The RD1st Coaching Course

The RD1st Coaching Course (accredited)

Course overview – A skill set, a philosophy, an experience.

This 8 day course in three parts covers an eclectic mix of skills, group exchange and investigation relating to the philosophy and skill-set of coaching and self-awareness.

The course is designed to work well for those wishing to train as a professional, one to one RD1st Coach and/or utilise the skills and experience to enhance leadership, management, facilitation and mentoring skills. Equally, people report finding the skills useful in general day to day interactions to include navigating work places, parenting and relationships. The course is also becoming popular with therapists and counsellors wishing to introduce coaching into their practice.

A wide range of core coaching skills and coaching frameworks are introduced and practised. Other core topics which are presented, debated and explored include:

Enhanced self-awareness and emotional intelligence

Negotiation and trust

Motivation, needs and behaviour

Giving and receiving feedback

Difficult conversations and negotiation

Advanced Communication

Working with emotions

The course is designed such that everyone’s learning will, in part, be specific to them; by the end of the two core modules, all participants will have experienced delivering coaching sessions and being coached using a variety of techniques and skills and explored how coaching approaches and techniques can be used outside formal 1-2-1 sessions, including developing a coaching style of leadership and a coaching culture in the workplace.

The course is accredited through Culture at Work (equivalent to ILM level 7). As part of accreditation, trainees complete two written submissions, achieve coaching practice between modules and undertake a live coaching assessment on the final day of Module Three. The course is accompanied by a comprehensive manual (hard copy or PDF).

Previous participants have included a wide range of people working as freelancers or in employed roles in the creative, cultural, heritage, charity, therapeutic and education sectors including artists, arts managers, consultants, clinical psychologists, counsellors, theatre directors, choreographers, facilitators, fundraisers and Fellows of the Clore Cultural and Clore Social Leadership programmes.

Some testimonials from previous participants give a further flavour of the course and what to expect.

Practicalities

Format: An eight-day, accredited course in three modules (3+3+2). Each module is approximately one month apart.  It is also possible to take the course without accreditation – 6 days (3+3).

Location: Online using the zoom platform. Each day runs from 10:00 – 16:30 (GMT)

Level: accredited (optional), equivalent to ILM level 7. No prior experience required.

Costs: fees vary according to your resources and whether accreditation is required. Further information and details regarding fees, can be found in the booking form – request a form. Please state which course you are interested in (e.g. RD53 Autumn 2026) when emailing – thank you. We can only reserve places on confirmation of a deposit and on receipt of a completed booking form (via email is preferred).

Dates 

Please note, each course tends to fully book 6 months+ in advance. However, it is worth going on the waiting list as last-minute deferrals do sometimes occur.

Course Trainers: Deb Barnard, Emma Haughton, Holly Davey and Isabel Mortimer. Each course is run by two trainers.

Due to current demand, we may programme an additional online ‘pop-up’ course for 2026. Please join our mailing list (via Contact Us tab – click the red sofa) to be the first to hear, as this is where we advertise them. Please note, when they are announced, they usually book up within a few days.

External Assessors: Sarah Hymas, Holly Davey and Diane Sammons.

Dates for Online in 2025

RD50 Autumn 2025 (fully booked – waiting list started)

Module one: 1 – 3 Oct

Module two: 29 – 31 Oct

Module three: 27 & 28 Nov

Dates for Online in 2026

RD51 Spring 2026 (fully booked – waiting list started)

Module one: 28 – 30 Jan

Module two: 25 – 27 Feb

Module three: 26 & 27 March

RD52 Summer 2026 (fully booked – waiting list started)

Module one: 6 – 8 May

Module two: 3 – 5 June

Module three: 2 & 3 July

RD53 Autumn 2026 (bookings open)

Module one: 7 – 9 Oct

Module two: 4 – 6 Nov

Module three: 3 & 4 Dec