The Co-Active Training Institute

July 11, 2023 Johanna Lundgren

The Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) (formerly known as the Coaches Training Institute) is the first and largest, in-person coach training school in the world, and pioneers in positioning coaching and relationship management as core leadership competencies. It is the first organization to be accredited bythe International Coach Federation, and is renowned for contextually based, experientially driven, transformative learning.

Founded in 1992, CTI has trained over 62,000 individuals in 24 countries through public programs (coach training, certification and leadership development) and onsite corporate programs (leadership development, coach training, facilitating change, fostering collaborative working relationships).

CTI has a global pool of 175+ highly qualified faculty members and over 10,000 Certified Professional Co-Active Coaches (graduates who have completed CTI’s coach training and certification program). Our organizational clients span multiple industry sectors on multiple continents.

CTI is also committed to building community and deepening the learning of its students through its robust Co-Active Network – an online network with over 22,000 members, along with a network of community representatives throughout North America who gather people together to learn, to have fun, and/or just to connect with fellow Co-Activists.

The book Co-Active Coaching: The Proven Framework for Transformative Conversations at Work and In Life, now in its 4th edition and co-authored by CTI’s co-founders, Karen and Henry Kimsey-House, is considered a seminal work in the field. It is the text-book used in many coaching schools and programs and is a staple on organizational bookshelves around the world.

Karen and Henry Kimsey-House also co-authored Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead, based on the revolutionary idea that leadership needs to be approached in a multidimensional way, recognizing the need for fluidity and flexibility, enabling leaders to adapt their leadership to the needs of any situation.

The Co-Active model transcends geography because it operates at an intercultural level – fully honoring the diversity and culture of each individual while continually pointing back to the universal experience we share ashuman beings.

About the Co-Active Model

CTI’s renowned Co-Active Model balances self-awareness, a keen agility with relationships, and courageous action to create an environment where individuals are fulfilled and connected to others.

Our model is based on the principle of “Co-Active” interaction, a relationship-based approach rooted in the competencies of emotional intelligence and the belief that people have an inherent desire to strive toward meaningful and fulfilling goals.

“Co” stands for relationship, connection, intuition and deep listening — the “being” side of our humanity. “Active” stands for power, courage, direction, action, results — the “doing” side of our humanity.

Co-Active training fosters the capability to effectively balance these two energies, thus enriching dialogue, enhancing relationships and freeing people to coax the best out of themselves and each other.

Dr. Carol Kauffman, Executive Director of the Institute of Coaching (a Harvard Medical School affiliate) says, “CTI offers a gold standard of coach training, and the Co-Active Model behind it is remarkably congruent with a vast body of research in positive psychology and coaching. In the future, results will continue to show how science can be mapped to the four cornerstones of the Co-Active Model.”

People are Naturally Creative,

Resourceful, and Whole

Supporting Research:

Maslow’s Actualizing Tendency
Positive Psychology
Appreciative Inquiry
Strength Theory
Humanistic Psychology
Evoke Transformation
Supporting Research:

Immunity to Change
Pygmalion Effect
Broaden and Build
Positivity 3.1
Stages of Change
Hope Theory

Dance in This Moment

Supporting Research:

Emergent Process
Improvisation
Complexity Theory
Mindfulness
Focus on the Whole Person
Supporting Research:
Bio-psycho-social-spiritual Model
P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Model

Distinguishing Features of the Co-Active Model

For coaching in general, there is no universal reference manual with standard diagnoses and coaching solutions neatly defined. Coaching is inherently dynamic; that is one of the fundamental qualities of coaching and the primary reason for its power as a medium for change.

What makes Co-Active coaching different is that it is not about solving problems. Rather it is first and foremost about discovery, awareness and choice. It is a about empowering others to find their own answers, to discover their own resourcefulness – all in the service of improving performance, attaining goals and achieving results.

