International Coaching Week Jesús Rodriguez PCC, President ICF Spain Sackeena Gordon Jones PCC, Past President ICF Raleigh, North Carolina Matt Varney ICF Director of Chapter Development

International Coaching Week International Coaching Week (ICW) is an annual weeklong global celebration of the coaching profession intended to increase the visibility, understanding and impact of coaching. ICW will take place May 19-25, 2014.

Engage the community During this week, coaches around the world offer a variety of activities and pro bono services in their local communities to share coaching’s impact. From educational sessions, to coaching demonstrations to panel discussions, ICW offers something for everyone. Originally started in 1999 by ICF Member Jerri N. Udelson, MCC, ICW educates the public about the value of working with a professional coach and acknowledges the results and progress made through the coaching process.

Where have we been 1999: Jerri N. Udelson, MCC (USA) creates National Personal and Business Coaching Week 2000: Canadian coaches join the celebration, which Jerri renames International Personal and Business Coaching Week. That same year, ICF helps publicize the event. 2002: ICW spreads from North America to Hong Kong, with coaches there offering free coaching, lectures and workshops in their community. In Richmond, Va., USA, the mayor issues an official proclamation of ICW. 2003: ICF becomes an official sponsor of ICW. 2010: Professional coaches in Africa gather during ICW for the inaugural ICF Africa Conference. 2012: ICF Russia’s ICW events draw 2,500 attendees, heightening awareness of coaching throughout the nation and increasing chapter membership. 2013: For the first time, ICF Global’s ICW celebration takes place in May instead of February. In its first full year as an ICF Chapter, ICF Kenya organizes and promotes an ICW celebration with professional development sessions, coaching demonstrations, panel discussions and appearances on popular morning radio shows. Meanwhile, ICF Raleigh secures proclamations in recognition of ICW from Raleigh, N.C., USA’s, mayor and city council, Durham County’s board of commissioners and the governor of North Carolina. 2014: ICF Global invites member coaches and chapters around the world to help their communities “Experience Coaching” firsthand during ICW 2014, with assistance from a new event-planning tool kit and branded materials.

Philanthropy One of the greatest reward for members is contributing to worthy causes ICW offers opportunity to support these organizations Encourage membership through connection to charitable opportunities to participate Chapters have partnered with groups focused on housing provision, veterans affairs, re-entering the workplace, etc.

How to begin Asking the question “why” gives direction to how to best proceed What are we looking to achieve by hosting these events? How can we best align with the vision of the chapter Many chapters plan ICW events several months in advance

Best Practices Be creative Spread the word about ICW start planning well in advance Engage all local members contact popular medias outlets Use social media platforms to your advantage

What is the impact? International Coaching Week has exposed tens of 1000’s around the world to coaching who previously had no knowledge of it Coaching week has achieved national recognition from several government organizations Businesses exploring couching can achieve a first hand experience during coaching week 3 levels of conversation and engagement –The profession of coaching –The community –The coaches themselves

How to you get the word out? Chapters utilize many avenues for publicizing events for ICW Newsletters, Websites, and Social Media outlets offer great ways of connecting with participants and communities Exposure on the ICF calendar offers heightened visibility of events and ICW

Resources available from ICF Number of resources are available at –Customizable signage –Web banners and logos –Samples of social media posts and more! er=3249&navItemNumber=3265http://coachfederation.org/events/landing.cfm?ItemNumb er=3249&navItemNumber=3265

Contact ICF ICF Headquarters 2365 Harrodsburg Rd, Suite A325 Lexington, KY USA (toll free)