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coaching & consulting  |  coaching vs. certification

The Experience

Certification is an entirely different experience from coaching or consulting.  First and foremost, you are in a group environment as opposed to working one-on-one with your coach or your own team.  The group dynamic offers less personal attention.  However, it also gives you the ability to not only learn from your instructor, but share experiences with others in your group.  Typically everyone in the certification program is at roughly the same stage in practice building.  This allows your instructor to easily focus on one topic at a time and keep everyone learning at the same pace.

Certification relies heavily on consulting, giving you point blank answers to your questions and guiding you through assignments.  There may be opportunities for your instructor to weave in some coaching at times.  For example, your instructor may see an opportunity to create a coaching example based on one participant's personal challenge, as it relates to an assignment.  By solving the person's challenge, the entire group will have the opportunity to learn a self-coaching method.

However, it is important to remember that coaching is typically a growth process where you learn to improve upon skills closely linked to your values and personal style over time.  It would be impossible to achieve all of this in addition to working your way through all of the consulting, training, and assignments that certification challenges you with.

Making the Grade

And unlike coaching where there is no right or wrong ... only growth ... in a certification program you will be graded by the quality of your assignments, your professionalism, participation, and cooperation.  It is possible to fail a certification program if your can't meet its standards.

Bragging Rights

With coaching, you really don't have any bragging rights.  You must take your growth and apply it to prove yourself worthy of the level of success you are seeking.  With certification, you gain credibility that is meant to impress your prospective clients.

Virtual Dynamos Certification Programs

We're re-launching our improved and expanded programs via a new web site by the end of 2010.  Information can be found at www.virtualassistantcertification.com.  Two options will be offered, as follows:

Group Dynamics, a Virtual Assistant Practice Building Certification is often most rewarding to newcomers who want a fast track learning experience as they build their practice.  I always recommend this to anyone who does not have the basics of operating a VA practice down first, before entering a more in-depth coaching or consulting program (with the exception of Coach on Call).

Team Dynamics, a Virtual Team Building Certification is a most rewarding experience for the Virtual Assistant looking to expand on a practice.  This may include outsourcing work to your own team, sub-contracting client work to your own team, or gaining the skills necessary to be a Virtual Team Leader for your clientele.

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