Maintains Presence: Mastering a Fundamental ICF Core Competency
- Lily Chan
- Aug 13, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 3
Last Updated: March 3, 2025
The Power of Being Fully Present
In the dynamic world of professional coaching, few competencies impact client outcomes as profoundly as a coach's ability to maintain presence. Recognized by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as one of its core competencies, "Maintains Presence" represents the coach's capacity to remain fully conscious and engaged with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded, and confident.
As coaching has evolved, this competency has gained increasing recognition not merely as a desirable trait but as an essential foundation for transformative coaching relationships. This article explores the dimensions of presence, its impact on coaching effectiveness, and practical strategies for coaches to deepen this critical skill—particularly for those preparing for ICF credentialing.
Understanding "Maintains Presence" in the ICF Framework
According to the ICF Competency Model, "Maintains Presence" involves being fully conscious and present with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded, and confident. This competency encompasses several key behaviors that credential assessors specifically evaluate:
Being Present and Flexible
Coaches who excel in this competency:
Remain focused, observant, empathetic, and responsive during coaching sessions
Demonstrate curiosity during the coaching process
Manage their own emotions effectively while working with clients
Are comfortable with not knowing and take risks when appropriate
Create or allow space for silence, pause, or reflection
Demonstrating Openness and Confidence
Presence is also characterized by:
Staying open to the client's perspectives and views, even when they differ from the coach's
Working with client emotions, energy shifts, non-verbal cues, and other sensory information
Showing confidence when working with strong client emotions
Being comfortable in the coaching relationship without excessive need to perform or prove value
Why Presence Transforms Coaching Relationships
Presence isn't simply about being physically in the room or attentive on a call. True coaching presence creates a container for transformation by:
Creating Psychological Safety
When clients sense a coach is fully present—not distracted, judging, or formulating responses—they experience deeper psychological safety. This safety enables clients to explore vulnerable territories, confront limiting beliefs, and experiment with new perspectives.
Research from neuroscience confirms that psychological safety activates regions of the brain associated with creativity, insight, and learning, while reducing activation in regions associated with threat responses and defensive thinking.
Facilitating Deeper Awareness
A present coach notices subtle shifts in a client's energy, tone, or body language, often reflecting unconscious processes that the client may not recognize. By bringing attention to these moments, coaches help clients access deeper layers of awareness that might otherwise remain hidden.
Modeling What's Possible
The coach's presence serves as a powerful demonstration of the focused attention, emotional regulation, and non-reactivity that many clients seek to develop. This modeling occurs implicitly through the coaching relationship, creating a lived experience of what's possible.
Presence in Action: Real-World Coaching Scenarios
Note: Names have been changed and permission was obtained to share these client stories while protecting confidentiality.
Let's examine how presence manifests in diverse coaching contexts:
Scenario 1: Navigating Intense Emotions
Context: Michael, an executive coach, works with Sophia, a senior leader facing a significant organizational restructuring. During their session, Sophia suddenly becomes overwhelmed with emotion when discussing potential team impacts.
Presence-Based Response:
Michael maintains his grounding, neither pulling back from Sophia's emotion nor jumping in to comfort her
He allows silence to hold the space while maintaining warm eye contact
When Sophia apologizes for her emotional response, Michael acknowledges: "These are significant changes affecting people you care about. Your emotion speaks to your values as a leader."
He stays attuned to Sophia's readiness to continue, neither rushing nor prolonging the emotional moment
Outcome: Sophia experiences her emotions as valid and informative rather than inappropriate. This allows her to integrate the emotional dimension of leadership into her restructuring plans, ultimately leading to more thoughtful implementation.
Scenario 2: Working with Resistance
Context: Aisha, a life coach, notices her client James becoming defensive when exploring patterns in his relationships. His posture stiffens, his responses become shorter, and he begins intellectualizing rather than reflecting.
Presence-Based Response:
Aisha notices these shifts without immediately labeling them as "resistance"
She adjusts her pace and shifts to a more curious, tentative tone
Rather than pushing harder on the relationship patterns, she acknowledges the sensitivity: "I notice a shift in our conversation. I wonder if we've touched on something important here."
She remains comfortable with James's discomfort without needing to quickly resolve it
Outcome: James gradually recognizes his own defensive pattern and chooses to explore what's beneath it. This moment of self-awareness becomes more valuable than the original topic they were discussing.
Scenario 3: Navigating Uncertainty and Not Knowing
Context: David, a career coach, works with Lin, who is exploring a completely new industry. During their session, Lin asks David for specific advice about breaking into this field.
