Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Mentor Coaching Group starts Friday August 9



The Mentor Coaching Group is designed for coaches who are renewing their ACC, or are undertaking
the ACC/PCC portfolio route for ICF credentialing. The program consists of 7 hours of small group mentoring calls (max 6 coaches) and 3 hours of individual coaching over a three month period.

The program explores the 11 ICF Competencies, encouraging coaches to consider what these skills look like in their work with individual, team and/or group coaching clients. Each coach will also have the opportunity at least once during the course of the program to coach and receive feedback on their skills. 

The next Mentor Coaching Group starts by phone Friday August 9th at 12 noon Eastern with calls being held Fridays 12 - 1 pm Eastern/New York on August 9, 16, 23, September 6, 13, October 4, November 8. Cost for the program is $1000 US and can be paid in one installment, or monthly installments.

In addition to the 10 hours of mentor coaching, group members receive session module notes (with resource links and worksheets), recordings of each call, verbal feedback on their skills and a letter confirming their completion of the mentor coaching process.

Here’s what coaches have said about the program:
"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, PCC


 
For more information and to register for the next Mentor Coaching Group please visit our website.

With best wishes,
Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Potentials Realized | GroupCoachingEssentials.com
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

Monday, July 22, 2013

The Benefits of Group Coaching

I recently wrote an article for the CoachingTools site on the Benefits of Group Coaching which grew out
of questions from coaches, prospective clients and organizations around what are the benefits of a group coaching process. I hope that you will read the article here.

As I wrote several years ago in my first book, Effective Group Coaching, benefits for coaches include the ability to work with a larger number of individuals, offering a range of services at different price points. Many coaches may also appreciate how group coaching can leverage their time and impact.

Coaching clients, or participants of the group often comment on how powerful the peer learning process really is, as well as the different pace a group coaching process offers. Many clients may find it more comfortable to have more time to reflect and learn from the insights of their peers. The lower cost of a group coaching process can also be a great attractor.

I have written on the benefits of group coaching for organizations before (see earlier blog posts). The cross-functional fertilization that happens between group members is increasingly important in today's collaborative workspace, where today's business challenges require new approaches. The scalability of a group coaching process, also enables  more individuals to benefit from a coaching process, at a lower cost per capita. One of the more intangible, but important benefits of a group coaching process, is the relationships formed across, and within an organization.

For those interested in reading further about group coaching benefits I hope that you will:
Read the recent article I wrote for Coaching Tools here
Refer to Chapter 2 in Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Refer to the Chapters on Group Coaching and Team Coaching in my newest book - From One to Many, Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching, just released by Jossey-Bass. 

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
GroupCoachingEssentials | Potentials Realized - Leadership, Teamwork
Join us for the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar starting August 1st (Thurs 10-11:15 am ET) - 6.75 CCEs
Phone: (416)996-TEAM


Friday, July 12, 2013

The value of pre-program calls in group and team coaching

Many of you have read how pre-program calls are more the norm, than not, for most of my group
coaching programs, and sometimes also with my team coaching work. These pre-calls provide an important opportunity to get to know group members before we start our work together, as well as identify additional interest areas for participants. It also provides a key opportunity to clarify
expectations, review logistics, and make sure that the program is a good fit for each person.

I usually try to keep my pre-program calls to 10 or 15 minutes and most group coaching calls focus on:
  • Who is the person? What has brought them to the program?
  • What are they looking to get out of their involvement?
  • What key goals do they have? 
  • How will they measure successful participation from their perspective?
  • What should I know about their learning style and how they will get the most from the program?
  • What questions do they have?
These pre-programs will give you an opportunity to get a high level snapshot of some of the initial interest areas of the group. It also may point to particular themes which may be of interest to the group which you had not anticipated.  Just like the photo on today's post, these calls help you see the connections.

I continue to hear how group members enjoy these calls as well, and find them an important part in feeling part of the group, and connection with me as the coach.

I go into further detail into team and group coaching pre-programs in the chapter on Engagement in my new book, From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching, which has just been released by Jossey-Bass/Wiley.

Questions to consider:
What type of connection do you want to create with group, and team members before the start of a program?
What format do you want it to take?
What can you do to build connection with group members, and amongst group members, with your programs?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, BCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) & From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)
Email: info(at)potentialsrealized(dot)com

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Coaches: What summer projects are you focusing on?

Summer is a terrific time for coaches to undertake projects. For some, the summer may be a quieter time, You can listen into it here. It is a 6 minute recording.
and for others you may find it filled with requests from new individual and organizational clients. Last year I did a short recording on some potential summer projects you might want to undertake. If you didn't catch it last year, here it is again:

Some additional ideas you might want to consider are:
  1. Reviewing and updating business components (i.e. Coaching Agreement, Welcome Letter, Intake Questionnaires)
  2. Blocking off 20-30 minutes three times a week to write articles or blog posts which you can queue for the rest of the year
  3. Looking into a new system for your business (i.e. online payments, coaching client tracking)
  4. Working on a new product (e-book, app, or something cool like you can find at the CoachingToys site)
  5. Tackling the filing on your desk, in your computer. Clearing space to make room for more great work!
  6. Reading the books you have purchased and have not yet read. Make a list of the books that are gathering dust (or taking space on your e-reader).
  7. Revisiting your marketing and/or business plans. What's working? What's not? What needs an adjustment or tweak? What do you want to add? What needs to be taken off?

What summer projects are you going to undertake this year? What time are you going to dedicate to them?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

My newest book - From One to Many: Best Practices for Teams and Groups (Jossey-Bass, 2013) is going to be released in the next few weeks. Receive 5 hours of bonus audios when you purchase direct from our site.  Also take advantage of special bundle pricing when you purchase both books and the Group Program Toolkit.

Join us for an upcoming program including the Mentor Coaching Group (for ACC renewals and ACC/PCC portfolio routes- Tues 10:30 - 11:30 am ET) and the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (6.75 CCEs starting Tues July 16th at 12 noon ET.