5 Days To Go ! Group Coaching Intensive in TO

A quick reminder that the Group Coaching Intensive will be held this weekend, Saturday April 2nd and Sunday April 3rd here in Toronto. The program is accredited for 15 Continuing Coaching Education Hours from the ICF.

The program this weekend is geared to provide coaches with hands-on practice in group coaching, as well as tips and tools to design, market, and implement your own group coaching programs. We'll be covering tricky issues in group coaching, and practicing many techniques and approaches to be aware of, and minimize them. Participants will also receive a copy of my book, an Intensive binder and a cool Group Coaching Toolkit (see the pic!).

Registration is still open -- click here for more information.

Cost: $775 CDN plus HST ($875.75 CDN).

Can 't make it to Toronto this weekend but looking for tools for your own group coaching work? We have two upcoming start dates for the Group Coaching Essentials program (6.75 CCEs with ICF):

Thursdays 10:30 - 11:45 am: April 7, 14, 21, 28 and May 5, 2011
Tuesdays 12 - 1:15 pm ET: April 12, 19, 25, May 3 and 10, 2011

Click here for more info on the Group Coaching Essentials program and to register. Cost for the Group Coaching Essentials program: $325 US/CDN (plus HST)

I also hope that you will pick up a copy of choice Magazine this month which has group coaching as this edition's theme. I've got a feature article in there, joining some other fantastic coaches who have also contributed.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have. Looking forward to connecting with you soon!

Jennifer

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

Coaching Practice Building: Systems Can Make It Smoother

Many coaches are curious about what they need/will want to have in place to run a group coaching program. I encourage everyone to think about what is going to work best with your client group, as well as what's a NICE to have and what's a NEED To have.

Here are some of the systems you will want to consider putting into place to make your group coaching programs run more smoothly (not thinking about the program structure itself):

1. A way to accept registrations - do you want people to call in? Email in? Are there deadlines by which you will accept registrations/cut off date?
2. A way to accept payments - What online and offline methods do you want to consider offering? Will PayPal do everything you need? Do you want to look at credit card processing offline? Will you accept checks/cheques?
3. Bridgeline or venue locations - Consider what will work best for your client group - virtual or in person. Identify different options for virtual and in -person programs.
4. A way for particpants to communicate in between sessions - many groups may wish to keep the conversation going in between sessions. Do you want to set up a shared online space where people can share ideas, homework or do you want to do this via email? How do you want to distribute resources?
5. Marketing Systems - What vehicles (speaking, blogging, writing, articles) do you want to incroporate to get the word out about what you have to offer? To build relationships with others? What do you have in place right now? What are the next priorities on your list? Schedule in time to undertake regular steps with your marketing efforts.

What other things do you want to put into place to make your group coaching process more effective? Also recognize that most, if not all, of these systems will also be useful for any coaching work you undertake. What's the most important task for you to accomplish this week?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Join me Tuesday March 22nd at 7 pm Eastern for the next Group Coaching Essentials program (accredited for 6.75 ICF CCEs): 2 spaces still open
Two day in person Group Coaching Intensive on Saturday and Sunday April 2-3 in Toronto (15 CCEs): spaces still open
Phone: (416) 996-TEAM (8326)
Email: info(at)potentialsrealized(dot)com

10 Questions - Group Coaching

Questions can form the backbone to any group coaching process. In fact, questions are a coaches most portable tool.

We can use questions to support clients in:
- deepening their awareness around an issue - becoming more aware of a perspective they are in, being more aware of choices they have made
- setting more powerful, and clearer (SMART) goals
- creating more concrete actions steps they want to take

In the mentor coaching work I do with newer coaches I encourage coaches to get their questions down to 5-7 words in length. We often have a tendency to "muddy the waters" or make things more complicated with longer statements rolled up with a question.

What are your favorite questions? For individual coaching conversations? For group coaching conversations?

Here are 10 that I like to use at different stages of the group coaching process:

1. What's been your biggest success (this week)?
2. What's been your biggest challenge (this week)?
3. What's been important about....?
4. What's your key learning from....?
5. What's important about that?
6. What do you want to celebrate?
7. What do you want as your focus going forward (this week, this month?)?
8. What's your priority?
9. What might get in the way? What will enable you?
10. What else....?


What are some of your favorite group coaching questions? Try these out in your next coaching conversation and add to your own list...

Have a terrific week!

Warm regards
Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Group Coaching Essentials - Next Group Coaching Essentials class starts March 22nd (Tues 7-815 pm ET): March 22, 29, April 5, 12 and 19, 2011 (6.75 CCEs)
Join me in Toronto on April 2 and 3 for the Group Coaching Intensive program (15 ICF CCEs)

Group Coaching Intensive Accredited for 15 CCEs (ICF): April 2-3, Toronto

I am looking forward to meeting many of you in person in a few weeks here in Toronto for the 2 day Group Coaching Intensive which will be held on Saturday April 2 and Sunday April 3 in Toronto. I am also pleased to let you know that the program has now been accredited for 15 hours of Continuing Coah Education hours by the ICF (13 hours Core Competencies, 2 hours Business Development).