Accordingly, there is no one single element of the Co-Active Model that distinguishes it from others. It is a dynamic model in which the elements operate seamlessly in various combinations at various times to create a powerful experience and a path to transformation for the client.

An illustrative example is one of the Cornerstones: People are naturally, creative, resourceful and whole. In Co-Active coaching, we take a stand that people are, by their very nature, fully creative and resourceful. They are capable: capable of finding answers, capable of choosing, capable of taking action, capable of recovering when things don’t go as planned, and most importantly, capable of learning and growing.

The alternative belief is a belief that people are fragile and dependent. In this context, the internal coach’s job would be to guide the client to the safest possible outcome. Consider the distinction. Coaches who take a stand for their client’s resourcefulness and creativity become champions for their clients. The coach becomes curious, asks powerful questions and explores often expansive possibilities with the client. This is all in service of the client’s growth and learning as a leader.

CTI’s view on Co-Active coaching, and on coaching in general, is that it is a process that exists to serve the client’s higher purpose. Co-Active coaching is not so much a methodology as it is a relationship – a particular kind of relationship that is framed by the Cornerstones, Contexts and Principles embedded in the Co-Active Model. The real art of coaching comes from the coach’s ability to both create and work in the context of relationship.

Co-Active Coach Training - Core Curriculum

CTI’s flagship training program is the Co-Active Coaching core curriculum. This coach training program is fully accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and has been delivered across the globe for the past 30 years. CTI was the first coaching school accredited by the ICF and is the largest in-person coach training school in the world. Over 62,000 people have had exposure to CTI’s acclaimed Co-Active Coaching methodology.

The core curriculum is comprised of the five (5) highly interactive Co-Active Coach Training workshops. Key elements of each of workshop include:

Live demonstration of Co-Active Coaching by two course leaders. This provides learners with awareness of the skills of Co-Active Coaching by actual example.
Application exercises designed to have participants practice a range of coaching skills in actual coaching conversations with colleagues in the workshop.
Group coaching exercises that provide learners with a chance to witness others applying the skills of coaching, providing “learning through others.”
Learning exercises that are based on current, real situations that participants encounter in the workplace (not role play).
Workshop1:Fundamentals 2.5DAYS–18.75CCEUnits
Focus: The 2 1⁄2-day Co-Active Fundamentals course is the first course in CTI’s Co-Active Coaching curriculum The focus for the Fundamental course is on introducing coaches to the Co-Active Model, and to the fundamental skills of coaching.
Hands-on training provides a powerful introduction to the techniques and skills of Co-Active Coaching. The focus is on participation and practical experience rather than lecture, with numerous opportunities to coach and receive feedback on newly acquired coaching skills.
Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop internal coaches will:

Have an introduction to the Co-Active Model and to the fundamental skills of coaching
Be able to use the Co-Active model to enhance communication
Know how to distinguish and use three levels of listening to strengthen relationships
Use powerful questions in coaching conversations with internal clients

Workshop 2: Fulfillment

3 DAYS – 21.50 CCE Units

Focus: This 3-day Fulfillment course provides participants with in-depth training on working with clients to create a greater clarity regarding individual and organizational values,

vision, and purpose and the alignment between the two. Participants learn to work with clients so that they create a values-based vision that serves them and their organization in meaningful ways.

In this course, coaches will develop skills for helping clients discover their unique values, identify self-defeating influences, and create their own vision for a compelling future. Fulfillment coaching is about having clients let go of preconceived rules and limitations, and step into greater possibility for their leadership in work and in life.

Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop coaches will:

Have a thorough understanding of, and in-depth practice with, the principle of Fulfillment coaching
Be able to work with clients in identifying their unique values and assessing their satisfaction with brining those values to the workplace

• Be able to work with a client to identify self-defeating influences and move into action in spite of these influences

Workshop 3: Balance 3 DAYS – 21.25 CCE Units

Focus: This 3-day Balance course focuses on working with clients to help them view their opportunities and challenges from a range of vantage points and perspectives. Participants will

learn how to guide clients in developing multiple perspectives on a situation leading to more powerful and effective frameworks from which to make choices and move into action.

