At some point on the path to an ICF credential, you have to record yourself coaching. For a lot of students this is the most uncomfortable requirement — partly the technology, partly the vulnerability of asking a client "can I record this?" This guide covers both: how to ask for consent the right way, and how to get a clean recording you can actually use.
Why ICF needs a recording and a transcript
The performance evaluation is built on a recorded session. Specifically, you submit one recorded coaching session for ACC, or two for PCC — each roughly 20–60 minutes plus a written transcript, assessed against the markers for your target level. The audio lets an assessor hear presence, pacing, and tone; the transcript lets them examine your questions and language closely. You need both.
Recordings are not only for assessment, though. They are the single best tool for your own development: you cannot review what you did not capture. Recording routinely (with consent) is how you self-review, track progress, and notice patterns you are blind to in the moment.
Getting consent the right way
Lead with ethics, because this is ethics. Recording a client without clear, informed consent touches the very first Core Competency — Demonstrates Ethical Practice — and the ICF Code of Ethics. Consent is not a checkbox; it is part of the trust you are building.
How to ask naturally
You do not need a legalistic script. A simple, warm explanation works: tell the client you are working toward a coaching credential, that recording helps you improve, and ask if they are comfortable with it. Most clients are glad to support your growth — especially if you have built trust. If they decline, that is completely fine; coach a different session.
What to tell the client
- •Purpose: why you are recording — your development and, if relevant, a credentialing submission.
- •Who will hear it: you, and possibly a mentor coach or an ICF assessor. Be honest about this.
- •How it is stored and for how long, and that it stays confidential.
- •Their control: they can ask you to stop or delete it at any time.
Capture the consent itself — a clear yes on the recording, or a short written note — so there is no ambiguity later.
Setup that produces clean audio
An assessor cannot assess what they cannot hear, and a garbled file can sink an otherwise strong session. The good news: you do not need a studio.
- •Tools: the built-in recorders in Zoom or Google Meet are more than adequate for online sessions. For in-person, a phone voice-memo app or a small dedicated recorder works well.
- •Room: choose somewhere quiet with soft furnishings; bare rooms echo. Close the window, silence notifications.
- •Mic: a simple headset or earbuds with a mic beats a laptop's built-in microphone. Keep it close but out of your breath path.
- •Test first: record thirty seconds and play it back before the real session. Check both voices are clear and levels are even.
- •Format: save a common audio format (MP3 or M4A) or standard video; avoid obscure formats that tools may not read.
Getting a clean transcript
You also need the session in text. Transcribing by hand is brutally slow, and rough auto-captions are often too messy to submit or to analyze. The practical move is to use a transcription tool that produces an accurate, readable transcript you can lightly tidy rather than build from scratch.
A consent ask you can adapt
If you freeze when it comes time to ask, having a few sentences ready helps. Something like: "I'm training toward an ICF coaching credential, and recording our session helps me review and improve — and may be part of a submission to my mentor coach or an assessor. It stays confidential and securely stored, and you can ask me to stop or delete it anytime. Are you comfortable with that?" Adapt it to your own voice; the point is to be clear, honest, and relaxed about it. Your ease gives the client permission to be at ease too.
In-person and phone sessions
Not every session happens on video. For in-person coaching, place a phone running a voice-memo app on a soft surface between you (hard surfaces transmit bumps) and do your thirty-second test as usual. For phone sessions, use a recording app you have tested in advance rather than improvising — and still capture consent on the recording itself. Whatever the setting, the audio only needs to be clear, not cinematic.
Storing recordings responsibly
Client recordings are sensitive. Treat them that way: do not leave them in your phone's camera roll or a shared family drive. Keep them somewhere access-controlled, delete them when you no longer need them, and never share them beyond the people the client agreed to. Good storage hygiene is part of honoring the consent you asked for.
From recording to insight
Once you have a clean recording, the next step is making sense of it. This is where Coala fits: you upload the session and get a full transcript (in 20+ languages), kept private and secure, plus a structured analysis against the ICF Core Competencies. Instead of a file sitting in a folder, you get something you can learn from — and you practice smarter, not just more.
Coala is a structured preparation tool, not an official ICF evaluation tool, and it does not replace mentor coaching; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Coaching Federation. To see the workflow, learn how Coala works, and to connect a recording to your credential, read our ICF assessment preparation guide. For ICF's own ethics guidance, see coachingfederation.org.