Transcribing Your Coaching for ICF Credentials

If you are a trained coach working toward your ACC, PCC or MCC designations, you will know that transcribing your coaching for ICF credentials is a necessary part of the ICF application process.

As an ICF trained assessor, I have had the privilege of listening to hundreds of coach recordings and evaluating them while reviewing the recording transcripts. Well-formatted transcripts can make all the difference in allowing me to zero in on the coaching instead of being distracted by wonky formatting and incorrect wording. I know all too well, the challenges you face when transcribing your coaching.

Nevertheless, it can also be super frustrating to work with an unclear coaching transcript that doesn’t properly identify who is speaking, has missing dialogue, or confusing formatting.

As a coach myself, I understand how nerve-wracking it can be to record your coaching sessions for credentialing. If you are not sure about the ICF guidelines for recordings you will find them here. Once you’ve taken that big step, and you feel ready to submit your recording you’ll want to be sure that you’ve followed all the guidelines for transcribing your coaching.

Here are some best practices that will help you get your coaching transcription right the first time:

Focus on Accuracy

It is critical that your transcript provides an exact written record of your coaching session as it was delivered. Your transcript(s) must be a verbatim, written word-for-word record of the coaching session(s) submitted. Yes, that means it should not be edited to exclude non-words, partial sentences, or anything else on the recording that you would rather not share. Sorry, the um’s and ahh’s, in all their glory, must stay put.

Label the Speaker

When you listen to your own recording, it is pretty easy to tell who is talking. After all, most of us can easily recognize the sound of our own voice. We may not like it hearing it, but we can definitely identify it. This is not the case for your assessors. You may be surprised to find that the voices of a coach and a coachee on a recording may sound remarkably similar. For that reason, your transcript must indicate who is speaking—the coach or the client—at any time in the conversation. In addition, the transcript must list the coach’s statements and the client’s statements on separate lines. Again, this will markedly improve the clarity of your transcript and it can really help your assessor work with your recording efficiently.

Include Time Stamps

When I am assessing a recording, it is not unusual to go back and forth through the transcripts many times to be sure I have captured all evidence of the competencies I am hearing. Timestamps make this process so much simpler. And, they help me to make sure that my notes are specific enough to provide helpful mentor coaching feedback. Your transcript must include timestamps every time there is a  change in the speaker between the coach and the client. This is also great practice for getting feedback in your mentor coaching sessions. When you provide a recording to your mentor coach, try providing a transcript as well. Timestamps will help your mentor coach provide even more specific references to what you said (and how your client reacted) when providing feedback.

Match the Language of the Coaching Session

If you have coached in a language other than English, your transcript must be in that language. You must also provide an English translation of that same transcript. At this time, the ICF offers performance evaluations in English only. All of the same guidelines for accuracy, timestamps, and labeling still apply to both your same-language transcript and your English translation.

Submit the Correct Format

Even though PDF format document sharing has become standard practice in many circumstances, this is not the case for your coaching transcript. The final document that you upload, must be provided in .DOC, .DOCX or similar word processing file format. Transcripts provided in PDF format will not be accepted.

Hire a Professional

This is not a requirement, but I have absolutely found this to be a best practice. Unless you are a whiz on the keyboard with loads of experience, transcribing your own recordings can be tedious and time-consuming. Plus, you run the risk of missing key content because of your familiarity with the conversation you are attempting to transcribe. I have used a number of transcription services over the years. Lately, I have been using GoTranscript and I have been pretty impressed with the results. Their prices are competitive and they have returned clean copy quickly. No matter what transcription service you use, you will likely have a choice between ‘machine transcription’ and ‘human transcription’. I always recommend that coaches use human transcription. Machine transcription is faster and cheaper, but in my experience, machine transcribed transcripts usually need a good deal of editing before they are ready to share. Since the transcribing your coaching for ICF credentials requires exactitude, you’ll want to be sure you are choosing an option that will give you the best results.

Remember, It’s Just One of the Steps

Getting ready to apply for an ICF credential can be a bit daunting. I provided some tips for this in an earlier blog, How to Plan for Your ICF Credential Application. Transcribing your coaching is just one of the steps in assessing your own work and developing your professionalism and capability as a coach. It’s important to get it right.

Of course, if you are embarking on the credential path and seeking a guide, I’d be happy to help! Book a Credential Strategy Session and get your plan in place once and for all!