Thursday, December 23, 2010

Group Coaching: Day 9 of 12 Days of Holidays - 8 Favorite Tools this Year

It is day 9 of the 12 days of holiday specials and I will be returning to post again next week for Days 10 - 12 in lead up to the end of the year. For now, I want to wish you and yours a very wonderful holiday season. For those who celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa, I hope that the day is special and celebrative for you.

During this 9th day of holiday specials geared to professionals and coaches who work on group programs, I wanted to share 8 of my favorite tools, books and other resources I found enjoyable, and important, this year in my work:

1. MindJet's MindMapping Software - For years I have used MindJet's software to support me with program design as well as brainstorming with marketing and other business issues. Another great mindmapping tool, this one free, and open source, can be found at MindMeister.com.
2. Post It Notes - Yes, the simple tool of post-it notes has so many applications, from serving as a structure or visual reminder for clients, or as a great brainstorming tool.
3. Visual Explorer - I continue to bring this tool into many of my in person work, and coaches are starting to also explore how the digital option can be integrated into their virtual programs. Check out Visual Explorer from the Center for Creative Leadership.
4. The Coaching Game - Many of you may be familiar with a similar coaching tool entitled The Coaching Game. Great opportunities for application within the group coaching context as well as with individual coaching work.
5. Cindy Huggett's Book Visual Learning Basics. I continue to love the books put out by ASTD press for their practicality. One of the best ones I read this year was Cindy's Visual Learning Basics, a book I consider a must-read for coaches holding teleclasses, teleseminars, webinars or group coaching programs by phone. You can purchase a copy at Amazon as well as at ASTD's online store at http://www.astd.org/.
6. Vistaprint's phenomenal marketing materials available at low cost. Whether you are looking for business cards, letter head or banners, VistaPrint provides great quality and quick turnaround at a reasonable price.
7. Ordering from Amazon - this year coaches continued to enjoy the recommendations I've made around books (see the right column Bookstore at my Group Coaching Essentials website). As my book Effective Group Coaching has been rolled out this year to the market place I have been amazed by how it facilitates global purchasing as well as digital consumption through the Kindle and other e-readers.
8. FreeConferenceCalling.com - Looking for a reliable and free teleconferencing service? FreeConferenceCalling.com is one of my favorites as I continue to find the recording services of very good quality. I also enjoy the web dashboard I have as a facilitator to keep tabs on the call
(muting, hands raised etc).

I look forward to connecting back with all of you after Christmas as we wrap up days 10-12. You can view all of the specials over the last two weeks here at my site.

Happy Holidays all!

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials Program: An ICF Accredited CCE Program
Potentials Realized

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