The 8 ICF Core Competencies, Explained
The ICF Core Competencies define what professional coaching looks like in practice. They are the basis of every ICF credential (ACC, PCC, MCC), the Credentialing Exam, and the recorded-session evaluation. This guide explains all eight in plain language, with the markers assessors look for, the most common mistakes, and a sample question for each.
The 8 competencies in four domains
What are the ICF Core Competencies?
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) Core Competencies are the eight capabilities a professional coach must demonstrate. They describe observable behaviour — what a coach actually does in a session — rather than theory, which is why assessors can score a recorded session against them and why the Credentialing Exam is built from scenarios rather than definitions.
The current model is the 2025 ICF Core Competencies, released in September 2025 after a 14-month job analysis with data from nearly 3,000 coaches. It keeps the eight competencies ICF introduced in 2019, when it replaced the original eleven, and refines them: five new sub-competencies, eleven revised ones, an updated definition for Competency 2 (Embodies a Coaching Mindset) and a glossary of terms. See what changed in 2025.
If you are pursuing a credential, the competencies are not one topic among many — they are the syllabus. See the ICF certification guide for what each level requires.
What changed in the 2025 ICF Core Competencies
ICF's comparison chart summarises the update this way: no new main competencies, five new sub-competencies, revisions to eleven existing sub-competencies, one updated competency definition and a new glossary of terms. Most of the change sits in Competency 2, Embodies a Coaching Mindset.
| Competency | New in 2025 | Reworded |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Demonstrates Ethical Practice | — | 1.04 |
| 2. Embodies a Coaching Mindset Definition updated | 2.09 Nurtures openness and curiosity in oneself, the client, and the coaching process. 2.10 Remains aware of the influence of one’s thoughts and behaviors on the client and others | 2.02, 2.04, 2.06, 2.07 |
| 3. Establishes and Maintains Agreements | 3.12 Revisits the coaching agreement when necessary to ensure the coaching approach is meeting the client's needs | 3.01, 3.02, 3.11 |
| 4. Cultivates Trust and Safety | — | — |
| 5. Maintains Presence | 5.03 Remains aware of what is emerging for self and client in the present moment | — |
| 6. Listens Actively | — | 6.02, 6.05 |
| 7. Evokes Awareness | — | 7.11 |
| 8. Facilitates Client Growth | 8.07 Partners with the client to integrate learning and sustain progress throughout the coaching engagement | 8.08 |
- •Competency 2 definition now opens with ongoing personal and professional learning and development, and working with coaching supervisors or mentor coaches as needed. Its sub-competencies add biases (2.04), current best practices and use of technology (2.02), managing rather than regulating emotions (2.06), and well-being before, during and after each session (2.07).
- •Agreements now start with describing your coaching philosophy (3.01), include the client's commitment to working toward coaching goals (3.02), and add revisiting the coaching agreement when the approach is not meeting the client's needs (3.12).
- •Numbering shifted in Competency 5 (new 5.03; the old 5.03–5.06 are now 5.04–5.07) and Competency 8 (new 8.07; "Celebrates" became "Acknowledges the client's progress and successes", now 8.08; closing the session is now 8.09).
Each competency guide lists the full 2025 wording with the changed items labelled. Our labels mark every wording difference visible in the chart, including minor ones such as 1.04, so they can exceed ICF's count of eleven. Sources: ICF — 2025 ICF Core Competencies (PDF) · ICF — 2019 to 2025 Comparison Chart (PDF) · ICF — Core Competencies.
All 8 ICF Core Competencies with markers
Demonstrates Ethical Practice
Demonstrates Ethical Practice means understanding and consistently applying coaching ethics and standards of coaching. This includes maintaining confidentiality, operating within professional boundaries, recognizing when a client needs a different type of support, and being transparent about the coaching process.
ICF definition (2025): Understands and consistently applies coaching ethics and standards of coaching
- ✓Maintains confidentiality with client information
- ✓Demonstrates personal integrity and honesty with the client
- ✓Acknowledges when coaching is not appropriate and refers out
Giving advice or consulting instead of coaching
“What would you like to focus on in our time together?”
