Group and Team Coaching Myth - More is more in terms of program design

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This past weekend I hosted the Group and Team Coaching Intensive a weekend long program where coaches get a chance to practice their skills in group and team coaching. As we moved through many great coaching  moments it became really apparent that coaching conversations really take time in groups and teams. Less is truly more!

While we may be able to squeeze more moving parts into a workshop or retreat process, in group and team coaching trust and connection is paramount. Without this foundation, members won't engage in the coaching dialogue. Trust and connection takes time to form. This connection and trust is often formed over several sessions, so coaches will want to consider how they want to invite people to get to know each other, set goals for their work, and engage with each other in the conversation.

When we look at the less is more principle to program design we want to consider:
* What key elements do we want to include in each session (check in, check out, pre-work/post-work and coaching moments)?
* What key themes does the group want to explore during their time together?
*  What is the optimum group size the facilitate the dialogue and coaching process?
* What do group members really want and value (group dialogue, paired discussion, more individual reflection etc)?
* Just how much can we explore in the time we have together.

Really embracing and understanding the less is more principle to programming, requires that we get into action and get into real time dialogue with groups. Experience helps us understand just what this means. What opportunities can you create to work with groups in the coming months and into 2016. Nothing can replace real-time practice and experience.

For more on program design topics related to group and team coaching, check out some of my past posts in the area of program development here.

Best
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Group Coaching Essentials | Potentials Realized  
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Join us for an upcoming CCE approved program including the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar starting December 1st (Tues/Thurs Dec 1, 8, 10, 15, 17 - 8.75 CCEs with the ICF)
 (416)996-8326

PS - A reminder my next Group Coaching Design Studio blab will be held this Thursday from 945 - 1015 am ET. I hope that you will drop in and join us. Link to the session is here - focus of this week's blab is  on Core Design Elements for Group and Team Coaching.  We'll be exploring program elements and considerations pre-program, during the program and post-program, Hope you'll join us!

Group Coaching Design Studio - Inaugual Blab - October 22, 2015

As many of you know I like to experiment with new technologies in service of community, education and learning. I am exctied to announce that I hosted my first blab this morning! If you haven't heard about blab yet, it's a neat new platform which can bring people together for conversation. From my experience this morning I also see it as a great vehicle for educational snippets and dialogue.

I'll be hosting my next blab  - the Group Coaching Design Studio (TM)  Blab - on Thursday October 29th from 945 - 1015 am Eastern. You'll need an internet connection and Twitter account.

You can view this week's inaugural blab where I cover off some of the benefits of group coaching, do a short piece on vision work (with the Conversation Sparker card deck), and then opened the mic!

You can view the replay here (26 minutes) - Enjoy!

Hope that you will join me next week for our 2nd blab - 945 - 1015 am ET on Thursday October 29th. The link should be https://blab.im/jennbritton-group-coaching-design-studio-jennifer-britton-author-effective-group-coaching-3 (and you can also always search on the date of programming where I am "online live" in case the link does not work).

If you have program ideas - things you'd like covered, or questions you have, please let me know as I'm looking forward to hosting several more of these.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Group Coaching Essentials | Potentials Realized  
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
 (416)996-8326
Join us for an upcoming program including the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar starting Oct 29th at 1030 am ET (8.75 CCEs) or the Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (10CCEs) starting Friday Oct 30th at 145 pm m ET. There are also a few spots open in our 2 day training - Group and Team Coaching Intensive (19 CCEs) - being held the weekend of November 7-8 (19 CCEs)