If you are looking for a communication coach to help you with your effectiveness as a communicator, I urge you to check out the new book published by Rutledge. It’s called The Handbook of Communication Training. It features 50 different communication professionals, experts, professors, and practitioners from around the United States who have come together to agree that the best communication coaching and learning happens when your coach has been trained and shows prowess in these seven best practices. They are:

1. Maintain transparency to clients and trainees
2. Use assessable methods
3. Demonstrate technology proficiency
4. Demonstrate professional development
5. Develop and maintain organizational expertise
6. Demonstrate effective and appropriate instructional design
7. Demonstrate communication proficiency

These are the seven best practices that every communication coach should exhibit. The National Communication Association endorses these seven. Does your coach even belong to this association? Have they done any additional training to keep their skills current?  Communication coaching is a very personal experience that does more than count the number of “uhms” you say and tell you where to put your hands when you speak.

Communication coaches should be well trained and understand the best practices that will help you learn.   In their book, The Handbook of Communication Training, Wallace and Becker give much more detail to each of the seven best practices. The book is now being used as text to help coaches and trainers know how to be most effective with their clients.  If you are a human resources professional or an independent person, or simply looking to use a communication coach, I urge you to do this bit of research. Then, you will know you are getting the best professional service.