ONLINE COURSE

The Next Level of Coaching

A Practical Introduction to Vertical Development

From October 21 to November 18, 2026

3 sessions, always on Wednesdays

7 AM (New Zealand)

From October 20 to November 17, 2026

3 sessions, always on Tuesdays

7 PM (United Kingdom/GMT)

Enroll now!

Find the time of the course in your Time Zone

Most coaching sharpens what a client already knows how to do, but some clients need to grow into a different way of thinking altogether.

This 4-hour course introduces developmental (vertical) coaching: how adults’ thinking itself evolves through stages, and how a coach can create the conditions for that growth rather than just adding new skills.

Participants leave with a working map of adult development and the coaching moves that support movement through it.

How long does the 'The Next Level of Coaching' program last?

The program consists of three sessions: one 80-minute session, one 70-minute session, and one 90-minute session. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays over a two-month period, starting at 7:00 AM NZ time (Tuesdays 7:00 PM UK time).
Classes will take place on October 21, November 4, and November 18, 2026 (NZ), or October 20, November 3, and November 17, 2026 (UK).

What are the three primary goals for this course?

Every participant leaves able to spot the difference between a horizontal and a vertical coaching challenge in their own client work.
Participants gain at least one new coaching question or technique they can use in their very next session.
This course sparks enough interest that a deeper, more advanced vertical coaching practicum becomes a viable future ICC Academy offering.

What are the three main learnings the participants will get from the event?

The difference between horizontal development (adding skills and knowledge) and vertical development (growing a client’s stage of thinking). Horizontal coaching asks, “How can I become better?” Vertical coaching asks, “Who do I need to become?”
A simple map of adult development they can use to recognise where a client’s meaning making is coming from and why its important for the coach to know this.
The conditions that create vertical growth for our clients and a powerful vertical development coaching approach including coaching tools and models.

Who is the primary audience for the event?

Experienced coaches, with client experience who want to move beyond skills-based coaching into developmental, vertical work.
Also relevant to internal coaches and OD/L&D professionals introducing developmental thinking into their organisations.

• What will the participants be able to do at the end of the event that they would not be able to do at the beginning?

By the end of the session, participants will be able to recognise when a client’s is wrestling with a developmental problem rather than a skills problem, and use specific coaching moves that create the conditions for vertical growth, rather than defaulting to advice or another horizontal technique or model.

How does the program work?

Find the event time in your Time Zone here.
All classes are live and recorded, and can be accessed at any time through the ICC Online Campus.
No live webinar planned. Instead, a free one-page overview of the three-stage development map will be offered to database contacts via email signup a few weeks before the course, giving a taste of the framework without the time cost of hosting a live session.
This is a 100% online course, taught in English.

Modules

Module 1 – What Vertical Development Actually Is (80 min)

Explore the difference between horizontal and vertical development through the apartment building metaphor. Horizontal development is like renovating your current apartment by adding new skills and knowledge. Vertical development is moving to a higher floor, where the same world is viewed from a broader perspective. Participants will explore why many coaching challenges are not about learning more, but about making meaning differently.

Exercise: participants sort a set of short client vignettes into the four stages, building pattern-recognition for spotting stage in real client language.

Module 2 – The Conditions That Create Vertical Growth (70 min)

Heat Experiences, Colliding Perspectives, and Elevated Sensemaking are Petrie’s three conditions that combine to produce real development, and why programmes that hit only one or two of them tend to fizzle.

Exercise: participants audit a current client relationship against the three conditions to identify what is missing and what to introduce.

Module 3 – The Coach’s Vertical Toolkit (90 min)

Hands-on practice with two practical tools, using stage maps to coach with a vertical lens, and Kegan’s Immunity to Change mapping process for uncovering the hidden beliefs that keep a client stuck.

Exercise: triad practice (coach, client, observer) running a mini Immunity to Change map on a real behaviour the participant wants to shift, closing with a personal commitment to try one tool in their next three sessions.

Raechel Ford serves as a Global Director and Coach Trainer of the ICC and oversees its operations in New Zealand. She is a highly respected and sought-after coach for senior executives, holding all 3 coaching qualifications from the ICC and a Masters in Developmental Coaching from the Boston Institute of Developmental Management.

