Malta (5–7 June 2026) – Hosted by ILCA in partnership with ELT Council Malta
It’s hard to describe this year’s ILCA Conference in Malta without going back to the feeling of
it first.
The warmth of arriving. The sense that people already knew each other – or were about to.
The mix of conversations happening everywhere at once: in corridors, over coffee, between
sessions, on the walk into Valletta or beaches in the evenings.
Held at the Urban Valley Resort & Spa, the 5th International Language Coaching Conference
brought together a global community under the theme “Clarity in Complexity: Connection
through Communication.” And somehow, that theme showed up in the way people spoke,
listened, disagreed, reflected, and connected.
The overarching theme ran through everything: plenaries, workshops, conversations, and
the spaces in between. What emerged throughout the conference was a shared
understanding that clarity is the ability to stay present and responsive within complexity.
Days 1–2: What stayed with us
In the first two days were talks, workshops, plenaries and discussions where we were constantly circling the question of what it means to stay human in complex systems.
The opening plenary by Gabriella Kovács and Carrie McKinnon, co-founders of ILCA, provided
complementary views on language coaching, offering an overview of this emerging
discipline.
Gabriella’s talk argued that in an age of AI-driven information abundance, education and coaching
must move beyond content delivery toward managing complexity, ambiguity, and relational
dynamics rather than simply transferring knowledge. Gabriella then reframed communication and
learning as systemic, dialogic processes where meaning, trust, and coordination emerge through
interaction, making the “unit” of development the relationship and collective sense making rather
than the individual alone.
Carrie approached the theme from a refreshing perspective, titled Nature Communicates and So Do We. She used examples from nature – particularly birds and ecosystems – to illustrate that effective communication is adaptive, resilient, and deeply connected to context. The talk emphazised that while messages may remain constant, the ways they are delivered evolve under pressure, and that diversity, accents, and multiple ways of communicating are strengths rather than limitations. Carrie ultimately presented nature as an underused but powerful coaching tool that supports presence, inspiration, and deeper human connection.
David Corcoran’s talk stayed with many of us. Beyond ways to use our voices and presence, it was a reminder that how we show up in a room changes what becomes possible in it.
The next day, Joanna Szoke’s plenary on AI and presence gave shape to something many people could relate to: how we stay grounded, critical, and ourselves inside a future already here. 
A few other sessions highlights:
Katarzyna Bieniecka-Drzymała, who spoke about belonging and “non-fit”
perceptions in language education, reframing them as meaningful coaching dialogues
rather than fixed categories of exclusion or limitation.
Ruth Hughes, whose session Teaching Less, Connecting More brought the focus back
to motivation and engagement, emphasising coaching approaches that prioritize
connection over instruction.
Ian King, who focused on navigating complex situations in coaching practice, offering
grounded perspectives on how to remain steady and responsive when working with
uncertainty and real-world complexity.
Vicki Plant, who brought coaching into outdoor and embodied spaces, showing how
movement, environment, and presence can open up new dimensions of
communication and learning.
Liliya Tymofiychuk, who explored professional identity in times of change, offering a
reflective perspective on how coaches and educators navigate ongoing transitions and
redefinition within their practice.
Vincent Merk, who showcased the connection and vulnerability that UNESCO
Story Circles can bring to a learning space.
Day 3: Golden Bay, and a different rhythm
Golden Bay sure changed what many believed outdoor /nature coaching was. We walked,
we stopped, we talked, we didn’t rush. And then we moved into the coaching work
outdoors—between land and water, sun and wind, stillness and movement. We formed a
circle, we coached in pairs, we called on nature to be a partner in the dialogue… it was
fascinating.
Something shifts when you take coaching out of a room. It becomes less about explanation and more about experience. Less about finding the right words, more about noticing what is already there.
The energies and connections from that stayed with all of us afterwards. Some of the most important parts didn’t happen on stage or in a workshop. For example our evenings out in Valletta. Full of conversations that kept going long after dinner. The Gala evening where people finally had time to just sit, laugh, and be together without trying to “capture” anything. Returning to the beach, visiting local hidden gems, towns that really got you thinking about the diversity Malta offered.
What we are left with is not a summary of sessions, but a sense of people trying to do something quite difficult together: make space for clarity without pretending complexity isn’t there.
Thanks to everyone who was part of it, and to the ELT Council Malta for hosting it with such care alongside ILCA. Looking forward to the next conference in 2027!
