Why belong to the ACO?

I feel that when you become a professional that you should belong to the professional organization that represents you.

Help us spread the word about the ACO:
Please forward this newsletter to appropriate friends who might not otherwise know about the ACO.

What about an ADHD Coach conference in 2007?

Two of the principal goal areas identified during our strategic planning process are to increase membership and to create and sustain value for members.

To that end, the Board of the ACO is actively considering producing a national level gathering for ADHD coaches in spring of 2007. We're thinking about two day conference probably in the middle of the country near a major airport.

We're working through the budgeting issues and talking about what would make this a worthwhile event for our members, prospective members, and other interested people.

But we need to know what you think.

What would make you inclined to participate?
What kind of presentations would you like to hear? On what topics?
Are there particular people you'd like to hear? Topics you're tired of?
How important would ICF CEU’s be to your decision?
Please drop us a note to conference@adhdcoaches.org

Welcome New Members

• Be sure to Update Your Profile (After logging in, choose "Update Your Profile" in the navigation bar on that page). Also check out this article for tips to make the listing most useful for you.
• Be sure to sign up for the members listserv. (You'll need your login name and password.) Share information or ask questions of other members on this email list. Emails will have [Members] in the subject line and replies go back to the list. That way we can share info with the whole group. Or send an introductory email to members@adhdcoaches.org and we'll be sure you get "buzzed in."
• We're looking forward to finding out what you're most interested in, and learning how you might want to get more involved. The Membership Committee will be contacting you soon.
  In the mean time, let me know if there's anything I can do or if you'd like to contribute to Circle.

ACO Round Table Calls

The topic of the ACO Round Table calls always match the theme of the current issue of Circle. Check calendar of events for the dates, the call in info and the topics we'll be discussing.

And speaking of listening to a prerecorded call!

The Round Table teleconferences are getting better all the time. The August 16 call with Sarah Wright facilitating the conversation on business development was amazing!

On the call were coaches who advertise and coaches who only get new business by word of mouth. There were coaches in private practice and who practice in clinical settings, metropolitan coaches and rural coaches. There was discussion about how to build referral and contact lists, ways to respond when a prospective client says, "Let me think about it."

We'll be clipping bits and pieces of the information shared here for lots of columns in the future. But if you don't want to wait so long for the really good dirt…

This is a call definitely worth checking out by calling into the replay line at 1 (218) 936-1055, then enter the PIN 107287#

Sept. 19 at 8 pm EDT
Coaching Groups
dial 1 (218) 486-1105, PIN 107287#
Please register teleclass@adhdcoaches.org.
Call leader: Sarah Wright

Sept. 26 at 8 pm EDT
Coaching Support Call
RSVP to member coach host Pauline Laurent for bridge line info.

Oct 3 at 2 pm EDT
Working with kids
dial 1 (218) 486-1105, PIN 227339#
Please register teleclass@adhdcoaches.org.
Call leader: Becca Gross Colao

Strategic Planning Report for the ACO: 2006-2009

Approved by the Board of Directors
August 24, 2006
Submitted by Kerch McConlogue
Chair, Strategic Planning Committee

Strategic planning is key for controlled growth and progress of any business or organization. It’s about addressing change and planning for what is likely to happen. It’s about acknowledging the risks and planning how to address them. It’s not just paying attention to what we wish for – many members excited about belonging to the ACO – but also what is happening around us and how that might affect our progress.

The Strategic Planning Committee spent five months through the spring and summer considering the current state and the future of the ACO. The Strategic Plan was accepted by the board at the end of August.

We make this report to bring the membership up to date on our current thinking. Please understand, strategic planning is not about the final document but the process of deciding. What follows is just the beginning. Next we must create specific objectives and tactics which will enable the ACO to meet the goals we've named.

“We're still a young organization and we want to insure that our growth is in a direction we choose. We don't what to find ourselves going everywhere and no where at the same time,” says Kerch McConlogue, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. “At present we don't have many people doing the work of the organization. We don't want to burn anyone out. There are limits to our volunteers’ time and money. And we want to find the best places to add the right volunteers.”

