Group Coaching Core Essentials #15 - Incorporate Different Group Coaching Approaches

 Before we explore coaching approaches, trust and connection are foundational to creating the space for participants to be

willing to embark and explore topics and, in turn, themselves more intimately. Previous blogs in this series have discussed strategies around process and design that support accomplishing this, including integrating participants' voices and preferences in the creation of the meta-arc of the coaching journey. 

With participants' needs, wants, and preferences always front and center, the group coach has a variety of options on approaches you can include in the group conversation, some of which include:

 

1. Laser Coaching – short bursts of 1-1 coaching during a session, typically lasting between 7-10 minutes. The group coach extends coaching to an individual member on a topic of their choice or one related to the group topic.
2. Fieldwork – assignments, homework, pre-work, or post-work. Fieldwork could include a request, inquiry, videos, or a reading list for group members to reference. It may also be an assessment or other activities (such as a vision board) to complete before the start of the program. Overall, fieldwork is essential in the coaching process as it supports the participant in having awareness, taking action, or deepening insights. 
3. Individual reflection – includes question prompts shared with participants to write and reflect upon, structured journaling, or work done at the moment to create pause points during the coaching process. This approach can be leveraged in person, virtually, during a session, or between sessions.
4. Peer sharing/accountability – pairing participants with a buddy, will naturally strengthen the participants' trust/safety/connection while forming a structure for a deepened conversation on program topics throughout the program. In addition, peers can become accountability partners to support one another in achieving program and life goals. 

Body/somatic work – integrate opportunities for participants to tap into their body intelligence and wisdom, deepening their awareness and embodiment of new realizations to support them in taking action. 

 

Principle: Consider applying different coaching approaches/techniques based on your participants' needs. 

 

Action: Include laser coaching, fieldwork (pre-work/post-work), reflection, group discussion, etc. 

 

 

This week, consider how you might integrate some of these coaching approaches in the current or upcoming groups you are creating. Consider the following questions: 

 

1- What are my participants preferences from the approaches (laser coaching, peer accountability, reflection, etc…)

2- What approaches do you want to integrate into your program? 

3- What resources/tools do I have in my toolbox, and can I incorporate them within these approaches?

4- What resources can I source to support my participants' needs? 

5- My next steps are …

  I invite you to identify approaches that resonate with you and what will best support your participants' needs and preferences, co-creating with them to identify possible strategies you can integrate into your programs. Reminder: each group cohort will be different and may require different approaches for maximum results and transformation. 

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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 - Tuesday and Thursday 1015 - 1130 am ET accelerated delivery on November 29, December 1, 6, 13, 15 (with Evana - 2.5 weeks) or Fridays 1015 - 1130am ET starting Friday January 13th - running for 5 weeks (with Evana)

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Mondays 12 - 130 pm ET December 5, 12, 19, plus 3 calls in January  - 3 spots open (with Evana)

Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach - 24 CCEs - Join us for an intensive 3 day virtual delivery on December 12, 19, 21  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 Tuesday December 7th (830-430pm ET) and Wednesday December 8th (830 - 12noon ET) with Jennifer or 6 week program on Mondays 130 - 3 pm ET December 5, 12, 19, January 9, 16, 23 2023 with Kathy

Mentor Coaching Group - 10 hours Mondays 1230-130pm ET starting January 9 or  Fridays 9-10 am ET: January 13 - April 13th with Jennifer. 5 spots open. (For ACC renewal or PCC)

Check out our Intensive December 2022 offerings which will be delivered by Jennifer in early December. More information and schedule at GroupCoachingEssentials.ca.

SAVE THE DATE For our 19th Annual Holiday Party - 10 - 1 pm ET on Tuesday December 20th (virtual on zoom)!

 

 

Group Coaching Core Essentials #14 - Coaching Impact Happens Between Sessions

This week we reinforce the fact that coaching happens in between sessions. We know this to be accurate, yet how do we do that when working with groups? The beauty of groups is supporting the group to learn from and lean on one another. A group coach must have a solid program design to ensure this occurs. 

Here are some ideas to consider including: 

Take the learning out of the session and invite participants to acquaint themselves with the topic before the group conversation leaving the group conversations to be a container of sharing and gleaning deeper insights.