Embodies a Coaching Mindset
Embodies a Coaching Mindset means engaging in ongoing personal and professional learning and development as a coach, working with coaching supervisors or mentor coaches as needed, and developing and maintaining a mindset that is open, curious, flexible, and client-centered. It includes acknowledging that clients are responsible for their own choices, developing an ongoing reflective practice, and staying aware of how your own biases, thoughts and behaviors influence the client. The 2025 update expanded this competency more than any other.
ICF definition (2025): Engages in ongoing personal and professional learning and development as a coach. Works with coaching supervisors or mentor coaches as needed. Develops and maintains a mindset that is open, curious, flexible and client-centered.
- ✓Acknowledges that clients are responsible for their own choices
- ✓Engages in ongoing learning and development as a coach
- ✓Develops an ongoing reflective practice to enhance coaching
Believing you know what's best for the client
“What's coming up for you as you explore this?”
Establishes and Maintains Agreements
Establishes and Maintains Agreements means partnering with the client and relevant stakeholders to create clear agreements about the coaching relationship, process, plans, and goals. It includes establishing agreements for the overall coaching engagement as well as for each coaching session.
ICF definition (2025): Partners with the client and relevant stakeholders to create clear agreements about the coaching relationship, process, plans and goals. Establishes agreements for the overall coaching engagement as well as those for each coaching session.
- ✓Describes one's coaching philosophy and clearly defines what coaching is and is not
- ✓Reaches agreement about what is appropriate and not appropriate in the relationship
- ✓Reaches agreement about the coaching relationship guidelines
Jumping into coaching without establishing what the client wants to work on
“What would you like to focus on today?”
Cultivates Trust and Safety
Cultivates Trust and Safety means partnering with the client to create a safe, supportive environment that allows the client to share freely. It involves maintaining a relationship of mutual respect and trust, and demonstrating genuine care for the client's wellbeing and future.
ICF definition (2025): Partners with the client to create a safe, supportive environment that allows the client to share freely. Maintains a relationship of mutual respect and trust.
- ✓Seeks to understand the client within their context
- ✓Demonstrates respect for the client's identity, perceptions, style, and language
- ✓Acknowledges and respects the client's unique talents, insights, and work
Moving too quickly to problem-solving before the client feels heard
“Thank you for sharing that. What else is there?”
Maintains Presence
Maintains Presence means being fully conscious and present with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded, and confident. It involves being present and flexible during the coaching process, dancing in the moment.
ICF definition (2025): Is fully conscious and present with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded and confident
- ✓Is present and flexible during the coaching process
- ✓Demonstrates curiosity during the coaching process
- ✓Manages own emotions to stay present with the client
Thinking about your next question instead of listening
“I'm noticing something as you say that. Can I share what I'm observing?”
Listens Actively
Listens Actively means focusing on what the client is and is not saying to fully understand what is being communicated in the context of the client systems and to support client self-expression. It includes listening to the client's words, tone, body language, and the underlying meaning.
ICF definition (2025): Focuses on what the client is and is not saying to fully understand what is being communicated in the context of the client systems and to support client self-expression
- ✓Considers the client's context, identity, and values when listening
- ✓Reflects or summarizes what the client is communicating to ensure clarity
- ✓Recognizes and inquires when there is more to what the client is communicating
Hearing words but missing the emotion behind them
“What I'm hearing is... Is that right?”
Evokes Awareness
Evokes Awareness means facilitating client insight and learning by using tools and techniques such as powerful questioning, silence, metaphor, or analogy. It's about helping the client see what they couldn't see before.
ICF definition (2025): Facilitates client insight and learning by using tools and techniques such as powerful questioning, silence, metaphor or analogy
- ✓Asks questions about the client, such as their way of thinking, values, needs, and beliefs
- ✓Asks questions that help the client explore beyond current thinking
- ✓Invites the client to share more about their experience in the moment
Asking leading questions that contain the 'right' answer
“What's the assumption behind that thought?”
Facilitates Client Growth
Facilitates Client Growth means partnering with the client to transform learning and insight into action. It promotes client autonomy in the coaching process, supporting the client to design goals, actions, and accountability measures that integrate their new learning.
ICF definition (2025): Partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action. Promotes client autonomy in the coaching process.
