Mentor Coaching Groups (ACC/PCC) start Friday Jan 20th at 9 am ET(Group A) or 12 noon (Group B)

Is this your year to sharpen your coaching skills? Or is this your year to get your ICF credential

(ACC/PCC) or renew your ACC?

Join me this Friday January 20th as we kick off the Winter 2017 Mentor Coaching Groups. One group will be meeting by zoom/phone on Fridays from 9-10 am Eastern/New York (Group A) and one will be meeting by zoom/phone on Fridays from 12 - 1 pm Eastern/New York (Group B).

During the 3 months of the program we'll be holding 7 group calls, geared to go deeper into what the 11 ICF competencies are - what they look like and what they sound like in individual, group and team coaching conversations. Coaches will also have an opportunity to do some real-time coaching practice and get feedback on their skills. Each month you'll schedule a one hour one-on-ones with me. That's time to discuss current tricky issues you may be experiencing in your coaching, or go deeper into the competencies. Group calls are supported by short written module notes focusing on the 11 core competencies.

Group A will be meeting on Fridays 9-10 am ET starting January 20: Calls will be held on January 20, 27, February 10, 17, 24, March 3, April 7. 3 individual calls will be scheduled for February, March and April.

Group B will be meeting on Fridays 12 -1 pm ET starting Jan 20. Calls will be held on Jan 20, 27, Feb 17, 24, March 3, April 7 and 21.

The program costs $1000 US or CDN (plus HST), and is payable in one, two or three installments. Space is limited to 6 coaches per group.

Click here to learn more and register.

Here's what two past group members have said about their experience with the mentor coaching group with me:

This is the 2^nd time I joined Jennifer’s program.  Her program is always very organized and helpful!  It’s not easy to manage a group of people over the phone, but Jennifer is doing such a great job in terms of delivering planned topics, managing time, and most of all, making sure that every member is participating and learning.  I highly recommend Jennifer’s program!

-          Vivian Chang,

Jennifer Britton’s Mentor Coaching Group was a very productive, growing experience and an excellent value!  I got far more than I expected through our small group sharing, her coaching and practicing my skills.  As a coach I’d describe the experience with these three words: engaging, stretching and skill-enhancing!  For those preparing for an ICF credential, I’d highly recommend Jennifer Britton as your mentor coach!  - Linda Stephens-Jones

Download an article I wrote for Choice Magazine on Mentor Coaching back in 2012. You can read it here.

Hope that you'll join us later this week! Questions - email me. Click here to reserve your spot or learn more

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Group Coaching Essentials.com | PotentialsRealized
info(At)potentialsrealized(dot)com
(416)996-8326

What's on Your Top 5 Resource List for Group and Team Coaching for 2017?

Last month I hosted the 13th Annual Year-end Team and Group Programs call for alumni and

members of the group and team coaching community. In that call I highlighted the importance of  "getting out and doing the work" as well as having a robust toolkit to draw on. I also shared some of my favorite tools and approaches which I bring in to group and team coaching. I wanted to share ten of my favorite tools with you today - resources I tend to go back to time and time again, whether I am working with a team, a group, in coaching programs, training sessions and even webinars. There's always a way to tweak an activity to bring more engagement!

As you take a look at this list, consider what you would put in your top 5 of favorites:

Working with vision - whether it's providing group members with a reflective space of questions, or supporting a team in developing a storyboard of their vision, creating a pause for focus on where you want to go is a key focus of much of the work I do with groups and teams.

Working with visual cards. I've used visual cards in my work for the better part of the last decade and have had so much fun experimenting with different ways to bring them in for dialogue, insights and focus. From working with them on vision, to values, to what people bring that's unique to the group, visual cards are a fantastic tool to get the conversation going. There are a range of different visual cards available including CCL's Visual Explorer, the JICT Deck, Points of View-The Coaching Game, or the deck I created Conversation Sparker. I found that I was using cards so much that I created the 40 Ways to Work with Visual Cards e-manual about a year ago.  It includes facilitated instructions to 40 different activities you may want to undertake with teams and groups in using any visual card deck.

Working with Strengths - Coaching is a strengths based approach and another rich area for exploration is working with strengths. Whether you integrate VIA Strengths, or Strengths Finder 2.0 into your work, creating the space for group members and/or teams to explore strengths on an individual and/or collective level can lead to many rich areas of exploration, and action.

Working around Goals - Goals are central to the coaching process, and providing group or team members with skills in goal setting as well as goal structures that work for them can be another rich area for coaching conversations. From SMART-E goals (note I always add an E on SMART Goals for Exciting. As I mentioned in my book From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching, if goals are not exciting we are unlikely to be motivated to achieve them), to other goal frameworks like John Whitmore's CLEAR and PURE goals (refer to Whitmore's Coaching for Performance book), there are multiple ways to work with goals with your coaching clients. What resources do you have, or want to acquire this year, in working around goals?

