Group Coaching: Trends for 2011

Group Coaching: Trends for 2011
Copyright Jennifer Britton. All Rights Reserved.

At the start of the year it's always interesting to read about trends about where things are going. Last month during the Group Coaching Essentials program, one of the participants asked me what I saw as some of the trends in group coaching over the next year.

The following are some of the trends I see emerging in the group coaching realm:

1. Increase in the virtualization of programs -Whether it's due to poor weather, reduced budgets or lack of time, more and more individuals and businesses are re-evaluating whether they really need to travel. This applies to participants engaging in learning as well. As more people become confident in using telephone and web based technology, I forsee continued growth in the virtualization of group coaching work.

Ask yourself:
What plans do you have this year with virtual programs (phone/web)?
What technologies do you want to experiment with? What barriers might exist for your client groups? What technologies do your client groups already use?

2. Recognition of the Differences Between Group Coaching and Teleclasses/Training:

Increasingly coaches are become more sensitive to the nuances of whether a program is a webinar/teleclass (typically one way passage of interaction) or a purer group coaching process (involving interaction, goal setting and sharing amongst group coaching) using phone or web. Many of you will have heard me speak on the importance of size in the group coaching domain and that small is beautiful (and important in the group coaching environment). The International Coach Federation (ICF) set a cap on group coaching numbers as 15 several years ago.

Ask yourself:
How large are your groups? Are you providing more content, is it a one-way passage of information or are you facilitating a coaching conversation? Is your program a hybrid? What's meaningful and relevant for this group?

3. Continued Demand for Value and Quality
One of the trends we have seen over the past five years is "the sales pitch disguised as a teleclass", where a one hour class focuses not on content, but on sales. Participants want value and quality. What quality are you providing in your programs?

Ask yourself:
What value are you providing for your participants? What are they finding beneficial? What is an appropriate sales message for your audience? What is the quality of your programs? What's missing?

4. Appreciation that Coaching May be One of Many Solutions
I continue to see and hear from corporate and individual clients that coaching, like other modalities such as training and mentoring, has a time and a place. I continue to believe that coaching, whether individual, group or team, can provide valuable support to organizational and individual achievements. Likewise, coaching may be one of many solutions to an individual or organization. It is my hope that coaches and clients alike will appreciate what solution will work best, and where needed will look to bring in different modalities as required.

Ask yourself:

In the clients you are working with, how is coaching addressing the challenges and opportunities? What other modalities (training, mentoring etc) could also assist the growth and performance of the organization/individual?

What do you see as some of the trends with coaching and/or group coaching this year? As always, please feel free to comment below.

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program - new classes start Jan 13th and 25th.