Frequently Asked Questions
Andrew Betts replies to Frequently Asked Questions about ICONDA’s coaching offer and coaching in general.
Foire Aux Questions
Andrew Betts répond aux questions les plus courantes sur les offres de coaching d’ICONDA et sur le coaching en général.
Is online coaching effective?
- I have delivered about 1,000 hours of coaching over the Internet, and it works!
- Short, weekly sessions work best for many people, allowing us to maintain a strong thread between sessions while avoiding disruption to busy schedules. They are also more economical than face-to-face sessions, since there is less overhead required for travel and office reservation, for example.
- These points notwithstanding, it is well worth having face-to-face sessions when they are convenient, and they certainly add value to the overall coaching programme.
How many sessions do I need? What is their typical frequency and duration?
- A coaching programme typically lasts 3-6 months and has 12 sessions
- To keep things simple, all our sessions are 45 minutes long. They fit easily into busy schedules.
- If a longer session is needed, we combine two of them into a 90-minute session.
- Weekly sessions work best for many people, allowing us to maintain a strong thread between sessions.
Is the coaching in English or French?
- I coach in English (my mother tongue) and French (I have lived in France for 30+ years)
What about Coaching ChatBots?
- As you can see from this site, I use AI in support of coaching. I also have experience with AI Coaching ChatBots, and I’m currently in contact with three companies developing such tools.
- My current view (July 2025) is that a general-purpose AI Assistant, such as ChatGPT or Claude, is as effective as a Coaching ChatBot for most purposes, if the user understands how to write AI prompts. An exception to this is when you wish the AI Assistant to teach a specific method that is not widely known, and therefore not included in the AI engine’s training. In this case, a Coaching ChatBot that has been specially trained in the method of interest is a better bet.
- With the above in mind, I provide AI prompts on this site (without charge), allowing you to use and extend them according to your needs. I invite you to experiment with these and hope you will learn new tricks in the process. Please share any insights that come up!
Coaching only requires common sense, so why pay for it?
- In his book, The Evolving Self/Problem and Process in Human Development, Robert Kegan explains how most learning and development happens naturally. Parents instinctively know how to help their children grow into fully functional adults, and these adults become progressively more autonomous over the years. Therapy, he explains, is only necessary when the natural evolutionary process becomes blocked for some reason. So, yes, we can use “common sense” to solve most of our problems. However, sometimes things get stuck, and then we need external help.
- Coaching is not therapy, but it shares many of its characteristics. One of its primary purposes is to help people overcome obstacles when they are stuck. In this case, the cost of getting unstuck can be viewed in several ways. First, consider the possible consequences of remaining stuck, such as:
- Failing to perform well in an interview or a presentation, remaining in conflict with a client, a manager, a colleague, or losing sleep because of workload stress.
- Missed opportunities: if you could leave this “stuckness” behind, you might find you become luckier! People will notice your increased energy and presence. Maybe you’ll get the chance to change roles, learn something new, and do exciting things? Who knows?
- Then, bear in mind that unblocking your brain, like unblocking your drains, must be done skilfully, to avoid unpleasant consequences. For this reason:
- A professional coach must have invested in high-quality, certified training. For example, I completed a 2-year, certified training at the Institut Maieutis (level 2, code NSF 315, European level CEC: 6).
- They must be a member of a professional institution (e.g. EMCC, ICF). They must also be accredited by that institution, based on evidence of safe and successful coaching practice, including a commitment to continuous professional development (EMCC-Global accredits me as a Senior Practitioner).
- They must take (and, therefore, pay for) regular supervision and, if possible, participate in intervision (i.e. best-practices exchanges with peers). I am supervised and meet regularly with three coaching colleagues (each from a different country: France, UK, and USA) for one-to-one intervision sessions.
What type of issues can a coach help with?
- Here are a few general areas, well-suited to coaching:
- Decision-Making: you can get help to analyze options, evaluate risks, and make an informed decision. As a result, you should feel that whatever decision you take and however things work out, you made the best decision possible in the circumstances.
- Surviving a Difficult Situation: sometimes, circumstances are against you and, through no fault of your own, you’re having a difficult time. When this happens, its good to get emotional and motivational support, and to have help navigating the challenges that come up.
- Improving Performance: when you are trying to improve skills, productivity, and effectiveness – related to Presentations, Client Communication or Difficult Conversations, for example – having someone to guide you and give feedback is invaluable!
- Managing a Crisis: suppose you must manage an urgent or high-stress situation – a company merger or downsizing, a commercial storm, or a burnout, for example – in these circumstances, your coach can help you maintain perspective, think clearly, and identify appropriate action.
- Going Through a Transition: if you are in the midst of major life or career transitions, you might be anxious to make the most of the opportunities they present and, perhaps also, control the disruption that goes with them?
- Thinking Existentially: if you want to explore questions about meaning, purpose, and identity, a coaching session is the perfect place. It’s an environment where you can benefit from non-judgmental feedback and critique, and this encourages new ideas and clarity.
How should I choose a coach?
- A key principle in coaching is that the client chooses their own coach. This site provides you the means to do this:
- An introductory video (English, French)
- A first coaching session, which becomes free of charge if you then decide to invest in a coaching programme
- An AI prompt to help you search for similar coaching offers and make informed comparisons. Here it is – paste the following prompt into ChatGPT , Claude, or another AI assistant:
- Search the web for European coaches who are accredited by the EMCC, ICF, or a similar, reputable institution and offer individual, remote coaching sessions in French or English. Their websites must include an introductory video and present their coaching rates. Compare these offers with those found on https://iconda.solutions.
I’m in France – what about CPF and Qualiopi?
- According to French legislation, individual coaching sessions may not be paid for out of a person’s CPF budget because they constitute a service. CPF must only be used for training that leads to a certification (CPF stands for Compte Personnel de Formation, which means Personal Training Account in English).
- I have seen coaching offers from training organisations that include the possibility of payment from a CPF budget, and I assume that they circumvent the aforementioned restriction by packaging coaching with or as training.
- Unlike CPF, Qualiopi is not a financing scheme, but a quality certification for training providers. If coaching sessions are included within a structured training course (e.g. management development, team coaching) provided by a Qualiopi-certified organisation, they can be financed by an OPCO or other public funds. Pure coaching sessions (one-on-one) without certification or training content are not eligible.
- I deliver Qualiopi-qualified training through a partner organisation, but ICONDA Solutions is not Qualiopi certified. We decided not to pursue Qualiopi certification because our business is international, and Qualiopi is only applicable in France. We prefer to invest the time, money, and energy required to become and remain Qualiopi certified in other projects.
Anything else?
- If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’ll be happy to hear from you.
The First Step Is Easy
We just need to talk