Group Coaching : B - Coaching Happens In Between Sessions

Welcome back to the A-Z series of Group Coaching. This series is part of our 19th anniversary celebrations. We hope you enjoy it.

Every few weeks we'll bring you a different principle you will want to consider incorporating into your group coaching work. They are based off of the book, Effective Group Coaching by Jennifer Britton.

This week, we are at B - Coaching Happens in Between Sessions.

Do your group programs support coaching to happen between the sessions? This principle relates to ICF Core competency #8 - Facilitating Client Growth. The definition of this competency provided by ICF is "the coach partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action—the coach promotes client autonomy in the coaching process.

Your role as a group coach is to support your participants in fulfilling their program goals with the roadmap they have, ideally co-created with you. Doing this promotes client autonomy and ownership of the journey. Just like individual coaching, your sessions are the place to allow participants to come and explore a topic as it relates to their goals, which brings new awareness of who they are and possible action. However, more is needed. Awareness without change doesn't yield the outcomes people come to coaching or group coaching.

 Group Coaching is maximized when program design includes structures to ensure the learning goes beyond the session. For example, peer partners may meet in between calls OR an alarm may signal the prompt to put something into action or note a sensation. What are you doing to create structures in your group coaching process with clients? What do you notice about how structures look and sound different for different group members?

 In addition, always keep the meta-arc of the learning journey in mind, and consider how one session relates, or connects, to the next session's topic and what can be given to your participants to set up the following conversation, creating a natural bridge between sessions.

The following are things to consider to support you in integrating this principle of "Coaching Happens In Between Sessions" into your group programs:

- What content/new learning is available on the topics in your programs to share before the session?

-What powerful questions can I ask to support any new learning being integrated post-session?

-What is the relationship between the session topic and the meta-arc journey regarding participant goals concerning possible in-between session work?

-What structures can be added to reinforce ownership by the group?  -Review the ICF competencies (with particular attention and focus on Facilitates Client Growth).

 For further resources, here is the Amazon link to Jennifer's book (the first on Group Coaching), "Effective Group Coaching." In addition, consider joining us in an upcoming Group Coaching training program where we explore this topic more deeply. Here is the link to check out upcoming program dates for Group Coaching Essentials.

Enjoy the conversation -

Evana and Jennifer

 

Group Coaching Essentials

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

*********************************************

What is your unique style as a coach? Take 2-minutes to complete the  Group and Team Coaching Superpower Quiz. You can find it at https://bit.ly/gtcoachingsuperpower. Share your style using the comments below and/or follow along on Instagram at our CoachingBizBuilder site.

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

 

MONDAY's Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us on Mondays this spring from April 17 - end of May on Mondays from 1 - 215 pm ET for this 6.75 CCE program - 2 spaces still open - https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html. 

Coaching Diverse Teams and Groups using the Work Styles - Fridays 1015 - 1130 am ET - May 12 - end of June (14 CCEs) - Widen your toolkit for working with diverse styles in teams and groups in this 6 week program based on the Hybrid Work Styles. WE also explore Coaching for Creativity and Innovation. This is course 5 in the 70 hour Certificate in Team Coaching Program.

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Check website for dates

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Starts Monday May 1st. Being asked to coach teams OR Want to work towards your ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)? Equip yourself with the foundations of this quickly evolving field. This program is grounded in our From One to Many methodology PLUS what works right now in today's evolving workspace. 6 week program on Mondays 12 - 130 pm ET  starting May 1 with Kathy

ACTIVATE your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs) - Tuesdays 645 - 8 am ET: starting May  with Jennifer- Course 4 in the pathway (catch up on call #1 with the recording)

Coaching Supervision Group (Small group format) - NEW COHORT - Mondays 9 - 1030 am ET: April 24, May 15, June 12, July, Augut and September 11 OR book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach - Thursdays 630 - 8 pm ET: April 20 to end of June (24 CCEs)

 

 

 

Amazon link for Effective Group Coaching: https://amzn.to/3zoEGLF

Program dates: https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html

Group Coaching Core Essentials #13 of 18 - Incorporate the 4 Core Elements of Coaching

 This week our blog post comes to you from our Team Lead - Group Coaching, Evana Valle. 

As I shared earlier today in my conversation with the ICF Team and Group Coaching Community

of Practice (COP) the four elements of group coaching (and any type of coaching) are:

Accountability

Awareness

Action

Goal (Attainment)

These four elements make coaching, coaching, and the emphasis on these four areas makes them distinct from other modalities like facilitation, training, etc.

Here's what Evana shares in our 13th post in the Group Coaching Core Essentials series, as part of our 18th anniversary:

This week we discuss what's at the core of coaching, which also supports us to stay out of training or facilitation.
 
