Co-Coaching: C in the Group Coaching A - Z blog series

 

Welcome back to the A-Z series of Group Coaching. This series is part of our 19th anniversary

celebrations. We hope you enjoy it.

Every few weeks we'll bring you a different principle you will want to consider incorporating into your group coaching work. They are based off of my book, Effective Group Coaching (by Jennifer Britton).

This week, we are at C – Co-Facilitation. When EGC was first published there was a digital chapter on Co-Facilitation that later inspired Chapter 11 of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and GroupCoaching.

For years I have been fascinated by the creative and evolutionary dance of co-coaching. It is part art and part science.

We have been exploring the foundations of this topic as part of the ACTIVATE Your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers program, one of our newer ICF-CCE approved programs (and part of our 60 hour pathway to Team Coaching Certification, and Group Coaching Certification).

As I share in my latest TEDx talk, CoachingTeams through Chaos, Diversity = Strength. The same holds true for Co-Facilitation.

Our best co-facilitators are often the ones who bring different strengths and styles. Their unique ability to see different things and work differently is additive, especially in a large group or team coaching situation.

Great Co-Facilitation doesn’t “just happen”, it’s designed. It is intentional. And the design process starts early on in  your relationship, WAY BEFORE you start working with a group or a team.

As I share in Chapter 10 of From One to Many, there are a series of questions you will want to ask throughout the design phase as well as when you are in the room.

It is not uncommon as a coaching supervisor of group and team coaches to hear about how a coaching engagement was derailed by sub-par co-facilitation. I’ve had my own share of great, and not so great engagements. And as we boil it down to some of the core elements of what makes it great or not, we have a variety of relational, coaching, and design elements which go into the mix.

In today’s blog post we’re going to zoom into one of the many elements which shape our co-coaching, that of styles.

Our styles also play a key role, and this is a great starting point for discussion and building your “alliance” (as we would say in CTI language).

• What is your superpower? Take the Team and Group Coaching Superpower quiz to find out.
• What is your partner’s coaching superpower?
• How do they relate?
• What strengths do you bring collectively?
• What blind spots, or gaps, exist?
• What you do want to make sure you are not overcompensating for?
• What is important in your partnership?
• What are you committed to, NO MATTER WHAT?

These questions alone might form the springboard to a 30 minute conversation together. It’s areas like this that we explore in the Co-Coaching Essentials program, coming again in June.

If you don’t see yourself co-coaching, use the same questions listed above to think about how these influence and interrelate with the styes of your group members. You can also take a look at the related Hybrid Work Styles Quiz

 

Enjoy the reflection and conversation!

Jennifer

Group Coaching Essentials

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

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What is your unique style as a coach? Take 2-minutes to complete the  Group and Team Coaching Superpower Quiz. You can find it at https://bit.ly/gtcoachingsuperpower. Share your style using the comments below and/or follow along on Instagram at our CoachingBizBuilder site.

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

Neuroscience, Learning and Experiential Processes for Group and Team Coaching - NEW - Join us Fridays starting May 12th or Mondays at 130 pm ET starting June 6th - With Jennifer (6 weeks)

Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us on Fridays from 1015 - 1130 am ET on Fridays starting May 12 for this 8.75 CCE program - 4 spaces still open - https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html. 

Coaching Diverse Teams and Groups using the Work Styles - Fridays 1015 - 1130 am ET - May 12 - end of June (14 CCEs) - Widen your toolkit for working with diverse styles in teams and groups in this 6 week program based on the Hybrid Work Styles. WE also explore Coaching for Creativity and Innovation. This is course 5 in the 70 hour Certificate in Team Coaching Program.

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Fridays 1230 - 2 pm ET - May 19 - mid-June (6 weeks)

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Starts Monday May 8th. Being asked to coach teams OR Want to work towards your ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)? Equip yourself with the foundations of this quickly evolving field. This program is grounded in our From One to Many methodology PLUS what works right now in today's evolving workspace. 6 week program on Mondays 12 - 130 pm ET  starting May  8 with Kathy

ACTIVATE your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs) - Tuesdays 645 - 8 am ET: starting May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6 and 13  with Jennifer- Course 4 in the pathway (catch up on call #1 with the recording)

Coaching Supervision Group (Small group format) - NEW COHORT - Mondays 9 - 1030 am ET:  May 15, June 12, July, August and September 11 OR book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

Amazon link for Effective Group Coaching: https://amzn.to/3zoEGLF Program dates: https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html

 

 

Coaching Supervision - Day 7 of the 12 Days of Celebrations

 Ongoing learning is part of our coaching competencies. What are you doing to pause, reflect and adjust

the way you coach?

This year I've been exploring that question on a personal and program level, as an individual, as well as a coach trainer, and coaching supervisor.

One of the evolutions of our professional practice in coaching is that of coaching supervision. Many of you may be aware that 5 hours of coaching supervision is now required for those applying to the new ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching.  Here at Potentials Realized we are proud to be offering Coaching Supervision in an individual format as well as a group format (next supervision group starts Thursdays 12 - 130 pm ET on January 12th, meeting on the 1st Thursday of every month for February through May 2023).

Why is coaching supervision important?

1. It provides an opportunity for coaches to pause and reflect on their practice and specific engagements with clients. This is important for individual coaching, as well as group and team coaching, which we specialize in.