Balance coaching is about guiding clients to make powerful, impactful choices, and to select the outcomes they want most. Balance coaching results in action that is effective, empowered and focused.

Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop coaches will:

Have a thorough understanding of, and in-depth practice with the principle of Balance coaching
Be able to lead clients to develop several useful perspectives on a particular situation
Be able to coach internal clients on planning from possibility rather than circumstances
Have new techniques and structures to get clients into sustained, effective action

Workshop 4: Process

3 DAYS – 21.25 CCE Units

Focus: In the 3-day Process course, coaches learn how to help clients work through emotionally-charged issues and to understand that, although uncomfortable, chaos and

confusion are critical to a client’s growth and forward motion. Process coaching is about being with clients wherever they are, allowing them to more fully know themselves.

Participants will discover a greater capacity to stay present as a coach and connected with clients wherever they go in the coaching conversation. The Process workshop will expand the participant’s coaching skills to support clients in their own emotional self-awareness and ability to be fully present with all of the peaks and valleys of organizational life.

Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop coaches will:

Have a thorough understanding of and in-depth practice with the principle of Process coaching
Be comfortable working with emotionally charged issues with their clients
Know how to use Process coaching skills to have clients fully experience what exists for
them rather than simply talking about it

Workshop 5: Synergy 3 DAYS – 21.25 CCE Units

Focus: Synergy focuses on integrating all the coaching skills learned in previous courses and taking Co-Active Coaching to a higher level of impact and professionalism. It provides polish, depth and courage to better respond to a wide range of clients and coaching situations with creativity, confidence, and power.

Participants will learn to apply the different coaching techniques learned to date in an integrated fashion, crafting a tailored approach to most effectively meet the needs of each client and each situation.

Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop coaches will:

Have a thorough understanding of, and in-depth practice with, the principle of Co- Active coaching as a fully integrated approach to leadership development
Demonstrate an ability to coach clients using the principles of Fulfillment, Balance and Process
Be able to create in the moment from what’s most needed, rather than from preconceived templates
Articulate, integrate and demonstrate the principles, contexts, cornerstones and skills of Co-Active Coaching
Co-Active Coach Certification Program
This richly challenging, in-depth program is recognized as the most rigorous in the industry and takes place over a 6-month period. A team of CTI trained coaches, all of whom are also credentialed as either Professional Certified Coaches or Master Certified Coaches by the International Coach Federation work with you via web-based video throughout the program. The work includes hands-on coaching, ongoing group work, and one-on-one supervision of actual coaching sessions. Upon successful conclusion of the program participants are awarded a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) credential.
The Certification program is an intensive 25-week program consisting of a series of twenty- four, 90-minute calls, as follows:

12 Topic Module calls during which a Certification Pod Leader reviews Co-Active coaching skills and professional and ethical guidelines for coaches
9 Triad calls during which students receive real time feedback on their coaching skills from two other program participants
3 Supervision calls during which a CTI Supervisor listens to a recording of the student’s coaching and provides tailored, directive feedback

In addition to participating in all the calls listed above, a student is required to deliver 100 hours of paid coaching and successfully pass both an oral and written coaching exam before earning a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) certification from CTI.

Outcomes of participating in the Co-Active Coach Certification Program:

A professional credential from the world’s best, most rigorous, ICF-accredited, coach- training program. You will receive more personalized attention than in any other program.
In-depth and personalized feedback about your coaching from master coaches.
Learning that is designed to build coaching mastery through modeling, practice,
feedback, adjustment and continued practice.
Deeper client relationships as a result of the skills you learned coupled with the
deepening of your confidence and authenticity in using these skills.
Belonging to a global network of thousands of Certified Professional Co-Active Coaches
(CPCC).