With over 15 years of experience in executive coaching and leadership development, Raechel has designed and facilitated programs for renowned organizations in New Zealand, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bank of New Zealand, Southern Cross Healthcare, Te Whatu Ora, Dentons Kensington Swan, Mitre 10, Beca and Sport NZ, among other global brands.

Raechel’s business philosophy revolves around creating thriving workplaces through exceptional leadership practices that embrace diversity in all its forms, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. She assists individuals and teams in expanding their leadership capacity and capability, enabling them to navigate the challenging times and embrace exciting opportunities.

ONLINE COURSE

The Next Level of Coaching

A Practical Introduction to Vertical Development

From October 21 to November 18, 2026

3 sessions, always on Wednesdays

7 AM (New Zealand)

From October 20 to November 17, 2026

3 sessions, always on Tuesdays

7 PM (United Kingdom/GMT)

Find the time of the course in your Time Zone

Most coaching sharpens what a client already knows how to do, but some clients need to grow into a different way of thinking altogether.

This 4-hour course introduces developmental (vertical) coaching: how adults’ thinking itself evolves through stages, and how a coach can create the conditions for that growth rather than just adding new skills.

Participants leave with a working map of adult development and the coaching moves that support movement through it.

How long does the 'The Next Level of Coaching' program last?

The program consists of three sessions: one 80-minute session, one 70-minute session, and one 90-minute session. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays over a two-month period, starting at 7:00 AM NZ time (Tuesdays 7:00 PM UK time).

Classes will take place on October 21, November 4, and November 18, 2026 (NZ), or October 20, November 3, and November 17, 2026 (UK).

What are the three primary goals for this course?

Every participant leaves able to spot the difference between a horizontal and a vertical coaching challenge in their own client work.

Participants gain at least one new coaching question or technique they can use in their very next session.

This course sparks enough interest that a deeper, more advanced vertical coaching practicum becomes a viable future ICC Academy offering.

What are the three main learnings the participants will get from the event?

The difference between horizontal development (adding skills and knowledge) and vertical development (growing a client’s stage of thinking). Horizontal coaching asks, “How can I become better?” Vertical coaching asks, “Who do I need to become?”

A simple map of adult development they can use to recognise where a client’s meaning making is coming from and why its important for the coach to know this.

The conditions that create vertical growth for our clients and a powerful vertical development coaching approach including coaching tools and models.

Who is the primary audience for the event?

Experienced coaches, with client experience who want to move beyond skills-based coaching into developmental, vertical work.

Also relevant to internal coaches and OD/L&D professionals introducing developmental thinking into their organisations.

• What will the participants be able to do at the end of the event that they would not be able to do at the beginning?

How does the program work?

Find the event time in your Time Zone here.

All classes are live and recorded, and can be accessed at any time through the ICC Online Campus.

No live webinar planned. Instead, a free one-page overview of the three-stage development map will be offered to database contacts via email signup a few weeks before the course, giving a taste of the framework without the time cost of hosting a live session.

This is a 100% online course, taught in English.

Modules

Module 1 – What Vertical Development Actually Is (80 min)

Exercise: participants sort a set of short client vignettes into the four stages, building pattern-recognition for spotting stage in real client language.

Module 2 – The Conditions That Create Vertical Growth (70 min)

Heat Experiences, Colliding Perspectives, and Elevated Sensemaking are Petrie’s three conditions that combine to produce real development, and why programmes that hit only one or two of them tend to fizzle.

Exercise: participants audit a current client relationship against the three conditions to identify what is missing and what to introduce.

Module 3 – The Coach’s Vertical Toolkit (90 min)

Hands-on practice with two practical tools, using stage maps to coach with a vertical lens, and Kegan’s Immunity to Change mapping process for uncovering the hidden beliefs that keep a client stuck.

Exercise: triad practice (coach, client, observer) running a mini Immunity to Change map on a real behaviour the participant wants to shift, closing with a personal commitment to try one tool in their next three sessions.

Course registration

ICC-certified Coaches

USD 140

USD 100*

until Sep 30 (early bird)

General Public

USD 180

USD 140*

until Sep 30 (early bird)