My Top 10 Favorite Group Program Tools and Tips for 2007

Top 10 Favorite Group Program Tools and Tips for 2007
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved

This year has been a rich time for me to work with many group clients – from individuals and teams representing the virtual world, for profit, not for profit and global organizations.

Here are some of the tools and tips that have come in very handy for the year. I hope that you will find them useful too!

1. http://www.thebasementventures.com/ – If you are looking to host your own conference calls and want to record them at no cost, this service offers it all for free! You can also convert your audio recordings into podcasts.
2. Post-it notes: I don’t know how many dozen post it notes I have gone through this year with group and team programs but it’s been a lot! Post- its are a great tool for capturing thoughts for program design, vision work and also evaluation from participants.
3. Printing Needs: VistaPrint. If you haven’t discovered Vista Print yet, I hope that you will check them out. They offer a wide selection of products you can customize – from postcards, to business cards and T-shirts. If time is on your side, you may appreciate the value of their products.
4. Group Coaching and Training Checklist: http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2007/09/workshop-retreat-and-group-coaching.html
   
5. MindMapping – I love using MindMaps with my clients. They are a great way to support people to think outside of the box! You can have groups create them, individuals create their own, draw them on paper or use a computer program such as MindJet (http://www.mindjet.com/). What can you MindMap today? http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2006/05/mindmapping-creative-tool-to-add-to.html
   
6. Co-Facilitation – When co-facilitation really works, it rocks! When it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Click here for some tips on preparing for your next co-facilitation : http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2007/03/group-facilitation-tip-co-facilitation.html. Looking to design your next co-facilitation? Book a 45 minute partnership alliance coaching session with me for you and your partner!
7. Remember that 60% of adult learners are visual learners. What support are you providing them? For more info: http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2007/07/group-facilitation-tip-visual-learning.html
8. Keep it Simple – Systems for your work and programs can save you a lot of time and headaches. Here’s a post from late 2006 on some of the systems you may want to create. http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2006/12/keep-it-simple-systems-for-your-group.html
9. Create a clear vision for yourself and the work you want to create and keep it close at hand. What do you want to create in 2008?
   
   And of course….my favorite:
10. Less is more! If you haven’t heard me talk about this one before here it is. One of the greatest pitfalls for coaches and trainers is trying to fit too much in their programs. Think about the value you would be providing by taking out 20% of the content you hoped to deliver/cover during your program, so that you leave more space for discussion and participant exploration.
    Your Challenge: Take out 20% of the content you want to deliver in an upcoming program and put it aside as the seeds for a new program.

I'd welcome your comments -- what were your top 10 group program resources this year?

Warm regards,

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT

Group Coaching Essentials