Exercises for Group Programs - Icebreakers

Affectionately known as "icebreakers", these are activities used at the start of a group program - whether it is a workshop, retreat or group coaching program. Icebreakers are important for many reasons. First, they help to set the tone of a program, while allowing participants to get to know each other. Icebreakers, when chosen effectively, can help to reduce the anxiety participants arrive at a program with. As we know, anxiety is a blockage to learning, so reducing anxiety for adult learners is an important concept.

There are literally millions of icebreakers out there, in print and on the web. As I have asked in previous posts, what exercises do you have available at your disposal? Is it time to update some of your icebreaker activities? Spend some time adding to your list of exercises at your disposal.

As a group coach, introductory exercises (icebreakers) can be very powerful in starting to create the environment of trust between group coaching participants, while setting the stage for whatever topics the coaching revolves around (for example, work-life balance, values, business vision, career transition, leadership -- these are all areas I often run group coaching programs on). When you are looking at designing your next group coaching program, think about what exercises might be great at setting the stage for your work together.

In my next post, I'll share with you one of my favorite icebreakers from my toolkit, so stay tuned!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Have you checked out our upcoming programs for the fall? There is a wide variety of teleseminars, in person intensive programs, and virtual retreats that I will be offering over the coming months. I know that they would be useful in supporting you with your work with teams and groups. Check out our upcoming events listing at www.groupcoachingessentials.com/pages/upcoming-events and register. Spaces are limited for all programs, so reserve yours today!

Why are exercises important for group programs?

Here's my second post on exercises for group programs - have you thought about what exercises you have at your disposal? If not, take some time thinking about what you already have in your toolkit, and do some web based research into areas which are lacking.

So, why are exercises important? The most important factor for me is that it provides the opportunity for participants to get involved, engaged and in charge of their learning. Think back to some of your worst learning experiences. I am sure that they probably entailed listening to a person lecture on and on, or prehaps a speaker who was over-passionate about following a Power Point presentation.

Exercises are the cornerstone of group coaching, as well as workshops or retreats. Exercises allow us to create a framework for our participants to:

• Explore major topics
• Deepen the learning
• Reflect on their experience, knowledge and feelings
• Make connections between what they already know

Exercises can set the tone for a program and play an important role in energizing a group or providing closure.

In following posts I will be talking more about exercises you can use to energize a group, provide closure and use to kick a program off.

Stay Tuned!

Jennifer ~ Potentials Realized

Web: www.groupcoachingessentials.com and www.potentialsrealized.com

The Power of Exercises

Exercises are an important part of any group program - whether it is a workshop, a retreat or a group coaching program. What exercises do you have in your back pocket?

Over my next few blog posts I am going to be sharing some information and resources on exercises to use throughout a group program. As an experiential educator, exercises are the foundation of any program I run.

Reflect on what exercises you have available at your disposal. If you are a coach, what exercises do you currently use with your individual clients that could be translated into the group context? My guess is that you can come up with a list of at least 10 - 15 that could be modified for the group context.

To start filling your "back pocket" (what I call as those activities I always have in the back of my mind which I can pull out at any time" do a web-based search for terms such as "icebreaker", teambuilding exercises, group exercises. I often recommend to coaches and other group facilitators to start a file, or even a binder, with exercises they have come across that are interesting. You will never know when you can use them!

A note on copyright (a pet peeve of mine when it is infringed upon, as I discussed last week to a group of business students I was lecturing to on this subject). Make sure that you have copyright access/authorization to any materials you are using. Check what the author of the activty has said in terms of use, attribution etc.

Stay tuned, lots more to come on exercises...What's your biggest question regarding exercises? - I'd be happy to include it in a future blog post.

Cheers,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Web: www.groupcoachingessentials.com - Group Coaching Essentials Website
www.potentialsrealized.com - Potentials Realized Website

Knowing Your Client

As I have posted before (see Jan 15th post - Group Coaching Client Assessment now available), Knowing your Client, is a key component of group coaching program success - for both implementation, marketing, and impact.

Whenever you are looking to develop a group coaching program, one of the primary considerations should be "What will these clients want?". This will influence everything from program design, to how and where it is delivered (venue/phone/in person), how you approach the marketing, what topics are covered etc.

In the training realm, we call this Needs Assessment, which according to most Instructional Designers should comprise about 15-20% of your total program time. How much time do you spend thinking about Knowing Your Client (TM) when developing a group program? What has the impact been when you really knew your client?

The Group Coaching Client Assessment (TM) is still available at no charge for coaches who want a structure to further define their group coaching client base. Feel free to email me at jennifer[at] potentialsrealized [dot] com to request your copy.

