Thursday, April 26, 2018

Visuals in Group and Team Coaching Work

Earlier this week I dedicated my bi-weekly Facebook live call to working with visuals in group and team coaching. While I've been using different card decks and visuals for more than a decade now, I continue to rely on them as a "go-to" for conversations of all types. If you're still over on Facebook, please check out the 4.23.18 13 minute bi-weekly call I did sharing a recent experience of working with goals, visuals and questions.

Given that not everyone is on Facebook (and yes - that may be you), I thought it would be useful to dedicate part of this post here at the blog to a quick walk through of a potential activity you might consider.

We stepped into quarter 2 a few weeks ago and many of our clients are working towards this, or other important goals. Here's a quick 20 minute activity which can help individuals gain some new perspectives around goals.

First, have each team member think about one of their most important goals. With a partner, zoom into that, discussing what it would look like if that goal is SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound. I always an an E on the end and if you've read any of my books you'll see me call them SMART-E goals. E is for exciting. Be sure to check out why the goal is exciting and what's important about it. Have them write this out and notice what becomes clear for them around the goal.

Next, get partners to select a random question card (there are 22 in the Conversation Sparker Deck) and then connect that question to their goal. Perhaps the question is "What do you need to do to collaborate more?" or "What do you say no to?"or "What else?". The role of the partner is simply to listen to what the other person says.

Finally, you can have group members in a third round of this discussion select another  photo which represents what they want to create in their goal achievement.

Visuals have a way of accessing new knowledge and ideas in a way questions alone may not. Check out the Conversation Sparker Cards at ConversationSparker.com.

I've rolled in more than 40 facilitated instructions into an e-manual called 40 Ways to Work with Visual Cards, which is available through our site and also Coaching Toys. If you are looking for actual instructions and five worksheets you can use and duplicate for your groups, check it out at our Potentials Realized Store.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
GroupCoachingEssentials.com | Effective Virtual Conversations.com 
(416)996-8326

Want to sharpen your coaching skills? The next Mentor Coaching Group for ACC/PCC starts Monday April 30 2018, with calls being held Mondays from 10:30 - 11:30 am Eastern/New York. 7 hours of group calls, 3 hours of 1-1 calls. Calls run to end of July 2018. 3 spots still open!

Coaching Biz Growth Lab meets twice a month on Fridays from 3 - 4 pm ET.  Jump into this ongoing business development group coaching program.



Thursday, April 12, 2018

Keeping it Simple in Groups and Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum starts Friday April 13th at 11:45 am ET

With recent social media scrutiny, I don't want to assume that you have been keeping abreast of all
your feeds and notifications.  A couple of alerts here at the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog regarding upcoming programs, and recent Facebook Live calls I've hosted. One of the beauties of technology is that you can always catch up if you weren't able to attend

Upcoming CCE Programs:
Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practium starts tomorrow, Friday April 13th at 11:45 am Eastern. Looking for really get what group and team coaching looks like while you get practice in Hope you'll join us. A few spots still open! Cost: $495 US for the six sessions
your skills. Join me for part 2 of the Essentials program, the Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum, where each week a different coach will take us through a 30 minute group/team coaching conversation, with us as their group. We'll take a deeper dive into different elements of group and team coaching such as design, engagement, virtual, what really are the distinctions, setting groups up for success, and virtual. This program is approved for 10 CCEs with the ICF (including 9.25 hours of core competencies). We're meeting this spring on April 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18 Fridays 11:45 - 1 pm ET/ New York on ZOOM.

Group Coaching Essentials - Looking for the foundations of creating, leading and marketing your own group coaching work? This program explores practical and tactical ideas for you to consider in your own work. Content rich, this is suited for coaches who want a quick primer on the essentials of group coaching. Follow up with the Advanced Practicum for experience in sharpening your skills. The Essentials starts Friday April 20th - with calls held on Fridays from 10:15 - 11:30 am ET/New York on ZOOM - Group calls April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18. 8.75 CCEs with the ICF. 4 spots still open. Grab your spot here.

Catch up on past calls:
This week's Facebook Live Call was on Keeping it Simple! Whether we are thinking about design, exercises, fieldwork, keeping it simple is essential in group and team work. In this short 15 minute FB Live call I cover several areas you will want to think about. Stay tuned for our bi-weekly call announcements. They usually happen on Mondays but may occur in the morning or afternoon depending on my schedule. Next call Monday the 24th.

Join me Monday for this month's Effective Virtual Conversation Community Call. Everyone is invited for this month's complimentary EVC call on Monday April 16th from 11 - 11:30 am ET. We meet in zoom room 270-302-0415. This month's topic is on 3 activities for your virtual work. 

With an ice storm heading our way here in Toronto over the weekend I hope our power lines will stay up! If you don't see me Monday, you'll know why.

Finally, we kicked off the Coaching Biz Growth Lab last Friday at 3 pm ET. This is my newest group for coaches - geared for those who are looking for support around their business develompent. We meet the first and third weeks of the month. With monthly themes, calls are geared to coaching you on topics which are important in the moment. Regular touchpoints throughout the week keep you focused and moving forward on your business. I'm really excited about this program and you can join us at any time as it is an open enrollment group. Want to amp up your business this spring - consider joining us. You can join for the year, the quarter or the month. GEC alumni rate also available. The group is meeting the first and third Fridays of each month for live calls from 3 - 4 pm ET. The program also includes regular supports, a monthly article and template to support your growth. Only $149/month. Check out our program registration page here, or the CBGL portal here.

Hope that you will join me for an upcoming program. You are sure to pick up a few tips you can apply in your own virtual or in-person work with clients.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, PCC
Author of multiple books including the Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) , From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013), and Effective Group Coaching (2010)

Visit our varied websites (which usually are related to my book titles!)
GroupCoachingEssentials
From12many.com
EffectiveVirtualConversations.com
Coaching Business Builder.com