- ✓Works with the client to integrate new awareness into their worldview and behaviors
- ✓Partners with the client to design goals, actions, and accountability measures
- ✓Acknowledges and supports client autonomy in the design of goals and actions
Telling the client what actions to take
“What's one step you could take this week?”
How the competencies are assessed: ACC, PCC and MCC
The same eight competencies apply at every level; what changes is the depth and consistency assessors expect. ICF publishes behavioural markers for the PCC level; ACC and MCC are described relative to them.
| Level | What assessors expect | Typical sign |
|---|---|---|
| ACC | The competencies are present and the coach does not slip into advising, leading or problem-solving. | Open questions, clear agreement, acknowledgment before action. |
| PCC | Consistent, skilful use across the whole session; the coach works with the client's way of thinking, not just the topic. | Reflects patterns and emotions, invites the client to design their own actions and accountability. |
| MCC | Mastery: full partnership with the whole person — identity, values, beliefs — with lightness, silence and intuition used deliberately. | Few, deep questions; the client does most of the discovering. |
Assessment happens through the scenario-based Credentialing Exam and, for most paths, a recorded session scored against these markers. Details by level are in the certification guide.
Core Competencies vs the ICF Code of Ethics
The Code of Ethics is the profession's rulebook: confidentiality, conflicts of interest, honesty about qualifications, boundaries with sponsors, and the duty to refer a client who needs other support. Competency 1, Demonstrates Ethical Practice, is how that rulebook shows up in a live session — for example, pausing coaching when a client discloses risk, or declining a sponsor's request for session content.
On the exam, ethics scenarios are where directive coaches most often choose the worst answer, because the "helpful" response (sharing, advising, continuing) breaks a boundary. Read the Code once end to end before you sit the exam.
ICF Team Coaching Competencies
ICF's Team Coaching Competencies are for coaches who work with an intact team as the client rather than with one person. ICF describes them as building on the Core Competencies by adding sub-competencies tailored to team contexts. In practice, each core competency reads differently when the client is a team:
| Core competency | What changes when the client is a team |
|---|---|
| Ethical Practice | Confidentiality across team members and the sponsor; clarity on how team coaching differs from facilitation, training or consulting. |
| Coaching Mindset | Treating the team as a single entity, while staying aware of your own reactions to individuals in it. |
| Agreements | Agreements with the team and the sponsor about collective goals, roles and how the work will run. |
| Trust and Safety | Safety for the group: full participation from every member, and room for disagreement and conflict. |
| Presence | Attunement to group dynamics — what is happening between people, not only within them. |
| Active Listening | Listening to the team's collective voice and patterns, not a series of individual conversations. |
| Evokes Awareness | Helping the team see its own patterns and what drives its performance and cohesion. |
| Client Growth | Coordinated action: the team designs and owns its commitments and accountability. |
The team competencies underpin the ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC). ICF lists these requirements: an ICF credential at any level in good standing, 60+ hours of team coaching education, 5 team coaching engagements over the last 5 years, 5 hours of coaching supervision, and a passing score on the ICF Team Coaching Certification Exam.
If your goal is an individual credential, master the core eight first; team coaching builds on them. Sources: ICF — Team Coaching Competencies · ICF — ACTC.
Neuroscience and the ICF Core Competencies
The ICF Core Competencies are not a neuroscience model. ICF built them from a job analysis of what practising coaches do, and assessors score observable behaviour in a session. Neither the exam nor the performance evaluation asks you about the brain.
Many coach-training programs still use ideas from neuroscience and psychology to explain why certain competencies matter. Used carefully, they are a helpful lens:
- •Safety before challenge. People who feel judged or threatened tend to think less openly. That is one way to explain why Cultivates Trust and Safety comes before evoking awareness.
- •Insight the client owns. Coaches often find that conclusions a client reaches themselves stick better than advice. That is the reasoning behind Evokes Awareness and the exam's preference for questions over suggestions.
- •From insight to habit. New behaviour needs small, specific, repeated actions. That is the practical core of Facilitates Client Growth.
- •Attention is limited. A coach planning the next question is not fully listening. That is the everyday case for Maintains Presence.
