team become a high
performance team as you complete a benchmarking project on some skill or
intangible value.  Later you will step back with your Team Leader to reflect
on the group coaching skills used.

 

In this module you will see and experience two expert Coaches being
interviewed and modeled.  We do this so that you can develop your personal
business plan for how to engage in the Business of Coaching.  This will
enable you to complete a Matrix Business Plan or if you work within an
organization, your Professional Development Plan.  Because the business side
of coaching is where most Coaches fail, we devote significant time in this
module for the business side of marketing, selling, entrepreneur-ing,
organizing, etc.

 

In Module III we bring in a group of Team Leaders as part of the Leadership
Team.  These are successful Meta-Coaches who run their own coaching
practices.   They are there first and foremost as team leaders and
benchmarkers, yet they are also there to support and enable participants to
reach competency and have a great experience. 

 

Benefits of the Meta-Coach System

As you can tell, the system is complex and layered.  From the beginning it
has been on the cutting-edge of the field of coaching.  One of our
objectives is to lead the field of coaching so that it eventually becomes a
Profession.  And to do that we have designed it to be professional in the
way it prepares participants to run a successful coaching business and to
know what you are doing.  What are the benefits that you will receive as a
graduate of the Meta-Coach System?  Here are some of the key benefits:

 

* Become a Self-Actualization Coach!

Since Coaching is based on self-actualization psychology and is all about
facilitating people actualizing their highest and best- Meta-Coaching
provides you the basics of Self-Actualization Psychology and training in how
to facilitate the unleashing process for individuals, for leaders, managers,
companies.  No other Coach Training can claim that.

 

You will learn how to use the Self-Actualization Quadrants to awaken and
actualize the highest and best in people for creating synergy on the Meaning
/ Performance Axes.  Then you will be able to facilitating people achieving
peak performance in their chosen areas.  You will be able to facilitate
people create meaningfulness in life - and so enjoying peak experiences.
You will also experience this first-hand- the unleashing of your skills and
potentials.

 

* Develop a fully Systematic Approach 

Meta-Coaching is the first and still, only Coach training that is fully
systematic.   We have analyzed "coaching" as involving 7 features or
components; then to each we have identified or created a model that enables
us to deal with that component. 

 

The result is that you can answer the question- How do you know what to do,
when, and with whom and why?  And as you learn that you will then develop
the self-confidence for knowing what you are doing and being able to explain
why.

 

This then gives you a scientific foundation for enabling clients to unleash
their highest and best potentials.  In it you have a way to rigorously
measure improvement, progress, and even to measure the competency of any
skill or intangible value.

 

* Achieve the Status of an ACMC Coach

You will receive an International certification and be part of a world-wide
community.  The MCF (Meta-Coach Foundation) is equivalent to the ICF as a
certifying body.  What are the differences?  MCF, like ICF, has a set of
skills and has benchmarked the coaching skills whereas the ICF has not.
Also MCF has a board of examiners to provide a way to police the ethics and
standards of Meta-Coaching, the ICF has not yet established this.  The MCF
standards are higher than the ICF.

 

As a certified Meta-Coach, you will receive ongoing support as you will be
added to the exclusive Meta-Coach email group and receive a 2-page article
from Dr. Michael Hall each week.  It is a way to stay in touch with the
other 860 Meta-Coaches around the world.  And as a Meta-Coach, you can join
(or create) a local MCF chapter for practice.

 


* Hands on Guidance in lots of practice

In the Meta-Coach training you will do a full coaching session 6 times, be a
client 6 times and be in the meta-position 6 times.  This will give you lots
of experiences in the actual hands-on experience of coaching.

 

When you are Coach in your coaching sessions, your skills will be
benchmarked by an experienced team leader/ benchmarker.  This will give you
immediate, hands-on experience about your strengths and weaknesses so that
you know what to do to reach competency.  You'll practice under the expert
eyes of experienced Meta-Coaches who will provide you on-the-spot,
moment-by-moment feedback.  No other Coach Training in the world offers
this.

 

* Many Rich Coaching Experiences

In addition to receiving coaching sessions every day on what you choose
which will enable and enrich your experience as a coach, some of the
participants will have the opportunity to be coached by one of the
Meta-Coach trainers.  

 

You will learn to distinguish the levels of coaching - Performance Coaching,
Developmental Coaching, and Transformational Coaching.   You will also get
to coach many different people over the 8 days as a stretch from coaching
just one kind of person. 

 

* For the powerful and cutting-edge patterns that you will learn.

The training manual 20 to 30 coaching patterns.  This extends the 14 you
received in Module II (the Meta-States training) and the 10 or so in Module
I (the NLP Training).  So you will have a large range of patterns that you
can immediately begin using as a Coach. You will be able to Extend
Meta-programs or Extending your Personality Style; you will learn some
powerful questions for Torpedo Coaching.    You will experience the
De-Contamination Chamber to get your ego out of the way and be "clean" as a
Coach for your clients.

