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EP Content Style Guide

Spelling

Please use US spelling for consistency across all EP content

Examples:

✅ US spelling

❌ UK spelling

organization

organisation

behavior

behaviour

organize

organise

analyze

analyse

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✅ Use en dashes (–), ❌ not em dashes (—)

Although em dashes are a valid punctuation mark, they also come across as more formal, and there’s been lots of discussion online lately about em dashes being a sign of text written by AI. I would prefer to avoid this controversy by simply using en dashes with a space on either side instead. This format is commonly used by some major publishers and online media, in part because it’s more flexible when space is limited.

✅ Use this: I felt heavy throughout the process – like I was just going through the motions.

❌ Not this: I felt heavy throughout the process — like I was just going through the motions.

❌ Not this: I felt heavy throughout the process—like I was just going through the motions.

❌ Not this: I felt heavy throughout the process - like I was just going through the motions.

Certification vs. Accreditation vs. Credentialing

To ensure consistency, we should align with ICF’s terminology:

"Certification" generally refers to a program awarding a certificate of completion. A person who completes a program like becomes certified.

"Accreditation" applies to the organization or program itself being recognized by ICF. Usually, accreditation does not apply to people.

"Credentialing" is the process by which an individual earns an ICF designation (e.g., ACC, PCC).

Example 1:

TPC is an ICF-accredited training program, which provides the necessary training hours for the ACC credential but does not grant certification or credentials itself.

Example 2:

The Performance Coach (TPC) program is an ICF Level 1 accredited training program that provides the necessary coach-specific education required for the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. However, TPC does not administer the ICF credentialing exam or adjudicate the credentialing process. Participants must apply directly to ICF to complete their credentialing requirements.

Emojis

Emojis can definitely help drawing attention to specific points and making posts more visually interesting, but when there are too many, they can make the post seem less serious. This is subjective, but my suggestion is that we adopt a “less is more” approach to emojis.

✅ Use emojis strategically in text to draw attention to specific points/info

❌ Avoid using two or more emojis next to each other

Bold & italics font

Bold and italics font can help to draw attention or highlight important information, but overuse can make the types of font lose their impact.

❌ Generally, avoid large blocks of text in bold font

❌ For LinkedIn posts, avoid bold and italics fonts as (specifically on LinkedIn) they can be distracting and sometimes make text harder to read

Avoid common ChatGPT language

Some language has become an AI language trope, so it is best to avoid this. For example:

❌ Avoid variations of “In today’s high-pressure, always-on work environment, …” or “In today’s fast-paced world...”

There’s nothing wrong with the underlying idea, but it is best to avoid or rewrite this specific phrasing to avoid people assuming the text is written by AI.

Single spacing

Use single spaces between sentences, not double spaces.

✅ The coach paused and waited. This gave their coachee time to reflect.

❌ The coach paused and waited. This gave their coachee time to reflect.

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