7C's Coaching.

7C's was developed as a coaching model after using NLP to model Bruce's own 10 years old coaching practice and in 2002 he published the original model under the title Sexy Variables when there were only 6 C's. (Grimley, 2002. Rapport Vol 57 Autumn pp5-7). A further "C" , (Communication), was added in the Summer of 2005 when Bruce wrote for the AC Bulletin (Grimley, 2005. Bulletin  for the Association for Coaching 2005, Issue 5, pp 2-4 ). This is when Bruce chose as his speciality Emotional Intelligence and the management of stress. You can see an excellent write up of his first presentation on this to the Special Group in Psychology (BPS) in 2025, entitled "Getting Emotional about Goal Setting". As Dr Bob Bates correctly points out in his excellent book; "The little book of Big Coaching models"  7C's is a model which emphasises coaching as a journey through which the coachee and coach need to demonstrate courage and creativity. Many people remain stuck and not in a flow state because they don't know how to access their own states of courage and creativity (2 of the C's) to change and be different and not  because of some personality trait or genetic tendency. The 7C's Meta Program questionnaire that helps coachee's discover what needs to change is called Alter Ego and you can read a bit about it in the high quality coaching journal The Listener, as well as take the questionnaire yourself free of charge at the bottom of this page.  My job as your coach is to facilitate, (make easy), your journey of change into a state of flow where you find yourself elegantly and effortlessly understanding how you can change your internal architecture to be who you need to do what you value. Please contact me today to arrange a free chemistry check and start our journey together.  Achieving Lives is providng accredited coach training in 7C's through the International Association of Coaching Institutes, (ICI). We like to set the bar high and you can even do a Masters Degree with us. The 7C's code of ethics can be downloaded here. 

You can buy the book by going to either Amazon or Routledge websites


20 minute chat by Bruce on mastery in coaching.....or anything for that matter at the 2017 International Coaching Conference. (10th February 2017)


Paris

Bruce first spoke about 7C's in the September of 2017 in Paris at the annual conference of the International Association of NLP Institutes. He emaphasised the need for both authenticity and congruence if we wish to obtain excellence in any walk of life. Of course modelling excellence is the core activity of NLP and unfortunately even though many of us strive for excellence few are able to access a state of flow and authenticity consistently. Bruce points out that even the learning process when we are at a stage of moving from conscious incompetence to conscious competence can be a flow state when managed properly.


Argentina

The beautiful country of Argentina was the first to experience the 7C's model integrated into an NLP practitioner certificate in association with Enrique Schwam of CFI PNL. During this 2 weeks excursion Bruce also lectured on Grounded Theory and Action research at the University of Tucuman, Psychology Department, on the PhD program. Currently being a number 1 ranked UK athlete, Bruce also enjoyed speaking to the faculty of sports and provided demonstrations of the application of NLP to sports. He also gave demonstrations on the application of NLP to Anxiety with demonstrations at the University's Annual Conference. The University invited Bruce to talk about NLP to their radio where a lively debate and discussion ensued, which was great fun.


London

Bruce shared his 7C’s model at the International NLP conference in London during 2019, speaking to an enthusiastic audience he shared the thinking and the theory behind 7C’s and how in different context we find different parts of us being triggered. This texturing puts an added emphasis on the need to fully appreciate what game we are playing, which context we are operating in, and whether we are accessing the appropriate resources to be the best version of ourselves in that space. 


Staffordshire

Also in 2019 a wonderful group of psychology students descended on the training rooms of Skills 24 to hear about 7C’s and earn a one day introductory certificate to the method. What was particularly useful during this training session was the participants were happy to share their Core Code and Alter Ego questionnaire results and could therefore see how the response set of the client are used within the coaching or therapeutic setting and within the 7C’s intervention frame. 


Chatteris

Early in 2019 Bruce enjoyed sharing 7C’s locally with his NLP practice group at the Coaching Hub in Chatteris. This is a local initiative which has as a vision to bring the best quality psychological practice to rural areas and in particular Chatteris and surrounding Towns. Participants really seemed to enjoy the idea of self as a multiplicity and not a unity and the argument that this is a more valid representation of how we truly live and indeed can become exceptional in the areas we value. 


Why Coaching?

The CIPD training and development survey 2005 found 92% of participants in organizations sampled regarded coaching by external providers as being effective or very effective. The top 3 objectives for organizational use of coaching was improving performance, dealing with underperformance and improving productivity.

The word "Coach" is derived from a type of transport that traces its origins to the Hungarian word  kocsi  meaning "carriage" that was named after the village where it was first made. In Coaching this is what happens through a conversation an individual discovers how they can move from one place to another. Too often people will tell themselves or their team what is going to happen through a "Goal Setting" approach, however 6 months later somehow they find themselves in the same place making excuses as to why they still seem to be stuck and not moving effortlessly past the goal posts on to the next target.


The first question an individual or organisation needs to ask themselves is how do I choose a coaching provider? Whilst this is always a personal decision there are certain processes you can quickly engage in to ensure the best possible quality and return on investment:

  1. Is the coach accredited with one of the major Coaching Organisations?
  2. Does the coach provide a free "chemistry check" session where you can ask questions and see first hand, insurance and qualification documentation?
  3. Can the coach provide a list of previous clients who would be happy to talk to you about about their experience?
  4. Does the coach provide you with a credible story, and do their credentials check out when you make enquiries?

"Bruce has that unique ability to bring clarity to any situation. His ability to ask searching questions in a manner that is both supportive and challenging created an opportunity for learning and insight that has proved invaluable to me personally. I am eternally grateful."

Michael Byrne M.D. QBC

Please feel free to click here to arrange a free Zoom session with Bruce to discuss any work you would like to do »

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