 

There is the KPI pattern: Getting a Precise Objective for a Coaching
Session.  There is the Axes of Change patterns for a Non-Therapeutic Change
Model for Psychologically healthy people.  There is the Unleashing
Potentials pattern, the Social Panorama pattern, and many, many more.

 

* Competency Benchmarks

While the ICF and other Coach trainings also have "Coaching Skills,"
Meta-Coaching is the only Coach Training System that has benchmarked the
skills.   Each day you will get immediate feedback about what you're doing
very well and what will take your skills to the next level.  This will be
tough and challenging and yet it creates a clarity about your skill level
that you can't get anywhere else.

 

You will also learn the Benchmarking Model and this will enable you to be
able to set up measurements for individuals and organizations for measuring
progress.  And it is with the measuring of progress that establishes "the
value" that you add to people and companies.  If you can't measure it, how
can you credibly say that your work has such and such value?

 

* Learn about different kinds of Coaching domains

You will learn about many of the different domains that Coaches specialize
in- for example, Executive Coaching, Personal / Life coaching, Group and
Team Coaching, etc.  You will see the Meta-Coach Trainers interview and
model one or two Expert Coaches that we invite into the training - someone
who has "been there, done that" and provides a flesh-and-blood example of
effective coaching.

            

* Change Agent

As a change agent, you will learn to facilitate change and to use the four
mechanisms of change for people who are psychologically healthy.  You will
develop skills for the 8 coaching roles as an agent of change and be able to
detect where you are with a client.  You will then use these processes in
your coaching sessions to get hands-on experience with them.

 

* Group and Team Coaching

You will be put into a group of six others and experience group coaching
from a Team Leader so that you norm, form, storm, and then perform.  As you
then become a high performance team, you will be commissioned to engage in a
benchmarking project and to then perform as a team.  Later you will step
back and reflect on what you learned about Group and Team coaching.

 

____________________________________________________________________________
____




The Meta-Coach Training System                         

 

Modules:                                                       Content and
Benefits

 

 

I: NLP Model                    The "languages" of the mind and how
communication works.

   Coaching Essentials      How we communicate from state to state and
induce state via communication.

                                          The communication precision model
(the Meta-Model Questions)

                                          The communication filters of our
perceptual lens (the Meta-Program distinctions)

                              Discover a dozen patterns for state management
and effectiveness

                                           Learn the basic NLP format for
modeling excellence through Strategies. 

 

II: Meta-States Model      The self-reflexive consciousness unique to
humans.

    Coaching Genius           How to get to the communication in the back of
the mind.

                                           The meta-stating process of
setting frames that create our filters and values.

 

 

III: 5 Coaching Models      Learn a systematic approach to coaching:

    Coaching Mastery         How do you know what to do when, with whom,
how, and why?

                                           Experience coaching sessions
every day; practice full hour coaching sessions

                                           Receive immediate
sensory-specific feedback while coaching for shaping your 

                                                skills and competency

 

 Axis of Change Model       Learn a non-therapeutic change model,
distinguish therapy models for change 

                                             from generative change models
for healthy people. 

                                           Learn to use the four change
mechanisms and engage in the Dance of Change.

                                           Identify the level of change an
individual or group wants.

                               Develop the skills for facilitating
tranformational change.

 

  Benchmarking Model      Discover how to operationalize the language and
concepts of clients. 

                                           Conversationally set benchmarks
for measuring progress.

                                           Ground change and establish
metrics for measurement.

 

  Matrix Model                    Learn a cognitive-behavioral and
developmental psychology systems model.

                                           Discover how to identify leverage
points for change in a person's system.

                                           Experience how to "follow the
flow of energy" through a Matrix.

                               Accelerate your coaching ability to "get to
the heart of the matter" with a client

                                                 quickly, cleanly, and
profoundly.

 

  Self-Actualization             Learn how to diagnose where a person is on
the Meaning/ Performance axes.

     Quadrants                     Discover how to facilitate synergy for
clients and groups for moving to

                                                the self-actualization of
Quadrant IV 

                                           Learn how to set self-organizing
frames for making lasting 

                                                transformational changes
with clients.

                                          Discover how to facilitate a
client in suspending a frame (belief frame,

                                                decision frame, identity
frame, etc.) that no longer serves the client.

 

  Facilitation Model             Discover the unique coaching skill of
facilitation and the dozen meta-processes

                                                to facilitate.

                                          Develop your facilitation skills.

 

____________________________________________________________________________
_______________

 

Questions about the Meta-Coaching System

Since the beginning in 2002, we have received lots of questions about
Meta-Coaching as a Coach Training process.  The following are some of the
questions that are often asked.

 

1) What does it cost to attend Meta-Coaching and to reach ACMC
certification? 

The cost is generally around $4,000 to $5,000 US dollars.  Generally,
Modules I and II are 3-day trainings that run approximately $500 each.  This
depends on where the modules are offered, the venue, and other factors of
the sponsor.  Similarly, the 8-day intensive coaching bootcamp is around
$3,000.  Comparable trainings run $5,000 to $15,000.

 

2) If I already have NLP training, can I skip Module I?

