Additional Skills for the Virtual Environment
Copyright 2011 - Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved.
Many coaches enjoy the flexibility of virtual programming, whether delivering their programs by teleconference, videoconference, or leveraging webinars for more content related delivery. For the last 6 out of 7 years of my business, a majority of my work has been virtual, whether working one-on-one, with groups or teams.
In addition to core coaching skills (refer to the ICF Core Coaching Competencies for example), coaches who are looking to foray into the virtual realm will want to consider the following enhanced skills:
Listening – to what is being said, and NOT being said
Building Trust at the start of the program (and even before the program starts)
Creating Connection amongst group members
Ensuring engagement and involvement of participants (Without the standard visual cues we rely on, it may be necessary to engage your group members with questions, activities, discussion much more frequently)
Dealing with difficult issues
Evaluation – taking the pulse of the group and getting feedback on takeaways and changes at the end of each call
Call Management Issues – ensuring the connection is clear, muting as needed, roll call, handling questions, handling recordings etc.
Ask yourself:
What is your current level of skill in these areas?
What is your current level of confidence in these areas?
What are your strengths that you can lean into?
What is the one real growth area for you? What specific action steps could you take to enhance your skill and/or confidence in this area?
Who can you tap into/rely on to support you in these areas?
A wonderful resource I recommend for coaches to look into for more information about virtual learning is Cindy Huggett’s Virtual Training Basics (ASTD Press, 2010).
Have a wonderful weekend,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, PCC, CPT
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
GroupCoachingEssentials.com
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