Working around awareness - Coaching is not always about moving people into action. When I first started out as a coach almost a decade and a half ago, my stretch zone was both personally and professionally around supporting clients around awareness. Given that I work with a lot of Type A leaders like myself who are great into getting into action, coaching can often be of greater benefit when we "put the breaks on" and explore the varying layers of awareness around an issue. This could include:

• exploring perspectives around an issue
• identifying mindsets
• looking at beliefs - enabling beliefs, inner critics/Saboteurs/Gremlins, derailers
• working with values

to name a few.  What tools and resources do you have for supporting clients around awareness?


This list is no means comprehensive, but it is a great starting point for many different conversations. What do you notice about the resources you use on a regular basis? are there any areas you would like to be learning more about this year?

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
Potentials Realized/GroupCoachingEssentials
Email: info (at)potentialsrealized (dot)com 
 


About Us: Jennifer Britton is the author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013) . Since 2004 she and her company, Potentials Realized, have supported thousands of coaches, trainers, and leaders, design and create more impactful team and group programs (in-person and virtual). Jennifer offers customized programs for organizations, as well as virtual public training programs. Our areas of specialty are team development, leadership and coaching.

Upcoming programs include the  Mentor Coaching Group for ACC/PCC portfolio routes with a new group (10 hours) starting on Friday January 20th from 9-10 am ET running to mid-April. You can also join us for  ongoing annual group - the 2017 Learning Lab and Design Studio Group for Coaches who want to build their business and expand their group and team programs which meets at 8am Eastern (2 group calls on Fridays throughout 2017)

Three Key Infuences for Group and Team Coaching in 2017

Every year I dedicate a blog post to some of the potential trends which may emerge in this new year around group and team coaching. It continues to be a time of growth and interest in group and team coaching as organizations and individuals look to leverage their resources and time, as well as benefit from the collaborative conversation space of these modalities.

In my December 2016 Community call I took a look back at some of the trends which had shaped 2016 including continued virtualization, and real-time coaching support. These will continue to be important influencers this year as well. Real-time coaching support requires that we remain flexible regarding what the coaching engagement looks like in terms of timing, frequency, blend of face to face and/or virtual, to meet the dynamic realities of the clients that we are working with. Some of my favorite 2016 coaching engagements with teams and groups involved a more intensive, real-time, embedded series of work, where new practices, approaches and habits could be practiced and tweaked repeatedly real-time over a series of days at the start to make these habits more engrained.

The continued development of streamlining technologies such as zoom are changing the coaching conversation space for groups. The ability for groups to see each other real-time, and not just hear each other, has significantly changed the way people are connecting with each other across time and space. Since transitioning most of my groups from phone only to zoom in the early part of 2016 I have noticed how groups are forming faster and connecting more quickly with their ability to see each other. Zoom as a platform has also made it easier for many people to connect in a more stable manner. This year you may want to revisit the technologies you are using to bring people together

Another key influencer this year will be the continued dynamic nature of teams. While the teaming environment has shifted significantly in many contexts, it is important to be flexible with our coaching approaches to meet the dynamic needs of teams (and also groups) in organizations today. Whether teams are completely virtual, matrixed, agile or other, spending time with the team to evolve a process that is going to work for their context is critical.

One of the resources you may want to tap into to learn more about group and team coaching is the panel discussion which I was part of with other team coaching thought leaders such as Phil Sandahl, Marita Frijohn, Peter Hawkins, David Clutterbuck and DJ Mitsch at the October Columbia Coaching Conference. You can view the 1.5 hour panel on YouTube.

As you consider your work this year, how will real-time support, leveraging virtual and/or streaming programming and working within a dynamic teaming environment, shape your work this year?

What do you see as some of the 2017 influences in your work?

Hope you are having a great start to 2017,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized/GroupCoachingEssentials
Email: info (at)potentialsrealized (dot)com

About Us: Jennifer Britton is the author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013) . Since 2004 she and her company, Potentials Realized, have supported thousands of coaches, trainers, and leaders, design and create more impactful team and group programs (in-person and virtual). Jennifer offers customized programs for organizations, as well as virtual public training programs. Our areas of specialty are team development, leadership and coaching.