Frequently, new group coaches come with years of training or facilitation experience and wonder, "How is group coaching different from training or facilitation"?
 
In 2009 International Coach Federation surveyed over 11,000 coachee's to know why they hire/work with a coach, and the following reasons emerged: Goal-setting, Accountability, Awareness, and Action. 
 
Whether you are designing your program or a session, please keep these four elements front and center. 
 
These four core elements ensure you are in the coaching conversation.
 
Principle: Always ensure that at least one of the core coaching elements (goal-setting, accountability, action, and awareness) is incorporated into any activity, tool, or exercise.
 
Action: Awareness with followed action comes from speaking more than thinking.
 
Consider the following questions:
 What activity can you introduce to support your participants with goal-setting? And Accountability? Awareness and Action?

• What powerful questions can you use when working with each core coaching element?
• Identify the element leveraged for each of your program sessions.
• Is your program designed with a balance of core elements used throughout your program? 
• Consider how you can support your participants to anchor their awareness and, in turn, activate them into action.  
• What activities do you already use, and where do they fit within the core elements? For example, consider asking yourself to do this activity:
• Support your participant in establishing goals.
• Support creating awareness? 
• Activate your participant into action?
• Create accountability?

 
If you notice that you can't relate an activity or tool to a coaching element, consider not using it or modifying it so it does connect back to one of the coaching core elements.

Enjoy your next steps around this!

Jennifer

What is your unique style as a coach? Take 2-minutes to complete the NEW Group and Team Coaching Superpower Quiz. You can find it at https://bit.ly/gtcoachingsuperpower. Share your style using the comments below and/or follow along on Instagram at our CoachingBizBuilder site.

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

Group Coaching Essentials - Mondays 130- 245 pm ET starting November 7 with Jennifer (5 weeks) or the Tuesday and Thursday 1015 - 1130 am ET accelerated delivery on November 29, December 1, 6, 13, 15 (with Evana - 2.5 weeks)

Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach - 24 CCEs - Join us for an intensive 3 day virtual workshop November 18 - 20 and build out your specialization for coaching in today's evolving workspaces - hybrid, in-person and remote. 1, 2 and 6 payments available.  Calls 830 - 430 pm ET. With Jennifer.

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Being asked to coach teams? Equip yourself with the foundations of this quickly evolving field. This program is grounded in our From One to Many methodology PLUS what works right now in today's evolving workspace. 1.5 day delivery Monday November 7 (830-430pm ET) and Tuesday November 8 (830 - 12noon ET) with Jennifer.

Check out our Intensive November 2022 offerings which will be delivered by Jennifer between November 7 - 20. More information and schedule at GroupCoachingEssentials.ca.

 

Group Coaching Core Essentials - Week 8 - Leverage the Expertise and Experience of the Group

 This week we’re covering Group Coaching Core Essentials #8 as part of our 18^th anniversary

celebrations. This week’s principle is Leverage the life experience and expertise of the group.

A shift in the group coaching space, where the coach can take a back seat to the members of the group. This may seem even more pronounced, especially if our group size is 6, or 10 or 12. Notice how much time you are inserting yourself as a group coach.

Once trust, safety and connection is created, how do we step back and ensure that the group owns the process? A key part of this relates to this week’s topic of utilize the life experience and expertise of the group.

Unlike training or facilitation where the content expert is usually the leader, in a group coaching process, this role around content and technical expertise my go to different group members.

Principle – Leverage the life experience and the expertise of the group.

 

Action:

Consider having people:

·       Share their superpower as part of the group introductions

·       Have the group in the first call note what their collective baseline is (i.e. What do you notice about the skills and experiences you bring)?

·       Volunteer what role they can take on – i.e. there may be a group social coordinator, someone who likes to take time, someone who might want to convene meetings in between the group calls, someone who wants to set up a book list or book discussion on topics you are working on.

 

Being a great group coach requires a level of humility and a checking of the ego, and belief that we need to be the central part of the process. Over time together, the group coach often fades out more and more and more.

 

Action: Consider this week what  you will do to cultivate an environment where the group “owns” the process. Consider what opportunities group members have to share their experience and expertise. 

 

Consider the following questions to spark the conversation:

• What are you bringing to our group experience? (Share your skills and experiences)
• What can we do as a group to ensure that you get to lead from your superpower every time we are together?
• What role would you like to play in our group process?
• Groups need support around achieving both results and relationships. As a group consider what those roles may be – ie. time keeper, social coordinator, researcher etc)
• What else can we be doing to harness what you bring naturally, based on your experiences and expertise?
• What are you doing to boost the connection amongst group members, not only with you? (One of the components our group members enjoy are the cohort groups which are part of the larger ConversationSparker community hub we manage (based on the Mighty Networks platform).