2. It provides an opportunity for coaches to pause and reflect on where they are developing.

3. It provides an opportunity for coaches to pause and restore or renew.

4. For team coaches, it helps to unpack the complexity of the conversations occurring within the team system, around the team system, as well as with us as supervisors. We use Hawkins 10 Eyed Model for Team Coaching Supervision, and are pleased to have been trained directly with Peter in team coaching supervision techniques.

5. It provides an opportunity to learn with others. Aligned with our focus on groups and teams, we believe in the power of collaborative learning and encourage you as a coach to consider group supervision, where you can learn from others experiences, as much as individual coaching supervision.

Curious about coaching supervision? Book a call to discuss, and check out our January coaching supervision group (5 spaces still open)

Check out this call I hosted with our team lead, Kathy Vaughan, earlier this year on coaching supervision and why it's important:

Have a great weekend,

Jennifer

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 hat is your unique style as a coach? Take 2-minutes to complete the NEW Group and Team Coaching Superpower Quiz. You can find it at https://bit.ly/gtcoachingsuperpower. Share your style using the comments below and/or follow along on Instagram at our CoachingBizBuilder site.

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

Group Coaching Essentials - Fridays 1015 - 1130 am ET: January 13, 20, 27, February 4 and 11 (with Evana) - 8.75 CCEs

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Fridays 1230 - 145 pm ET: January 13 - mid-Feb (6 weeks) with Jennifer

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Being asked to coach teams? Equip yourself with the foundations of this quickly evolving field. This program is grounded in our From One to Many methodology PLUS what works right now in today's evolving workspace. 6 week program on Mondays 12 - 130 pm ET  January 9,  23, 30, February 6, 13, 27 2023 with Kathy

Mentor Coaching Group - 10 hours Fridays 9-10 am ET: January 13 - April 13th with Jennifer or Mondays 1230 - 130 pm ET running January 9 - April 9. 4 spots open in each group. (For ACC renewal or PCC)

Team Coaching Supervision (Small group format) - Thursdays 12 - 130 pm ET January 12 with additional calls first week of the month (Jan to May) OR book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

Year End Business Planning Retreat - Wednesday December 21 - 1230 - 430 pm ET with Jennifer (4 spots open)

Check out our full schedule for January programs which begin the week of January 9th at GroupCoachingEssentials.ca.

SAVE THE DATE For our 19th Annual Holiday Party - 10 - 1 pm ET on Tuesday December 20th (virtual on zoom)! Everyone is invited to join us

 

Group Coaching Core Essentials - 9 of 18: Exercises

This week's blog post comes to us from Evana, our Team Lead for Group Coaching.Thanks !

This week focuses on the value and benefit of including exercises in your group programs to support participants in achieving their goals and integrating their learning after sessions through action and accountability by group coach and their respective peers in the program. 

 

Similar to the experiential learning model, “What? So what? Now what?” it supports layers of awareness, and also action based on awareness; its equally important coaches have participants bring their learning outside of the program and integrating their knowledge in their lives.

 

Depending on your programs focus, you will likely have a toolbox of tools, exercises and possibly assessments to draw upon based on participant’s needs and goals. As a group coach your role is to stay present to participants needs providing feedback on what’s showing up in the sessions as possible topics to support participants achieving their goals and fulfilling their commitments.

 

 

Principle – Provide space in your program for exercises such as action planning, setting commitments, creating structures, and identifying accountability steps.

 

Action: Participants have frameworks to take learning of the programs back to their every day lives.

 

 

This week, consider reviewing what you can add or modify within your program (or separate sessions) to include exercises that support your participants to bring the learning from your program back into their lives. Consider the following questions: 

 

 

*How are you ensuring everyone is autonomous in the design of goals, actions and accountability during the group coaching program process?

 

*What structures can you add in your programs to create accountability both with the coach and within the group?

 

*How can you support participants integrate their learning outside of the session?

 

*What activities can you modify and migrate individual coaching to group setting to support awareness and action of participants goals?

 

 *What technologies are available to create accountability and action amongst the group members?

 

* How is your How are you continuing to develop yourself as a coach ?

 

*How can you leverage participant experiences and synergies to support participants to propel action?

 Blog post by: 

Evana Valle - Team Lead - Group Coaching, Potentials Realized

For more on this topic check out the Appendices of  Jennifer Britton's books - Effective Group Coaching, and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching. 

 Group Coaching Essentials | Effective Virtual Conversations | Potentials Realized
Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder (for coaches)

Want to know what's new? Looking for remote and hybrid resources - Pick up a copy of the  Reconnecting Workspaces book or the 90-Day Guide for Success. Instagram: @ReconnectingWorkspaces

Group Coaching Essentials (8.75 CCEs) - Join us in September on Fridays from 1015 - 1130 am ET starting September 9th for 5 weeks

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs) - next starts on Monday September 12th from 130 - 3 pm ET for 6 weeks - With Kathy Vaughan and Jennifer

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs): Starting Fridays at 1230 pm ET on September 9th for 6 weeks (With Jennifer)

Mentor Coaching Group - for ACC/PCC - Fridays 9-10 am ET running from September 9 - December 9th (with Jennifer)

Supervision Group for Team Coaches - 10 hours - Thursdays starting September 15th and running to March (with Jennifer and Kathy - meets ICF and EMCC supervision requirements for team coaches)

Jennifer is also the author of Effective Group Coaching (2010), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Check out her author page on Amazon for all publications.