Presence-Based Response:
David acknowledges the limits of his knowledge without diminishing his value as a coach
He remains confident in the coaching process despite not having industry-specific expertise
Rather than offering generic advice or pretending expertise, he says, "I don't have specific experience in that industry, but I'm confident we can explore this together. What aspects are you most curious about?"
He partners with Lin to identify resources and approaches to gather the information she needs
Outcome: Lin develops greater agency in her career exploration and learns a process for navigating unfamiliar territory that will serve her beyond this specific industry change.
Developing Deeper Presence: Practical Strategies for Coaches
Presence is not an innate trait but a skill that can be cultivated through deliberate practice. Here are evidence-based strategies for developing greater presence:
1. Establish pre-session rituals
Create a consistent routine before coaching sessions to center yourself
Practice 3-5 minutes of mindful breathing to clear mental chatter
Review client notes with an intention of curiosity rather than assumption
Set a clear intention for your presence in the upcoming session
2. Develop somatic awareness
Regularly check in with your body during sessions
Notice when you feel tension or contraction and use it as information
Practice grounding techniques like feeling your feet on the floor
Use your breath as an anchor when you notice your attention wandering
3. Cultivate mindfulness in daily life
Establish a regular meditation practice to strengthen attention muscles
Practice mindful transitions between activities throughout your day
Engage in activities that require full presence (nature walks, creative arts)
Reduce multitasking, which trains the brain for distraction, not presence
4. Embrace not knowing
Practice curiosity when you feel the urge to advise or solve
Keep a "beginner's mind" journal where you reflect on assumptions challenged
Ask questions that you genuinely don't know the answer to
Notice when you're formulating responses rather than truly listening
5. Work with recordings and feedback
Record your coaching sessions (with permission) and review your presence
Notice moments when you interrupt, get distracted, or miss client cues
Work with a mentor coach who can provide feedback on your presence
Ask trusted clients for specific feedback on their experience of your presence
Presence in ICF Credential Assessments
For coaches pursuing ICF credentials, demonstrating mastery of presence is essential. During performance evaluations, assessors specifically look for evidence of:
The coach's ability to stay focused on what is important for the client
Partnership with the client that avoids over-reliance on tools or rigid processes
Comfort with not knowing and not needing to have all the answers
Appropriate use of silence, pausing, and spaciousness in the conversation
Ability to work effectively with client emotions without becoming entangled
Common pitfalls in credential assessments include:
Rushing to fill silences rather than allowing them to serve the client
Focusing on the coaching process rather than being with the client
Shifting to advice-giving when faced with challenging moments
Missing significant emotional or energetic shifts in the client
Demonstrating discomfort with client emotions or uncertainty
Elevating Your Coaching Through Presence
Masterful presence distinguishes transformational coaching from merely transactional conversations. When clients experience a coach's full presence, they often report feeling "truly seen" for perhaps the first time. This experience alone can be profoundly healing and empowering.
To continually strengthen your presence:
Seek regular feedback on your presence from mentor coaches and clients
Engage in practices that develop your own self-awareness and emotional regulation
Remember that presence is not a destination but an ongoing practice
Notice when you're "performing coaching" rather than being present with your client
Prepare for Success in Your ICF Credential Journey
Understanding and embodying coaching presence isn't just essential for effective coaching—it's critical for successfully navigating the ICF credentialing process. The difference between passing and failing often hinges on demonstrating this fundamental competency.
If you're preparing for your ACC, PCC, or MCC credential, we offer specialized resources to help you master this and all other ICF core competencies:
ACC Exam Preparation - Comprehensive preparation specifically designed for Associate Certified Coach candidates.
PCC/MCC Exam Preparation - Advanced preparation for experienced coaches pursuing Professional or Master Certified Coach credentials.
Test Your Readiness Today
Uncertain about your grasp of the ICF core competencies? Our Free ICF Practice Exam provides immediate feedback on your understanding and highlights areas for further development. Taking this assessment now can save you months of misdirected preparation and significantly increase your chances of credential success.
Understanding the "Maintains Presence" competency is just one piece of the puzzle when preparing for the ICF exam. To truly assess your readiness, take advantage of our FREE ICF practice exam. This tool will help you gauge your current knowledge, identify areas where you need more focus, and build confidence as you prepare for the real exam.
Conclusion
Mastering the ICF core competency of "Maintains Presence" is essential for success in both your coaching career and the ICF credentialing exam. By understanding what it means to be fully present with your clients and practicing this skill regularly, you'll be well-prepared to demonstrate this competency in the exam and beyond. Don't forget to take our FREE ICF practice exam to assess your readiness and continue your journey towards becoming a certified ICF coach.
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