Facilitation Kit Suggestions

Over the next 10 days I am delivering in-person programs to 3 different teams. In June I brought a sample of my facilitation kit (see picture to the right of the Toolkit I provide to participants at the Group Coaching Intensive) to my presentation in Chicago at the ICF Mid-West Regional Conference. A couple of coaches asked me what I always brought with me to in person training events, so here they are:

• Blank Post It notes (lots of them in different colours)
• Extra Masking Tape - White and Blue or GreenDo not assume that venues will provide this. I found this out last spring when I was delivering a corporate program. The whole hotel had no masking tape. The next time we used the venue it was good to see that the room host indicated where extra was kept! Masking tape is an invaluable tool for hanging flipcharts and signs, as well as for more body-centered/experiential activities, such as the Coaching Wheel or Quadrant Work
• Markers - Mr. Scent for Flipcharting, smaller ones for group/team members to work with, Sharpies
• Remote for Laptop - yes, I do  use PowerPoint when I am working  with larger groups. On Monday I am co-facilitating a session for 70 people. Flipcharts just don't work well with such a large room. Remember that PowerPoint is a support to avoid the Death By Powerpoint Syndrome
• Extra Batteries for Remote
  
• Pair of Scissors
• Small Stapler
• Hole Punch
• Blank Name Tags
• Colored Dots - see my past posts on how to use colored dots for prioritization and decision making
• A selection of index cards (white and multi-coloured)
• Blue Tack (for posting things)
• Stickers and scrapbooking paper (great for visioning work as well as exercises like a Team StoryBoard
• USB key with an extra copy of any of the materials we are going to use, along with a spare hard copy

What else would be useful to put in  your facilitator's kit?

Have a great week!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Host of the Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (now approved for 8 CCEs), the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (6.75 CCEs)
Join us for the 2 day in person Group Coaching Intensive (15 hrs) which will be held in Toronto on Saturday November 10 and Sunday November 11
Tel: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

Core Coaching Competency - Powerful Questions

Asking Powerful Questions are a key part of the coaching conversation as well as one of the 11 core coaching competencies of the ICF. Powerful Questions are an area as coaches we may be working with our clients (team, group and individual) to integrate into their everyday work and conversations.

In thinking about powerful questions, it is important to consider:
1. Powerful questions are open-ended.
2. Powerful questions are asked in language that is resonant for the client. As coaches we always want to adapt, or calibrate, our language with different clients. When I work with groups in the safety industry my language is different than working with educators. Notice the language which works for your clients.
3. Powerful questions are often very short. When I went through my core coaching training almost a decade ago, one of my trainers challenged us to ask questions that were only 5-7 words in length. Try it out and see what happens.
4. Watch for stacking questions, or asking a couple at a time. Just ask one question, pause and let the client/coachee answer.
5. Notice the impact of styles and impact of questions. For example, a person with a visual preference may be more receptive to the question "What does that look like?" rather than "What does that feel like?" . Part of the design of your coaching work together may be to have some discussion around individual styles.
6. Questions should support clients in creating awareness around the issues of importance/focus as well as support action around their goals.

As a coach you will develop your own repertoire of coaching questions. A quick homework assignment may be to come up with a list of powerful questions you can draw on in working with your clients. In working with teams or groups particularly notice the language of that grouping, and also be aware of the diversity that exists.

Two good resources I always recommend around questions are The Co-Active Coaching Book (check out the appendix for a great selection of coaching questions, and Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams.

As a coach, what will support you in enhancing your skill in the area of questions?

Have a great week!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, BCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
GroupCoachingEssentials.com
Looking to hone your coaching skills? Join me for an upcoming Mentor Coaching Group - next group starts Friday Sept 14 at 130pm Eastern.
The Advanced Group Coaching Practicum is now approved for 8 CCEs with the ICF

What are your favorite team and group coaching activities?

Questions around resources and activities to use with teams and groups is often a common question from coaches. Over the last month at our Facebook page I've been undertaking the a-z of Team and Group #Coaching. We are at R today for Relationship Web. I hope that you will check out some of the recent posts and will be inspired by others.

The picture on today's blog post is
a Team Storyboard activity which I often use in retreats or at the end of a team coaching process. It's a great way to get teams articulating their vision, and having something tangible they can take back to the office. Even if you are working with a virtual team, a photo of the StoryBoard can be circulated by email.

Three of my favorite online and offline sources for resources are:
Wilderdom.com
BusinessBalls.com
Books from ASTD Press and Pfeiffer

What are some of your favorite team and group coaching activities? Feel free to comment below, or at our Facebook page.

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, BCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) - Check out the Appendix of the book for more activities for groups
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (6.75 CCEs - starts Thursday September 13 at 10:30 am ET and has one week dedicated to exercises and activites), and the Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (8 hours - starts Friday September 14th at 10:30 am ET - giving coaches an opportunity to practice and receive feedback on their skills)

6 Posts to Support you with your business this fall

With Labor Day behind us, this past week has been like a new year for so many - children back in school, regular work schedules resuming, and for many of us and our clients often a new focus on what we want to create.  I've been talking to many coaches in the past few days about the goals that they have for the end of the year, and I've been pointing them to some of my past posts.

I thought that these past Coaching Business Builder would be useful to share with you as well -

1. Systematize
2. Track it!
3. The One Percent Rule
4. Blogging Tips
5. Planning and Tracking
6. Do They Know, Like and Trust You?

As always, please feel free to share with others in your network - you can tweet them, share them on Facebook or G+.