The committee, which also included President Cathy Jantzen, Secretary Sarah Wright, Treasurer Jan DeLaura and Marketing Chair Glen Hogard, worked through a process to identify excellence in organizations in general. They considered the strengths and weaknesses of the ACO and looked at opportunities that may be available to us as well as what might cause a negative impact on our growth.

Target Audience

The committee identified the primary market of the ACO to be professional ADHD Coaches. These are the people for whom we design our website, publish the articles in Circle, plan classes and conferences.

Second, we're addressing people looking for an ADHD Coach. These are the people who will use our Find a Coach directory and, in the future, who will come to our website looking for training.

After that, we address those people who are interested in the profession but who do not meet the criteria for professional membership. This includes associate members, the press, and leaders in ADHD coaching and in other professions.

The Strategic Plan identifies four principal goal areas.

1. Increase membership
2. Development of leadership and a PAB to support the organization
3. Create fiscally responsible organization
4. Create and sustain value for the members.

Members can read the full report on line.
           Or -- Join now so you can, too.

Working with Clients in Group Settings

by Sarah Wright, M.S., A.C.T.

When it comes to coaches and ADHD and working in groups, there are several ways to go. Each of them has advantages for both the participants and the coach, and potential disadvantages. Working with groups isn't for everyone, but it can be very rewarding work and it can help build your reputation and your practice.

There are basically three ways to work with groups:

• Offering courses (classes or seminars)
  These are generally informational and focused on imparting specific knowledge. They often include a course-specific handbook of some kind.
• Running a support group
  These typically meet weekly or monthly at the same time and place. These are most often conducted in person and most often fr.ee.
• coaching people in groups
  These fall somewhere between teaching a course and leading a support group. These groups might really click and could run for years.

Members can read more on line.
           Or -- Join now so you can, too.

Protecting your computer

by Sarah Wright, M.S., A.C.T.

You can find just about everything you could need on the internet. But the problem with being connected to the web is being a portal for all sorts of malware: viruses, worms, Trojans, keyloggers, spyware, adware, and the like.

Over the years, a whole industry has grown up to protect us from these nasty programs.

Member can read more on line about why and the two biggest players in this business, Norton and McAfee, might not be the most economical or the best choice to protect your machine.
           Or -- Join now so you can, too.

Filling your groups

This promotion is not specifically sponsored by the ACO but may be of interest to members.

If you're looking for information on how to fill your groups, check out the recent posting of Suzanne Falter-Barns, Founder of Get Known Now! and Travis Greenlee, Founder of The Virtual Practice Builder

(from their email)

• For a limited time only, we are making our Brand New 7-Part Digital Audio Mini-Course available to the first 2500 subscribers for F.REE!($97 value)
• 'The 7 Most Costly Mistakes Service Professionals Make When Filling Group Programs and How to Avoid Them For Ultimate Success.'
• Note: Over 600 minicourses were gobbled up in just the first 24 hours ... and only a small fraction of the folks we'll be sharing this with have seen it.
• Check it out: http://FillYourGroupsNow.com
• It's a 7 Part Digital Audio Program built from all the feedback we received from people like you wanting a system around one of the oldest, most annoying problems you face...
• How to successfully fill your groups, teleseminars, and live events.
• Please be aware that this is a limited time offer. When the 2500th minicourse downloads, that's it. Game over.

[Editor's Note: I don't know where they are in the process of this give away. But when I checked the website as I wrote this, there was nothing to indicate you couldn't still sign up.]

Thanks for reading

The topic of the next issue is Coaching Kids. Do you work with 'em? What’s special about it? What would another coach need to know if they were embarking with a new student client? Let me know. Drop me a note. editor@adhdcoaches.org

At this time we can't pay writers who submit articles to this newsletter, but we'll give you credit and links as appropriate. Articles received by the 15th of the month will be considered for the upcoming issue. Sometimes we'll elect to hold an article for later publication. Writers' guidelines are available on line at this minute at newsletter.adhdcoaches.org/writersguidelines.html

I'm looking forward to making this publication top notch. So if you've got any questions, comments, concerns or gripes, please drop me a note. It does no good to grumble alone!

Onward and upward!