For more on the triad of trust, safety and connection and how important it is in the virtual, remote and hybrid space, be sure to check out my TEDx talk from last summer on the Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist. 

If you have a copy of my most recent book, Reconnecting Workspaces, check out chapter 5 for more on the Triad of Trust, Safety and Connection.

Enjoy your conversations!

Jennifer

Upcoming Summer 2022 Learning opportunities:

Group Coaching Essentials (8.75 CCEs) - Join us in July and August on Wednesdays 830 - 10 am ET starting July 27th for 4 weeks  (with Evana)

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs) - next starts on Monday September 12th, running for 6 90 minute sessions

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs): Starting July 26th - Tuesdays 830-10 am Et: July 26, August 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2022 - With Evana

Mentor Coaching Group - for ACC/PCC - Fridays 9 - 10 am ET starting September 9 and running to December 9th. Reserve your spot.

Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach (24 CCEs)- Specialist in Hybrid and Remote Workspaces: Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August, starting August 3, 2022 and running to August 16. 24 CCEs. Learn more here and early bird rate on until Monday July 25th (18% off in lieu of our anniversary)

Jennifer is also the author of Effective Group Coaching (2010), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Check out her author page on Amazon for all publications.

 Want to know what's new? Looking for remote and hybrid resources - Pick up a copy of the  Reconnecting Workspaces book or the 90-Day Guide for Success (ideal for those onboarding in the remote or hybrid space, OR wanting a 90 day sprint). Instagram: @ReconnectingWorkspaces

10 Group Coaching Themes For Your New Year - Day 2 Countdown to 2020

December 15 –10 Themes for Group Coaching


Group coaching provides an intimate conversation space for individuals to come together around

common themes or areas of interest. Coaching conversations in a group context can support:

·       New insights based on what we hear others share and focus on;
·       Expanded awareness of what I am doing, and what’s unique to me;
·       Accountability and getting things done that we say we will;
·       Community and connection with others – so important in today’s remote work space!



The diversity of different types of group coaching conversations is immense. Over the last 15 years of supporting coaches in developing their own group coaching programs, I've seen programming emerge in lots of exciting areas - from coaching leaders, to coaching parents, coaching start-ups, and authors, wellnesss groups, and educators.

While the diversity of the clients we work with will always shape WHAT group coaching looks like and WHAT is sounds like, there are common themes we find ourselves coaching around. 

10 themes group coaches may find themselves coaching around are:

Vision

Values

Mindset

Belief Systems

Assumptions

Perspectives

Strengths

Challenges

Change

Goals



Over to you - Making it Practical and Tactical

What are the focus areas your clients are wanting to explore in a group setting?
What 3-5 themes could frame a series of conversations?

What value would a group conversation have for your clients?

What else would support expanded awareness, and accountability?



I hope that you will use this series of blog posts an opportunity to focus in on what your 2020 programming can look like.  

I'll be back on Tuesday with another post in this year end series - be sure to check out tomorrow's regular Expanding Your Group and Team Coaching Toolkit post.

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - GroupCoachingEssentials | Potentials Realized
Author of Effective Group Coaching (2010), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Check out my author page on Amazon for all publications.
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com

If you are looking for support - I’ll be kicking off the first Group CoachingEssentials CCE approved program on Friday January 10^th at 1015 am ET. This 8.75 CCE program also includes weekly 1-1 time with me (15 min each week). Is 2020 your year to get your groups going or expand the number of groups you are doing? Whether you are new to group coaching or stepping into your next year, there’s always something to learn – I hope you’ll join us. Reserve your spot here.

Need it now? Join me for a 6 hour virtual Strategy Day where we can map out what your program is going to look like. You'll leave the day clear on your structure, support elements, and your next steps. If you already have programs but want wider business support, we can also spend the time helping you map out your 2020 marketing strategy, or content plan. It's six hours in an intensive virtual context of doing REAL-TIME work with me. Dates available include December 17, 18, 19, 23, 27, 31. Six hours. Book your date here. https://bookme.name/jenniferbritton/year-end-strategyprogram-design-session-6-hours-virtual

Expanding your group and team coaching toolkit (24): Metrics that Matter

My October monthly article for my PlanDoTrack newsletter recently focused on “Metrics that

Matter”. What are the guideposts that are helping the teams you are working with track and understand their metrics?

In launching the PlanDoTrack workbook and planner late last year, and the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner eighteen months ago, a significant focus  in conversations with individuals, groups and teams, has been on tracking, and noting data. As we reflect on data gathered there can be some interesting pictures, and patterns that emerge. Data is data and when we track it on a regular basis, it’s easier to see what the “True picture” is.

Throughout the workbook planners there are many different ways for people to track data on a daily or monthly basis - through the Monthly Daily Trackers, the One Line a Day or in the Monthly Content trackers.