What action is going to support you the most this fall? Where do you want to keep an eye on?

Have a great start to the week! Looking forward to meeting several of you in my upcoming programs this week - still a few spaces left (links below).

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Phone: (416)996-8326
Upcoming programs include: Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (application in for 8 CCEs with the ICF - starts Friday Sept 14 at 1030 am - 2 spots), Mentor Coaching Group for ACC renewal and ACC/PCC portfolio (starts Friday Sept 14 at 1:30 pm ET), Group Coaching Essentials (6.75 CCEs - Starts Thursday Sept 13 at 10:30 am ET) and 90 Day BizSuccess Group Coaching starts Tuesday Sept 11 at 745 pm Eastern

Two Mentor Coaching Groups starting: September 14 and 18

Are you an ACC needing to complete your mentor coaching hours for renewal, or a coach who is moving towards their ACC or PCC portfolio route? If so, you may be interested in joining me for one of the upcoming Mentor Coaching Groups. This program meets the 10 hour mentor coaching requirement with the ICF, and is geared to support coaches getting "crisper" with their skills while taking a deep dive around the ICF core coaching competencies. Held over three months, the program includes 3 hours of individual mentor coaching calls (1 hour taken each of the three months), and seven hours of group mentor coaching calls (maximum 4-5 coaches). Our group calls provide coaches with an opportunity to practice and get feedback on their coaching skills, as well as explore the 11 core competencies, and are supported by written module notes  The program is held by phone so you can participate from wherever you are located.

There are two new groups starting in September:

Fridays 1:30 - 2:30 pm ET: Sept 14, 28, October 12, 26, November 2, 9, December 14: (3 spots open)

Tuesdays 10:30 - 11:30 am Eastern/New York. Group Calls held on September 18, Oct 2, 9, 30, November 13, December 4, 18 (3 spots open)

Here's what alumni of the program have said:

"Jennifer is a coach’s coach . I hired her to fulfill the mentor coaching requirement for renewing my ICF credential and came away with much more." - Shirin Khamisa, Coach and HeartMath Provider, www.careersbydesign.ca

"Done as Jennifer does it, I would only ever recommend Mentor Coaching in a group setting (barring the 3 hours of individual hours required). It opened me to considering new ways of providing coach work in the world. Jennifer's way of working with the group modeled best practice for group coaching and facilitation. She is a professional through and through, showing up authentically with felt presence. She provided a space that allowed for the experience to be effective, compassionate and inspirational" - Kathy Igoe, ACC, 2011 President of Professional Coaches Association of Michigan

Cost: $1000 US or CDN(plus HST), payable in 1, 2 or 3 installments

For more information and to register please click here.

I hope that you will join me for an upcoming program!

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, BCC
Author of  Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Phone: (416)996-8326

Another great book for the shelf/reader- Gamestorming

This summer I've been reading some really good books in doing research for my next book on group and team coaching. One that I came across recently which I thought that coaches may appreciate is Gamestorming (Gray, Dave; Brown, Sunni; Macanufo, James (2010). Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. O'Reilly Media, Inc). For those that cross the boundaries of coaching and facilitation, I think you will find some wonderful inspiration in working with groups and teams.

Here's a link to one of the authors -  Sunni Brown's site. For those interested in visual facilitation, as well as more experiential approaches for working with groups, I think that you will enjoy it!

Have  a wonderful long weekend!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, BCC 
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Phone: (416)996-8326

Key Marketing Tips for your Group Coaching Work

My mind is revolving around marketing for group coaching today, particularly as I was speaking about this topic with the Group Coaching Essentials program this morning. Questions around pricing, promotion, social media, positioning are always key topics when I am speaking with both internal and external coaches.

For those interested, I would invite you to check out past posts I have written around business development and marketing. At the moment I am synthesizing some key marketing tips for an upcoming presentation I am giving to a coaching group in September.

Some key tips to keep in mind when you go about marketing (and of course, your related design) for your programs this fall:

1. Don't just consider the program from your vantage point. Really put yourself in the shoes of the group members/clients you are working with. What is most meaningful and relevant to them in terms of marketing communication (language, approach/platform, touch-points). What do they want to know? What language is going to be relevant to them?
2. We learn through action. I continue to see business owners falling into the analysis - paralysis trap. As I mentioned this morning to the coaches participating in today's call, much of what I have learned in the realm of group coaching, and related marketing, has been through trial and error. I am the first to recognize that not everything I have done is a success. AND it's been really useful feedback and learning, which has helped me continue to shape and refine my work.
3. Track It, Track It, Track It - It's really important to notice, and ask for feedback on, when and where people are finding out about your work. Over time, notice what is sticking and what is not. Make adjustments as necessary (and frequently!).
4. Consider the question - "What do you want to be known for?".  What is the work you really want to create? Who are the people you really want to serve? From the 30,000 foot view, what do you want to be known for? How do you want to add value?
5. Remember it's about consistent action - Over time, action creates it's own momentum. A few weeks ago I wrote about the 1% rule to business development. How are your actions coming?

What's going to be your next step around your work?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Phone: (416)996-TEAM
Join us for an upcoming fall program: 90 Day BizSuccess Group Coaching (for Coaches wanting to build their business - Tuesdays 745-845 pm ET starting Sept 11), the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (6.75 CCEs starting Thurs Sept 13 at 1030am ET), the Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (Fridays 10:30 am ET starting Sept 14) and  the Mentor Coaching Group (starting Sept 4 and 14)