Our 2017 programming starts during the week of January  9th and will include: The Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (8.75 CCEs), The Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs), and the Mentor Coaching Group for ACC/PCC portfolio routes. Our 2017 Learning Lab and Design Studio Group for Coaches who want to build their business and expand their group and team programs starts Friday January 13th at 8am Eastern (2 group calls on Fridays throughout 2017)

January 2017 Programs - Mentor Coaching, Group Coaching Essentials, Practicum, Learning Lab and Design Studio

It's January which means the kick off of our winter 2017 programming. Is this year that you want to sharpen your coaching skills for your ACC/PCC (Mentor Coaching Group)? Or is it the year you want more community with other professionals who are working in group and team programming - consider the Learning Lab and Design Studio which meets on Fridays at 8 am ET. Or perhaps you want to get grounded in the best practices of group coaching through the Group Coaching Essentials program which will start at 1030 am ET on Friday Jan 13th. Friday afternoons this winter I will be hosting the Group and Team Coaching Practicum - a six session hands-on virtual learning class where you lead us through a group/team coaching session and receive feedback on your skills (Fridays starting Jan 13th at 1:15 pm ET).

Upcoming January Programs include:

Mentor Coaching Group (ACC Renewals & ACC/PCC Portfolio)  - By phone 

Upcoming Program Dates:

Fridays 9-10 am ET  - starting January 13th running to April 13th OR Fridays 12 - 1 pm ET starting January 20th running to April 20th.

The Mentor Coaching Group will be of interest for ACC renewals, as well as those working towards their ACC and PCC portfolio applications with the ICF. This is a 10 hour mentor coaching program, which includes 7 hours of group mentor coaching calls, and 3 hours of individual mentor coaching sessions (held monthly). We look at all 11 core coaching competencies of the ICF, and coaches have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on their skills during the program. Each class you'll receive module notes to support you with your learning and coaching work  These will also be supportive for you with the new knowledge exam.

Click here for more info about the Mentor Coaching Group 

  

Here's what one coach said about her recent experience in the program:

"As an experienced coach who needed to fulfill my mentoring requirement for ICF certification, I was amazed at how much I got out of it! Working with Jennifer in the mentor coaching group energized me and helped me reengage my passion for coaching. It helped me hone my skills and be deliberate about expanding my coaching and consulting practice. Absolutely worth it!" - Shannon Goodwin, ACC 

 

Group Coaching Essentials - 8.75 CCEs

Fridays from 10:15 - 11:30 am ET on January 13, 20, 27, February 10, 17 - 5 spots open
Want to expand your work as a coach to groups? Join us for this five week virtual seminar where we

explore the best practices of Designing, Marketing and Running Group Coaching Programs. Weekly calls model different approaches to the group coaching conversation and weekly assignments support you in starting to draft out your own program ideas.

Cost: $450 US (includes the 5 x 75 min calls, weekly module notes and a weekly 1-1 laser call with Jenn). Reserve your spot in our January program starting Friday January 13th

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs

Fridays from 1:15 - 2:30 pm Eastern/Toronto on January 13, 27, February 10, 17, 24, March 3

The first of four 2017 Advanced Practicums will be held in January (with others starting in April, June and September). This program provides a deeper dive into the context of group AND Team

coaching topics including design, activities, co-facilitation, virtual programming. It also gives coaches the opportunity to practice their skills by leading at least one practicum. This program has six zoom calls and includes 1-1 lasers, and more rich content. Space is limited to 6 coaches. 4 spots are open for January's group which will met on Fridays from 1:15 - 2:30 pm Eastern/Toronto on January 13, 27, February 10, 17, 24, March 3. Cost $495 US

More information and registration for the Advanced Practicum here.

Learning Lab and Design Studio

Two Fridays a month from 8 - 8:45 am ET throughout 2017  

Are you looking for creating community with other coaches, and looking to continue to expand your learning during 2017? I'll be hosting the Learning Lab and Design Studio in 2017 giving you the opportunity to work with me directly at a lower price point, and on an ongoing basis. The focus at the

lab is both business building and all things groups and teams!

After our inaugural year our format for 2017 will include:

• Two group calls per month focusing on group and team program development and business building. These calls will take place on Fridays from 8-845 am Eastern/Toronto by zoom. Download the January - June schedule here.
• Access to more than 30 hours of past LLDS calls focusing on program design, marketing and implementation issues, a dozen templates and articles. These resources are only made available to those at the LLDS.
• Quarterly virtual retreats (3-4 hours each) to focus in on your planning and actions
• An opportunity to bring your real-time questions to each group call.

You can join us for a monthly charge of $147 US/month or join us for the entire year for $1250 US. You can also add on a block of five hours of coaching support (taken at any time in 6 months) for only $500 US (that's a significant savings on my regular rate of $300/hr).

Join us at the LLDS starting today until the end of 2017 for $1250 US. Click here to register and reserve  your spot.

If you have any questions about these programs, please email or call. 

Hope you are having a great start to 2017!

Jennifer

  

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Potentials Realized/GroupCoachingEssentials
Email: info (at)potentialsrealized (dot)com 

(416)996-TEAM (8326)