The Updated ICF Core Competencies: A Framework for Reflective Coaching
Nov 06, 2025
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) recently released the updated ICF Core Competencies. These competencies define the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviors that professional coaches need to develop to deliver meaningful, results-driven coaching experiences.
An Evidence-Based Update
Every five to seven years, the ICF undertakes a comprehensive, evidence-based review of its competency framework. This process ensures the model evolves alongside the profession itself.
The 2025 Global Coaching Job Analysis sought to understand how coaching practice has evolved since the previous update in 2019. Over a 14-month period, ICF used a combination of literature reviews, focus groups, surveys, and task analyses to assess how the Knowledge, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KAOs) of coaching have changed.
The study engaged nearly 3,000 coaches worldwide, including both ICF members and nonmembers, representing a diverse range of coaching disciplines, training backgrounds, and experience levels.
What’s New in the 2025 ICF Core Competencies
While no new main competencies have been introduced, the 2025 update includes several meaningful refinements:
- Five new sub-competencies have been added.
- Eleven existing sub-competencies were revised for clarity and alignment with modern practice.
- One competency definition was updated.
- A new glossary of terms was added to improve shared understanding and consistency across the profession.
These changes are designed to ensure the framework continues to reflect the realities of contemporary coaching.
Why the ICF Core Competencies Matter
The ICF Core Competencies are organized into four integral areas:
- Foundation
- Co-Creating the Relationship
- Communicating Effectively
- Cultivating Learning and Growth
These competencies serve as both a standard and a roadmap for professional development. Whether you’re a new coach building foundational skills or an experienced practitioner seeking refinement, the competencies provide a shared language and benchmark for excellence.
A Model for All Coaches
Perhaps most inspiring is ICF’s commitment to inclusivity and collaboration. This openness reflects ICF’s values of reflection, awareness, and intentional change, as well as its willingness to evolve for the better.
With these updated competencies, the ICF demonstrates its commitment to the very principles it promotes—reflection, awareness, and intentional growth. The organization continues to evolve in pursuit of what it believes is better, offering a framework designed to support all coaches—whether or not they are ICF members—in practicing with purpose and integrity.
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