Living into Purpose Coaching Course

A Presence-Based Community of Inquiry

We live in extraordinary times.  New dynamics, accelerating exponentially in complexity and consequence, are challenging the basic structures that shaped our lives.  It is a time for leaders to make bold commitments, stay centered and calm in the midst of intensity, and lead the way toward a more sustainable, harmonious and just world.

You and I are those leaders. We are all called to embody a contribution relevant to the times in which we live. Please join me in living into the question of how we listen to this calling, and how we respond through extending ourselves, purposefully and authentically, into the world.

A small group of invited participants will work closely with Doug, over the course of half a year, in this Community of Inquiry. Participants will receive advanced Presence-Based Coaching training, applying it in a personal and collective exploration of the question of “How do I live into my purpose?”

The themes of the course are:

• Clarifying and embodying your purpose. We hold purpose here not as a unique destiny that is pre-ordained and that we must figure out, but rather as a living process of sensing what calls us, and embodying it in thought, body, and action.  We, and our lives, are experiments. We unfold meaning through a series of commitments that impel us to continually transcend and include how we hold ourselves. This year invites you to accelerate this development process through exploring, and living into, a new commitment to purpose.

• Forging a robust community of inquiry. A central part of the learning will be the development of a co-creative community whose collective purpose is to support the individuals within it in this inquiry. We will do so primarily through the moves and practices of Presence-Based Coaching. A committed and experienced community of learners will shape aspects of the structure of the course, and — who knows? — possibly invent whole new ways of sharing and supporting each other.

• Deepening your understanding and practice of Presence-Based Coaching. Doug will offer advanced teaching around the material in his books, inviting you to work with the tools and practices at a level well beyond that offered in the Presence-Based Coaching Course. Retreats, virtual technologies, and peer groups will provide a variety of structures to support participants in this inquiry, through a rigorous process of coaching and being coached. New material, not included in books, will be included as Doug lives into his own purpose.

Structure

This coach training course will be designed to integrate a clear structure informed by Doug’s leadership and Presence-Based Coaching approach with a self-organizing and committed community of peers. Elements of the structure include:

• An initial peer interview with another participant.
• A three day opening retreat at Bend of Ivy Lodge, incorporating somatic practices, coaching around purpose, and teaching on Presence-Based Coaching. This retreat will center on conducting coaching intakes, making initial assessments, establishing coaching outcomes and practices, integrating suggestive and evocative impulses, and launching our Community of Inquiry.
• Individual coaching sessions with Doug after the first retreat, at mid-program, and around the end of the course, along with availability by email and brief phone appointments as needed.
• Six monthly conference calls of ~75 minutes, to include presentations by Doug of key tools, concepts, and moves around Presence-Based Coaching, followed by breakout sessions for exercises, demonstrations, group discussion and/or live coaching. Appropriate portions of these calls will be recorded and/or transcribed and provided as part of the curriculum. Topics may include holding the field, offering somatic assessments, refining practices, addressing commitment issues, working somatically by phone, and other topics that emerge from the Community.
• Six to eight “pod” coaching calls in trios, in which participants coach each other towards their commitment, and receive assessments on their coaching.
• A three day closing retreat at Bend of Ivy Lodge, incorporating somatic practices, coaching around commitment, and teaching on Presence-Based Coaching. This retreat will focus on coaching stabilization, practicing conversations for completion and continuation, developing commitments to next steps, and completing our Community of Inquiry.
• Two optional retreat days, attached to opening and closing retreats, for community-building, peer teaching, relaxation, and fun. (Small extra cost.)
  
• Reading and additional resources will include a community website, audio recordings, and cutting edge audio conferencing technology. Presence-Based Coaching is required reading; several other books will be suggested.
• Documentation of hours and correlations with ICF Core Competencies for those applying for certification or renewal.
• Optional participation in PBC 1 and/or 2 retreats, at ridiculously low cost, in a repeater role to be defined with Doug in advance.

Additional elements will be shaped by participants during the first conference and throughout. Some of these could involve additional costs.

• The composition, frequency, and structure of the coaching Pods.
• The use of social networking in the fabric of our community, and in extending to others.
• Audio reviews of coaching sessions and assessments from each other and/or from Doug.
• Supervision on coaching cases from peers and/or Doug.
• Innovative structures for sharing experiences, teaching each other, getting support on case studies, etc.

Details and Costs

Completion of the Presence-Based Coaching Course, and a conversation with Doug, is a prerequisite for the Living Into Purpose Coaching Course. 

Key dates:

• Initial retreat: January 11-13, 2010.
• Optional community day: Jan. 14.
• Final retreat: June 21-23, 2010.
• Optional community day: June 24.
• Conference calls for the entire course will be scheduled at the initial retreat; pod calls will be arranged by members.

A non-refundable initial deposit of $500 is required to reserve your space. The number of participants will be strictly limited.

Cost for the course is $3,450, with a $300 discount for full prepayment by December 10 (see Plan A.) Alternatively, participants may make additional payments by Jan. 1 and April 1. Cost includes lodging, meals, retreats, materials, conference calls, and coaching with Doug. Not included are required or recommended books, optional community days, lodging for early arrivals, and long-distance phone charges.

$500 non-refundable deposit. $250 of this can be transferred to another retreat if notice is received a week or more before the first retreat, and your space can be filled.

Plan A: Full pre-payment

$2,650 balance due by Dec. 10, 2009

[$3,150 total cost for plan A]

Plan B: Two partial payments

$1,500 second payment due by Jan. 1, 2010

$1,450 balance due by April 1, 2010

[$3,450 total cost for plan B]