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Web: http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com and www.potentialsrealized.com
Toll free: 1-866-217-1960

Podcast on Virtual Retreats now available

Ealier this week I was interviewed by Elana Centor, BlogHer's Business and Career Contributor about my work around work-life balance and virtual retreats. Her article "Getting Balanced -- Virtually" was published this morning. She also podcasted our interview, and I hope that you will take a listen to it, as it is very relevant to any coaches who are interested in running their own virtual retreats. You can visit the link by clicking the title above or by clicking here.

I have been running retreat programs for almost 18 years now, and my retreats have taken me around the world physically. My newest foray into the world of retreats is leading virtual retreats. I love facilitating virtual retreats as it allows me to connect with amazing individuals all around the world, without even leaving my home. As a mother with a 14 month old son, this is so important at the moment for me. What I have found is that many of the principles of an in-person retreat success are just as important for virtual retreats. I speak about this issue on the podcast, so if you can, please listen. You will definitely take away some golden nuggets for your own work.

If you are intrested in learning more tips and tools for retreat success, and want a quick booster shot, I will be running a 1.5 hour teleclass on Tips and Tools for Making Your Workshop or Retreat a Success! on Thursday August 3rd from 12 - 1:30 pm (EST). I hope that you will consider joining me. The cost of the teleclass is $59.95 USD and includes an electronic workbook. Space is limited to 12 participants.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the podcast -- your comments are welcomed!

With best wishes,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Web: http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com and http://www.potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Announcing the Launch of the Group Coaching Essentials Website

The theme for this month seems to be marketing everywhere I turn, including in my own business. I have been busy for the past few weeks putting the finishing touches on my newest website - this one dedicated to Group Coaching issues.I am pleased to announce that the Group Coaching Essentials website is now up and running. Please check it out by visiting www.groupcoachingessentials.com!

Over the past six months I have received wonderful feedback from clients and prospects, wanting more indepth information about the Group Coaching Essentials program. My core Potentials Realized site is chock full of information and I felt that Group Coaching Essentials deserved its' own site.

The new GEC site, which is linked to this blog, will contain the latest updates and information on courses, retreats, resources and other issues related to group coaching and group programs. I would welcome your feedback as to what works well and what else you would like to see be added.

For a quieter time of year, my summer programs continue to be widely attended - it seems that many coaches and trainers are making use of this slower time to develop their own programs. I am happy to be a part of their journey . Based on the success of the July 8th Creativity Virtual Retreat, I will be offering a second Creativity Virtual Retreat on Saturday July 29th from 11 - 4:30 pm (EST. We will meet every hour by phone for approximately 15-20 minutes, with the rest of the hour being dedicated to individual exercises related to your own program (workshop, retreat, group coaching). For more information about this program, please click here. Space is limited to 12 participants.

The August Group Coaching Essentials program will start on August 3rd on Thursdays from 10:45 - 12 noon (EST), meeting on August 3, 17, 24 and 31st. The course is limited to 8 coaches. For more information, on the GEC program, please click here to visit the new webpage with course information. Space is limited to 8 coaches.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com and http://www.potentialsrealized.com

Do you have a marketing plan?

I regularly receive questions about marketing for group coaching programs, workshops and retreats. For most independent professionals, marketing is one area which usually elicits a strong response - either positive or negative. It is an often overlooked area, yet critical for program and business success. If people don't know about you, how do they know what you offer and attend your events?

I will ask profesionals - "Do you have a marketing plan?". Just as a business plan is an essential roadmap for our success, a marketing plan is also critical. How much do you have budgeted for marketing this year?

Many coaches use the summer months for planning, and I would encourage you to put some thought to how you want to market your programs and your general business this next year. How do you want to let people know about your offerings. Some possibilities include:

• World of mouth, referral
• Speaking engagements
• Website, Blogs, Podcasts
• Media Exposure
• Other ads - print, radio , tv

Each one of these has shown different rates of return - with ads and direct mail often showing the lowest rates of return.

If you haven't done so already, spend some time over the coming weeks mapping out your marketing strategy and costs. As you go through this exercise keep in mind who your clients are and what appeals to them (see my earlier post on Knowing Your Client).

You may want to develop a MindMap on this to get your creative juices flowing. Another simple structure is to develop a table in Word and list the marketing activities you will take, along with specifics regarding date, cost, description and outcome. Track your marketing efforts and see which ones are netting you the best results. What about it is so effective?

What is one thing that you could do each day to move your marketing efforts forward?

I know that there are lots of marketing questions out there, so please use the comment link and I will blog on these marketing questions in the future.

With best wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized

Web: http://www.potentialsrealized.com