Coaching is increasingly familiar to consumers around the world. But familiarity and participation are two different things.

According to the newly released 2026 ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study, 74% of consumers are aware of coaching, and 66% have a positive impression of it. Yet only 17% report having experienced coaching themselves.

That gap tells an important story. Coaching has meaningful visibility and positive perceptions, but there’s still room to strengthen understanding of its value and help more people determine whether it’s right for them.

For coaches, the findings raise important questions: What do consumers expect from professional coaching? Where are their interests evolving? And how can you use these insights to strengthen your practice?

Here are four findings worth exploring, along with what they could mean for you.

1. Awareness Doesn’t Always Mean Understanding

While nearly three-quarters of consumers know about coaching, fewer than one in five have experienced it. Among consumers who aren’t considering coaching, 74% say they don’t feel they need it. Cost and uncertainty about value are also barriers.

These findings suggest that awareness alone isn’t enough to help people understand coaching or see how it might relate to their goals.

Closing the gap between awareness and understanding will take continued effort across the profession. And for coaches, this is where individual practice and collective progress intersect.

Every interaction with a prospective or current client is an opportunity to build understanding through clear communication, thoughtful expectations, and professional practice.

That doesn’t mean convincing everyone that coaching is right for them. It means helping people make informed decisions about whether coaching fits their needs while building greater understanding of professional coaching along the way.

What this means for your practice: Consider what prospective clients learn when they first engage with you. Do they understand what a coaching relationship entails, how it could support their goals, and what to expect? Clear communication can help people assess whether coaching is right for them and build confidence in the profession.

Explore with ICF: Stay informed about consumer perceptions and broader industry trends through ICF research and the ICF Resource Library. Both offer insights and resources to help you better understand prospective clients and strengthen your practice.

2. Trust and Demonstrated Value Matter

When choosing a coach, consumers want confidence in both the professional they select and the experience they’re entering. The study found that 77% of consumers value professional credentials when selecting a coach, and 76% consider evidence of results important.

For coaches, trust is built through more than qualifications alone. It develops through professional preparation, ethical practice, clear expectations, and the quality of the coaching relationship.

Credentials can signal professional commitment while helping clients understand the competencies and standards guiding your work. And demonstrating value doesn’t have to mean reducing coaching outcomes to a single measure. More than eight in 10 consumers who have experienced coaching report high levels of satisfaction. That’s encouraging for the profession and invites us to consider how clients recognize the value of their own experiences.

Meaningful progress can take many forms, from greater clarity about a difficult decision to increased leadership awareness or movement toward a personal goal. Establishing goals together, revisiting what matters, and creating opportunities for reflection can help clients recognize that progress.

What this means for your practice: Consider how you establish trust and help clients recognize progress. Are your qualifications, approach, and professional commitments clear? Do you create opportunities for clients to reflect on their goals and what has changed? Small improvements in these areas can strengthen the coaching experience and help clients better understand its value.

Explore with ICF: Revisit the ICF Core Competencies and ICF Code of Ethics for guidance on coaching excellence, professional responsibilities, and the trust that supports effective coaching relationships.

3. New Interests, New Possibilities

Consumer interests aren’t standing still. The study reveals differences between the types of coaching consumers have experienced and the areas that interest them.

Health and wellness coaching stands out: 42% of consumers express interest in it, compared with 26% who report experience in that area. Life vision and enhancement coaching shows a similar pattern, with 33% expressing interest compared with 17% reporting experience.

These differences don’t guarantee future demand, but they highlight areas worth watching as consumer interests and expectations evolve.

For coaches, the findings offer an opportunity to consider professional growth with a longer-term perspective. Your current expertise may already position you to respond to changing client needs, or the research may introduce an area you’d like to explore further.

For example, coaches working with organizational leaders may encounter more conversations about well-being, purpose, or sustainable performance. Career coaches may find that clients want to explore how professional decisions connect to their broader vision for life.

You don’t need to pursue every emerging area to remain relevant. Understanding where your expertise is most valuable — and where additional learning may be needed — is an important part of professional growth.

It’s equally important to recognize the boundaries of your practice. As coaching intersects with areas such as health and wellness, maintaining clear distinctions between coaching and other professional services helps ensure clients receive appropriate support.

What this means for your practice: Pay attention to the themes emerging in your coaching conversations. Are clients bringing new interests or challenges? Could these patterns point to opportunities to deepen your expertise, pursue additional education, or collaborate with professionals in complementary fields? Use those observations alongside the research to guide your development while staying grounded in your strengths and scope of practice.

Explore with ICF: Connect with fellow coaches through ICF Communities of Practice to exchange perspectives and explore shared professional interests. You can also discover ICF professional development opportunities to support your continued learning.

4. The Future of Coaching Remains Deeply Human

Technology is changing how people access information, connect with services, and pursue personal and professional development. Coaching is evolving within that environment, too.

Yet the study found that 80% of consumers prefer human-led coaching. That preference reinforces the importance of the relationship at the heart of professional coaching. Listening, presence, trust, empathy, and meaningful dialogue create space for clients to reflect, discover, and move forward.

At the same time, AI-enabled tools present new possibilities for coaches, from streamlining administrative tasks to improving accessibility and aspects of the client experience.

For coaches, the question isn’t simply whether to use technology. It’s how to use it thoughtfully. That means considering where technology adds value, where human presence is essential, and how new tools align with professional responsibilities, including confidentiality, ethical practice, and sound professional judgment.

As technology evolves, the ability to combine innovation with a strong, client-centered relationship remains an important part of the value professional coaches provide.

What this means for your practice: Think about how technology fits into the coaching experience you want to create. Which tools help you serve clients more effectively? Where is human presence especially important? As you explore new approaches, keep client needs, confidentiality, and the integrity of the coaching relationship at the center of your decisions.

Explore with ICF: Stay informed about AI and emerging technology through ICF’s AI-related resources, including Coaching + AI: A Partnership to Unleash Potential and Acceptable Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Client Protection Guidelines. These resources offer perspectives and guidance for navigating innovation while maintaining an ethical, human-centered coaching practice.

What Will You Take Forward?

The 2026 ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study offers an encouraging picture of coaching’s visibility and potential, along with valuable insights into consumers’ evolving expectations.

For you, it’s an opportunity to reflect on where your practice stands today and where you want to take it.

Perhaps the findings inspire you to communicate coaching’s value differently, deepen your expertise, or rethink how technology fits into your work.

You don’t need to act on every insight. Start with the one that matters most to your clients and your professional goals.

The decisions you make about your practice shape the experiences people have with coaching. Together, those experiences help build understanding, trust, and confidence in our profession.

Explore the Full Report — Included With Your ICF Membership

Want to dig deeper? The 2026 ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study offers additional insights into consumer awareness, perceptions, preferences, and barriers to coaching.

Access the full report at no additional cost as part of your ICF membership — a resource valued at $149 USD for non-members.

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