Thinking About Becoming a Coach? Start by Putting Down the Pen

By Jamie Slingerland, MCC — Co-Founder of Catalyst Coach Academy, ICF Assessor

If you’re thinking about becoming a coach, you probably picture it like this. A great conversation. A client who leaves with clarity. And you, somewhere in the middle, knowing exactly what to ask.

Here’s what most people don’t expect. One of the biggest things standing between a new coach and a great session is a notebook.

The Habit Almost Every New Coach Has

When I started coaching, I took a lot of notes. Pages of quotes, goals, insights, and action steps. It felt professional. Like proof that I was paying attention.

Most new coaches do the same thing, and it makes sense. You’re not sure what to ask next. You’re afraid of forgetting something important. You want your client to know you take them seriously.

Notes feel like safety.

But over time, I noticed something. The more I wrote, the less present I was. My eyes kept drifting to the page. Silences that could have been powerful started to feel awkward. Part of me was listening. Part of me was taking dictation.

What Happened When I Stopped

As I grew toward my MCC credential, I started writing far less. Sometimes a single word. Sometimes nothing.

I still remembered what mattered. It stayed with me because I was fully there for it. Presence turned out to be a better memory system than my notebook ever was.

My clients changed too. They returned to their own insights without prompting. They caught themselves mid-sentence and laughed when they realized they already knew the answer.

That’s the moment coaching is built for. And it happens more often when the coach is fully present.

Coaching Is a Skill You Build, Not a Talent You Have

This is the part I most want you to hear if you’re considering coach training.

Presence isn’t a personality trait. You don’t have to be a naturally calm person or a gifted listener to become an excellent coach. Presence is a skill. It gets built the same way any skill does: practice, honest feedback, and more practice.

The ICF Core Competencies make this clear. They don’t tell you whether to take notes. They focus on where your attention goes. Maintains Presence. Listens Actively. Cultivates Trust and Safety. Evokes Awareness. Every one of these can be learned.

As an ICF assessor, I listen to a lot of coaching recordings. I can’t see anyone’s notebook. What I can hear is whether a coach is responding to the person in front of them or following a script in their head. That difference shows up in the questions, the pacing, and the comfort with silence.

The good news? It’s very trainable.

What to Look For in ICF Coach Training

If you’re comparing coach training programs, look past the curriculum outline and ask how you’ll actually build these skills.

• How much real practice will you get? Will you coach live sessions or mostly watch and read?
• Who gives you feedback? Do those people coach at a high level themselves?
• How big are the cohorts? It’s hard to get meaningful feedback in a room of fifty.
• Does the program prepare you for ICF credentialing? That includes mentor coaching and the performance evaluation.

The right program won’t just teach you about coaching. It will change how you listen.

How We Train Coaches at Catalyst Coach Academy

At Catalyst Coach Academy, presence is the foundation of everything we teach.

We keep our cohorts small on purpose, so every student gets real practice and real feedback. You’re trained and mentored directly by Master Certified Coaches who also assess coaching for the ICF — so you learn what great coaching sounds like from the people who evaluate it. And we train in both English and Spanish, for coaches who want to serve bilingual and Latin American clients.

You don’t need to arrive already knowing how to coach. You just need to be ready to learn.

We don’t just train great coaches. We prepare you to be a coach who gets hired.

Learn more about our next cohort →  |  Book a conversation with us

Frequently Asked Questions

Do coaches take notes during sessions?

Many do, especially early on. The ICF doesn’t require or forbid it. Experienced coaches tend to take fewer notes because heavy note-taking pulls attention away from the client. Most keep only essentials, like the coaching agreement.

Can presence really be taught?

Yes. Presence is a skill, not a personality trait. It develops through practice sessions, feedback from experienced coaches, and listening back to your own coaching.

What should I look for in an ICF coach training program?

Look for plenty of live practice, feedback from highly credentialed coaches, small cohort sizes, and clear preparation for ICF credentialing, including mentor coaching.

Do I need coaching experience before starting coach training?

No. Good coach training programs are designed for people at the beginning of their coaching journey, as well as those already coaching who want formal training and a credential.