A coach can leave a session sure it went well and still struggle to say why. A shared, behaviour-based standard answers that question. The ICF Core Competencies are the one I chose to build CoachFlow on. Here is why, and how the feedback helps you whether or not you hold an ICF credential.
Why the ICF competencies
The International Coaching Federation framework is the most widely recognised global coaching standard, and its competency model is public and behaviour-based. It describes good coaching in observable terms, how you contract, hold trust, stay present, listen and evoke awareness, rather than in vague traits. That is what makes it a strong backbone for developmental feedback: you can point to a behaviour and a moment in the session, instead of a feeling.
The model was refreshed in September 2025. The shape stayed the same and the language was sharpened, with some sub-competencies revised and added. So the standard a coach is read against is current, not a relic.
The model, briefly
There are eight competencies, grouped into four domains.
- Foundation: Demonstrates Ethical Practice; Embodies a Coaching Mindset.
- Co-Creating the Relationship: Establishes and Maintains Agreements; Cultivates Trust and Safety; Maintains Presence.
- Communicating Effectively: Listens Actively; Evokes Awareness.
- Cultivating Learning and Growth: Facilitates Client Growth.
Most of what a client feels in a session lives in the middle two domains: how you hold the relationship, and how you listen and evoke. You can read the full descriptions on the ICF Core Competencies page.
How CoachFlow uses them
CoachFlow maps the behaviours in your transcript to these eight competencies. It scores each on a 1 to 10 scale, calibrates the read against the PCC standard, and points each observation to a short, attributed quote, then offers three development suggestions. The aim is a read you can act on, where each point is tied to something you said or did, so you can weigh it for yourself.
One boundary matters: this is developmental feedback, not an official ICF assessment. ICF assessors and your mentor coach remain the human standard. CoachFlow is built to prepare you for them, with cleaner evidence, rather than to stand in for them.
Who it helps
If you hold an ICF credential. A steady, between-sessions read for self-assessment, for preparing for mentor coaching, and for noticing patterns across sessions that one review on its own would miss.
If you are on the path, ACC to PCC. A way to get a sense of where you sit relative to the PCC standard, to build evidence of your development, and to coach toward the standard with specifics rather than guesswork.
If you are certified by another body, not ICF. The ICF competencies describe observable coaching behaviours that travel across schools: listening, presence, partnership, evoking awareness. You do not need to be pursuing an ICF credential to find a structured read against them useful. Treat it as a development lens, not a loyalty test. Many coaches trained elsewhere still want a clear, repeatable way to see their craft, and this gives them one.
What it will not do
CoachFlow does not award or guarantee a credential, replace your mentor coach, or act as an official assessment. It gives you evidence to reflect on, and to bring to the people who do those things.
If you want to see how your own session transcript reads against the eight competencies, start a 7-day free trial at coachflow.space. You are not charged when you sign up, and you can cancel during the trial at no cost.