Of course, one of the main advantages of the 2010 study data is that it affords us a wonderful opportunity to provide global trending data that spans the last three-plus years. Within nations that appeared in both the 2010 and 2014 studies, the proportion of consumers who indicated that they were “very aware” of professional coaching rose six percent since 2010 to nearly one in five (19 percent).
It also appears that, among those consumers who have been in a coaching relationship, ensuring the knowledge, skills and professionalism of their coach is of paramount importance. When these same consumers were asked to describe the importance of their coach “having a certification/credential,” the vast majority (83 percent) of consumers affirmed that it was an important factor. In fact, two in five (40 percent) responded that this designation was “very important.”
In March 2014, ICF produced an infographic, titled Who’s Buying Coaching?, that provided some initial demographic information gleaned from our research about the current buyers of coaching. Among those individuals who had not yet been coached, more than half (55 percent) under age 45 indicated that they would consider coaching as a solution. We also noticed some interesting developments among younger consumers. Among respondents aged 25 to 34 who had been coached, more than half (54 percent) made it a point to confirm whether or not their coach held a certification/credential. So, what is the best news of all? Regardless of their age, the overwhelming majority (85 percent) of those individuals who had been coached indicated that they were satisfied (either very or somewhat) with their coaching experience.
Because there are so many more storylines still to emerge from this research, I invite you to visit Coachfederation.org/consumerstudy2014 to access summary reports, data sheets and other content based on findings from the 2014 Global Consumer Awareness Study.
This article originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Coaching World. CW is a quarterly digital magazine produced by the International Coach Federation. To have CW delivered to your email inbox four times per year, subscribe for free at icf.to/subscribetoCW.
