Communication Skills & Active Listening Flashcards
7 cards from real ICF practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Communication Skills & Active Listening flashcards as text
A client repeatedly uses the metaphor 'running on empty.' The ICF-aligned coach's best next step is to:
Answer: Use the client's own metaphor in follow-up questions to explore its meaning.
ICF competencies encourage coaches to use the client's own language and metaphors as entry points into deeper exploration.
According to the ICF Core Competencies (2019 update), 'Direct Communication' is now integrated under which competency?
Answer: Communicates Effectively (Competency 5)
In the 2019 ICF competency update, direct communication was folded into the broader 'Communicates Effectively' competency.
A coach notices a client has become noticeably quieter after a particular question. The ICF-aligned response is to:
Answer: Sit with the silence and give the client space to process before speaking.
ICF active listening includes honoring silence as part of the client's processing and not rushing to fill the space.
Which behavior is LEAST consistent with ICF standards for active listening?
Answer: Mentally preparing the next question while the client is still speaking.
Preparing the next question while the client speaks is a form of internal distraction that interrupts genuine listening.
The ICF describes 'forwarding the action' as distinct from giving advice. The key difference is:
Answer: Forwarding the action invites the client to identify their own next step, while advice tells the client what to do.
ICF coaching maintains client autonomy; forwarding the action keeps the client in the driver's seat for determining their own path.
A client says they want to improve work-life balance but consistently volunteers to take on extra projects. An ICF coach notices this pattern and should:
Answer: Reflect the pattern back to the client as an observation and invite exploration.
ICF active listening includes noticing patterns over time and bringing them to the client's attention as observations—not judgments—for exploration.
In the ICF framework, 'being a fair witness to the client' most closely relates to which listening skill?
Answer: Withholding judgment and listening without filtering through the coach's own assumptions.
Being a fair witness means the coach listens from a neutral stance, free of bias, assumptions, or agenda, which is foundational to ICF active listening.