The program is designed to provide you with practice in group coaching skills, as well as tools, best practices and ideas for your own group coaching design, marketing and implementation. Some of the topics we will cover the two days are:
- The Continuum of Group Coaching
- How Group Coaching is similar to and different from individual coaching, workshops and other modalities
-Techniques for opening, closing and engaging your programs
- Tricky issues in group coaching (and how to avoid and respond to them!)
-Structuring your group coaching
- Designing Accountability
- Group Coaching Exercises and Practice
- Marketing Strategies for Your Programs

Each participant will also receive a Manual, a copy of my book Effective Group Coaching and a Group Coaching Toolkit (a box of resources to take away to use in your program!).

For more information, venue and to register please click here.
Cost: $775 CDN (plus HST - tax)

Questions? Please contact me (Jennifer) directly at 416.996.8326.

I look forward to having you join us.

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Group Coaching Intensive (Accredited for 15 CCEs with ICF): Toronto April 2-3
Group Coaching Essentials (Accredited for 6.75 CCEs with ICF - next start March 22nd)

Check Out : 100 Voices in Business - Celebrating a 100 Years of International Women's Day

I hope that you will check out a wonderful project led by Krishna De (http://twitter.com/krishnade) which she pulled together for International Women's Day today. (http://slidesha.re/fPKH7L) It's called 100 Voices in Business - Celebrating a 100 Years of International Women's Day. Vist her blog post here.

I, along with 99 other women in business, offer up a business tip in 140 characters. I felt that it was important to include my voice along with others for posterity's sake. As we reflect on the gains that have been made for women, and for women in business, over the last 100 years it's amazing. We also have a much longer road to travel.

My tip is included as Tip 43. I hope that you will check it out!

Enjoy!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jennbritton
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials.com

Coaching Business Builder: Blogging Tips for Coaches

If you are a coach building your business, one of the core marketing strategies you may wish to consider is adding a blog. Blogging can be a wonderful way to connect with readers, and become known and trusted by prospective clients.

I often get asked by coaches, how you do you blog successfully? As a coach who has been a blogger since 2005, I know that blogging has led to important business for me, and has been a factor in allowing people to KNOW, LOVE and TRUST Me.

If you are a coach looking to start your own blog here are 4 core tips I recommend:

1. Be specific - One of the best things I did at the start of my blogging journey was to sit down and make a list of all the potential topics I could blog about. In fact, I spent 15 minutes MindMapping, which became enough potential post ideas to keep me busy for several months.
Think about - What are the topics you want to write about? What are you passionate about? Who are you targeting? What are the things they are concerned about?

2. Build up momentum - In my mind, blogging should be fun. Build up a momentum with your writing. I've found over the years that I've only had time to do 2-3 posts maximum every week or every other week. Notice when your creative energy flows, and for that booster shot of inspiration look back to your initial list, or surf the web.

3 Create a Column - Consider what types of similar themes you can make into a column. A few years ago I had a Teams on Thursday column at my BizToolkit blog. This year I've added the this column - The Coaching Business Builder to the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog. Columns or theme areas are another way to create momentum for yourself and your readers.

4. Use your blog as a communication and relationship channel - Blogging is a wonderful way to communicate and build relationships with your readers.

5. Offer value - Make sure that you remember that blogging is a communication and relationship building channel. What value add do you want to provide for your readers?

Enjoy these blogging tips and let us know which ones you find most useful by commenting over on our Facebook page.

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Potentials Realized
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program (an ICF Accredited CCE program)
Join us for 2 days of in person group coaching training - April 2-3 - Toronto: Group Coaching Intensive (16.25 hours of training)
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com
Phone: 416.996.8326

Teleclasses and Teleseminars - 5 Tips

A lot of coaches and trainers incorporate teleclasses and teleseminars into their delivery options. I consider group coaching a sibling to teleclasses, although a more intimate and interactive conversation. Many of my initial group coaching programs originally started out in a teleclass format including the 90 Day Your Balanced Life program back in 2004, when it was simply 6 one hour calls done on a weekly bass.

What are 5 things to remember when leading a teleclass (and notice the similarity to group coaching)

1. Consider what's important for your learners. Focus on them, their learning and in creating opportunities for them to connect their learning to real life.
2. Provide useful content, resource links and materials which members can sink their teeth into (Many of you may note how I consider teleclasses to be more content rich, and group coaching more conversation rich).
3. Provide an overview of the call - Provide an agenda or overview of the topic at the start of the call. Let people know where you are going. Recap regularly.
4. Provide visual anchors. I regularly speak with trainers, coches and facilitators on the importance of these anchor points in the virtual domain. What will keep a visual focus for group members during the program - will you create a handout? Have a slide deck? Integrate video?
5. Be familiar with the technology, and most importantly know how to mute callers. Test out your technology prior to the call, know how to overcome the invariable "echos", dogs barking and other distractions by knowing how to use mutes, "raised hands" for questions, and other bridgeline tools.

There are by no means comprehensive tips for teleclasses and teleseminars, but some of the ones you may not have considered yourself. What do you see as the key challenges for you in running a teleclass or telesemiar?

I'll invite you to look around at the many tips on virtual learning and best practices here at the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog. Many of them are transferable to the teleclass/teleseminar environment.

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program - An ICF Accredited CCE program with starts on March 9 and 22
Join me in Toronto on April 2 and 3 for a 2 day in person Group Coaching Training program.