A caution: popular "brain-based coaching" claims often go further than the research supports. Treat neuroscience as a way to explain the competencies, not as a source of new rules, and never present it to clients as a diagnosis.
How to develop the competencies
- •Review recordings against the markers. Mark each moment you advised, led or interpreted, and write the coaching alternative. This is what mentor coaches do; doing it yourself first makes their hours count.
- •Practise one competency at a time. A week on acknowledgment before action (Competency 4), a week on reflecting patterns rather than facts (Competency 6).
- •Get scored, often. An AI practice session lets you coach a realistic client and receive a report on all eight competencies with quotes from your own conversation — daily repetitions between real clients.
- •Use a structure until you don't need it. The GROW model keeps agreements and actions explicit while the competencies become reflexes.
Related: how to develop the ICF core competencies: a practice plan · coaching scenarios for training · ICF mentor coaching · coaching question bank · focused exercises
ICF Core Competencies FAQ
What are the 8 ICF Core Competencies?+
1) Demonstrates Ethical Practice, 2) Embodies a Coaching Mindset, 3) Establishes and Maintains Agreements, 4) Cultivates Trust and Safety, 5) Maintains Presence, 6) Listens Actively, 7) Evokes Awareness, 8) Facilitates Client Growth. They are grouped into four domains: Foundation, Co-Creating the Relationship, Communicating Effectively, and Cultivating Learning and Growth.
When were the ICF Core Competencies updated?+
Most recently in September 2025. ICF released the 2025 ICF Core Competencies (rev. 09.08.25) after a 14-month global job analysis with data from nearly 3,000 coaches. The previous update was 2019, when ICF replaced its original 11 competencies with the current 8. The 2025 update keeps the same 8 competencies.
What changed in the 2025 ICF Core Competencies?+
According to ICF's 2019 to 2025 comparison chart: no new main competencies, five new sub-competencies (2.09, 2.10, 3.12, 5.03, 8.07), revisions to 11 existing sub-competencies, one updated competency definition (Competency 2, Embodies a Coaching Mindset, which now includes ongoing learning and working with coaching supervisors or mentor coaches as needed), and a new glossary of terms. Competency 2 changed the most: two new sub-competencies and four reworded ones.
How are the ICF Core Competencies assessed?+
Two ways: the ICF Credentialing Exam (scenario-based, best/worst responses) and, for most paths, a recorded coaching session that assessors score against the competency markers. ACC requires the competencies to be present; PCC requires them consistently and skilfully; MCC requires mastery and partnership with the whole person.
What is the difference between ICF Core Competencies and the Code of Ethics?+
The Code of Ethics is a set of professional standards (confidentiality, conflicts of interest, integrity). Competency 1, Demonstrates Ethical Practice, is the competency that shows a coach applies that Code in real sessions. The exam tests both.
What are the ICF Team Coaching Competencies?+
ICF's Team Coaching Competencies build on the 8 Core Competencies by adding sub-competencies for coaching a team as a single client: working with group dynamics, collective listening, team trust and safety, confidentiality across team members and sponsor, and helping the team act together. They underpin the ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC), open to ICF credential-holders at any level.
Are the ICF Core Competencies based on neuroscience?+
No. ICF built the model from a job analysis of what practising coaches actually do, and the exam and performance evaluations assess observable behaviour, not knowledge of neuroscience. Many coach-training programs use ideas from neuroscience and psychology to explain why behaviours such as building safety or letting the client reach their own insight matter, but that is an explanatory lens, not part of the ICF standard.
How can I practise the ICF Core Competencies?+
Record and review real sessions against the markers, work with a mentor coach, do peer coaching, and use AI practice sessions that score every session on all 8 competencies with quotes from your own conversation.
Core ICF resources
- ICF PCC and MCC requirements — ACC, PCC and MCC requirements, cost and exam at a glance
- ICF exam prep — Exam format, 10 sample questions and a 4-week study plan
- ICF mentor coaching — The 10-hour requirement, who can mentor you, what happens
- Coaching scenarios for training — 130+ practice situations, including difficult clients
- Free ICF practice exam — 20 scenario questions in the best/worst format, scored
Get scored on all 8 competencies today
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