As a coach, some things you might want to track on a regular basis are:

• Sales
• Website visits
• Downloads
• Revenue
• Reads
• Sample Sessions
• Products Developed
• Speaking engagements
• Likes
• Numbers of clients
• Hours Billed
• Net Profit
• Social visits
• # of books sold
• Operating Revenue

What else do you have metrics around? What else might you want to note?

With groups, consider what types of trackers will help them. Could a wheel of life or leadership included at the front end of coaching, be revisited mid-point and/or at the end, to help the team understand what progress they are making?  Would a daily tracker help to capture lessons learned? Would a journal provide the written story for them?


If you have a copy of Coaching Business Builder or PlanDoTrack, check out the Monthly Daily Trackers I’ve included in the Content Planning Section (Section 5). There’s one that will provide you with space for capturing key activities, and one where you can capture key thoughts of the day.

With teams, the starting point for a team coaching engagement may be a team assessment providing them with data they can incorporate throughout their coaching, and work, journey.


At the team level, helping people note where they are at so they can make the small micro-shifts which are needed. Have discussions with the team around what they want to track - collectively and individually.


Questions to consider:

What do you want to track?
What data do you have available?
What do you notice about patterns, changes, etc?
When will you dedicate time to note and review your data?
What story can you make up about the data you have available?
How can this inform your decisions and priorities?

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, PCC – Potentials Realized 
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder 
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development)

Join us for an upcoming ICF CCE approved program - Group Coaching Essentials (8.75 CCEs) starting Friday November 1st at 1015 am ET (running to December 2nd), Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum ( 10 CCEs) starting Monday November 4th at 3 pm ET or the PlanDoTrack Facilitator Training Program (24 CCES - starts Friday November 15th at 530 pm ET - virtually!)

Accountability and Group Coaching

Accountability is an integral part of the Group Coaching process, and many times you may find that

group members consistently go above and beyond what they say they may do, particularly if your groups have gelled. Peer accountability can be as powerful, if not even more so, than the bond between coach and client. A few weeks ago I posted a related article entitled "Peer Coaching: An Opportunity for Capacity Development" on LinkedIn. You can read it here.

Earlier this week I touched on the topic of accountability and group coaching during my Monday Facebook Live call. If you are on FB (and still there!) check it out at my Effective Group Coaching Facebook video page.

I regularly hear questions from coaches new to group coaching, how do we create accountability in groups? What if each group member is working on something different?
In fact, the assumption that everyone will be working on something different is a great starting point, as you go to consider different components of the group coaching process, which can support individual members going deeper and further in the areas that are important to them. As I discuss in this week's call on Accountability and Group Coaching that might entail:

• Making a One Page Plan part of your group coaching process. Read my 2015 post on the Power of a One Page Plan here.
• Creating Peer Partners or Buddies who meet between the group calls
• Using email as a way for people to connect between calls
• Creating a private group portal where group members can connect, share and comment between calls. Many readers may know that I have recommended for many years exploring different options of portals you can control and ensure security around. This was in advance of the privacy issues currently swirling online. Consider what LMS (Learning Management Systems) you want to use and can control. For almost 3 years now some (but not all) of my groups have space over on different Teachable portals where we can house resources and comments amongst group members. The revamped Coaching Biz Growth Lab will be using this when we kick off again in April (I've been floating dates for two different cohorts - Fridays 3 -4 pm ET or Fridays 730 - 830 am ET. We'll (generally) be meeting the first and third weeks of the month. Click here for more info. 
• Including some 1-1 time with group members. This will look different for each coach depending on how much time is available, cost of program. I always say, nothing can replace the deep dive of a 1-1 coaching conversation. Hybrid programs which incorporate group and individual coaching calls can be very powerful for our clients

What would you like to include to boost accountability opportunities for your group clients?

For more on this topic of accountability and group coaching, take a look at a 2016 meta-post where I include links to five separate posts on working with accountability in group coaching. Read that 2016 meta-post here.

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
GroupCoachingEssentials.com | Effective Virtual Conversations.com 
(416)996-8326

Accountability will be a key topic of both the April Group Coaching Essentials program (8.75 CCEs) and the Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs). Our spring programs start in a few weeks:
April/May Group Coaching Essentials will run Fridays 10 - 11:15 am ET: April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18, 2018  (8.75 CCEs). Click here to learn more
Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs focusing on giving you practice in leading group and team coaching conversations and feedback on your skills): Fridays 11:30 - 12:45 pm ET: starting April 13th and running to the end of May. Learn more about the Advanced Practicum here.
Coaching Biz Growth Lab starts Friday April 6th at 7:30 am ET or Monday April 9th at 3 pm ET (choose the best time for you). Jump into this ongoing business development group coaching program.