Yes, if the training was at least three days, covered the Meta-Model of
Language, States, and Meta-Programs and an actual in-person, hands-on
training.  No, if it was a correspondence course.  NLP is an experiential
model and expertise in the skills require the personal touch of doing and
receiving feedback.

 

3) If I don't have NLP can I possibly get into the program?

Yes.  You can read any one of a number of good NLP Introduction books to
learn the language and model.  Then you can begin with Module II which is
always presented just prior to Module III.  During the training, if you
reach competency in the skills and show a high level of precise
understanding of the basic NLP model, you could possibly not have to
complete Module I for certification.  This only very rarely occurs.  If you
do not reach competency of the skills, your certificate will be provisional
upon completing Module I and being re-assessed on the competency skills.
The actual experiential experience of NLP is highly, highly recommended and
should not be skipped, and any further certification in Meta-Coaching not
only requires the Introduction to NLP but also the full NLP Practitioner
Certification.  And if you are planning to move on to the next level, PCMC
(Professional Certified Meta-Coach), you will need the full NLP Practitioner
course.

 

4) How does the Meta-Coach System compare to other Coach Training systems?

Meta-Coaching is currently the most rigorous program and the only one with a
complete process of benchmarks for each coaching competency skill.  No other
system has evolved this far.  The Meta-Coaching system also is the only
system that is fully systematic and based with a focus on Self-Actualization
Psychology.  Many other coach training programs are based on other
psychologies- Cognitive, Behavioral, Transactional Analysis, Psychoanalysis,
etc.  Meta-Coaching also stands out as one of the very few systems that
models expert coaches in the training to give participants a chance to see
an Expert Coach at work and to ask questions about how to get started,
mistakes to avoid, and secrets to success.

 

5) What happens if I don't reach the level of competency for graduation? 

Everybody graduates at the Graduation Ceremony on the eighth evening.  Most
will receive the ACMC Certification as a Meta-Coach; but some will receive a
Pre-Certification Record.  The Record contains a list of the prerequisites
for Certification and everything you have qualified for will be checked and
the provisions that you still need to meet will be indicated so that you
know precisely where you are and the next steps to full certification.

The process is designed to help you succeed.  All that's required of you is
commitment, persistence, and resilience.  We have designed the process so
that you will eventually reach full certification.  Provisional
certification means that you still have some provisions to fulfill- perhaps
Module I, perhaps re-assessment on one of the skills, perhaps if you missed
a day of the training to catch up on that time.  You will more than likely
be able to complete those provisions at one of the Meta-Coach chapter
meetings (the Meta-Coach Foundation Chapters) in the following weeks or
months.

 

We have set the standards high - so that the Certification means something
and is not just a certificate of attendance.  It is a certificate that means
we certify that you as a Meta-Coach have the required skills, competence,
understanding, and ethics to do business as a Coach.  And the certificate is
an International Certificate that associates you with a thousand other
Meta-Coaches around the world in 35 countries.

 

6) What kind of support will there be for me after Graduation?

Lots!  You will be added to the exclusive Meta-Coach egroup where you will
be part of a world-wide group of Meta-Coaches.  Dr. Hall writes an article
for this group every Wednesday to continue the training giving you ideas
about the models and answering your questions.   You will also be able to
use this group for getting ideas, support, sharing books and resources, etc.

 

You will have the opportunity to be a part of a MCF chapter.  These are
practice groups that meet bi-weekly or monthly so that you can continue
practicing patterns, using the models, being benchmarked, etc.  MCF chapters
are great places also for networking and expanding your coaching practice.

 

You will also have the opportunity to re-visit Coaching Mastery at 1/4 of
the price (at 25% if the Meta-Coach has maintained "good standing") to keep
refreshing and deepening your learning.  Or, when you are ready, you can
return as a Team Leader and Benchmarker and learn Group and Team Coaching
skills, expand your leadership, and become part of the Meta-Coach Faculty.

 

7) How does the MCF relate to the ICF?  Will my MCF Certification qualify me
for ICF Certification?

Yes and no.  Yes, your ACMC credentials from the MCF and ISNS (International
Society of Neuro-Semantics) will qualify you in terms of coaching skills to
meet any and all of the qualifications required by the ICF.  But it will not
occur automatically.  Whether you take your coach training with an ICF
approved organization or an MCF organization, you still have to pay a fee,
file papers, and sit for assessment.  We provide you the papers to submit if
you also want the ICF certification.  The ICF is not a coach training
organization, it is a certification organization.

 

8) How to I find out about upcoming Meta-Coach Trainings?

On the Meta-Coach website ( <http://www.meta-coaching.org)/>
www.meta-coaching.org), click on Modules and then on Training Dates.  You
will there find most of the upcoming trainings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.  Michael Hall, Ph.D.

International Society of Neuro-Semantics

Meta-Coach Training System

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO.  81520 USA

1 970-523-7877

1 970-523-5790 fax

      <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com 

       <http://www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com/>
www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com 

       <http://www.self-actualizing.org/> www.self-actualizing.org

       <http://www.meta-coaching.org/> www.meta-coaching.org

       <http://www.ns-video.com/> www.ns-video.com 

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