• Extend field work between sessions 
• Share additional resources to topics in your group program, allowing participants to adapt and personalize their growth journey.
• Leverage the participants to support one another in accountability in actions/goals between sessions.
• Activate an ongoing group dialogue between sessions.
• Introduce dialogue for clients to create more comprehensive accountability partners beyond the program to support their program goals and life success. 

 Principle: As individual coaching, coaching really happens between sessions.

Action: Create assignments between sessions. Fieldwork (pre-work/post-work) supports participants to learn at their own pace (allowing more time for reflection and preparation) while leaving time together to discuss insights during fieldwork.

 This week, consider how you support the coaching between sessions in your group programs. Consider reviewing:

 1- What powerful questions can you ask to deepen awareness that then propels action and accountability?   

2- Your design framework to ensure participants have an opportunity to share learnings since the last session and identify takeaways to reflect/on or apply in their life

3- What structures do participants require between sessions to fulfill their program goals?

4- What materials are relevant to your participant groups to support them in realizing their goals?

5- How do you celebrate client progress and success in your programs?

6- ICF core competency #8 - Client Facilitates Growth for a deeper understanding as it relates to your group program

I invite you to pause and evaluate what would support your participants to continue moving forward to fulfill their goals between your group sessions. There are various ways to accomplish this, and leveraging what works for your participants is crucial.

Enoy your reflections,

Evana and Jennifer

This week's blog post was written by Evana, our Team Lead for Group Coaching. Thanks Evana!

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 - Tuesday and Thursday 1015 - 1130 am ET accelerated delivery on November 29, December 1, 6, 13, 15 (with Evana - 2.5 weeks) or Fridays 1015 - 1130am ET starting Friday January 13th - running for 5 weeks (with Evana)

Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach - 24 CCEs - Join us for an intensive 3 day virtual delivery on Saturday December 10, 17 and December 21 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 Tuesday December 7th (830-430pm ET) and Wednesday December 8th (830 - 12noon ET) with Jennifer or 6 week program on Mondays 130 - 3 pm ET December 5, 12, 19, January 9, 16, 23 2023 with Kathy

Mentor Coaching Group - 10 hours Mondays 1230-130pm ET starting January 9 or  Fridays 9-10 am ET: January 13 - April 13th with Jennifer. 5 spots open. (For ACC renewal or PCC)

Check out our Intensive December 2022 offerings which will be delivered by Jennifer in early December. More information and schedule at GroupCoachingEssentials.ca.

SAVE THE DATE For our 19th Annual Holiday Party - 10 - 1 pm ET on Tuesday December 20th (virtual on zoom)!

 

 

 

 

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 - Client Agreements

One of the areas I often get questions around is "What type of client agreements should I create for

group coaching?".

This is a great question on multiple levels, signaling several things you will want to put into place:

#1 - Ensuring a fit for your program or offering. These conversations are likely to start before your program begins, and you will know my affinity and recommendation about the importance of a pre-call 1-1 to get to know each client AND to also ensure that there is a fit. When in doubt, share any concerns with a client, and always remember that while we can coach most, we many not be everyone's best coach. Have a network of professionals you can refer others onto.

Note that sometimes it takes a few weeks for a client to really know if the program is a right fit for them. As group coaches we need to be aware of the provisions in the ICF Code of Ethics.

Section 9 of ICF Code of Ethics and the client's right to terminate the coaching relationship at any time. The way you handle refunds and closure is a key part of building trust as well as reputation within your work. For more on this, check out Section 9 of the ICF Code of Ethics on Coaching.

#2 Group Agreements - What are the group agreements which will make for a positive learning experience?  Take time in your first session to co-create this together. While we would be more apt to specify group agreements in a mastermind or training process, given the high touch and high trust required with group coaching, it's recommended that the group spend time co-creating their agreements together.

We take a deeper dive into this topic during weeks 1 and 2 of the Group Coaching Essentials program, and also in the Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum, as it is a critical part of any coaching agreement.

#3 - Individual Coaching Plans - What is the individual coaching plans for each person? How is the client able to identify, map out and share his or her goals with you as the coach and/or with others in the group? Is there a dashboard for clients to work with, and share what they'd like? Is it done analog through a tool like the One Page Plan I share in Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack? What is each person's individual coaching journey going to look like. Have them map it out.

Coaching Agreements are a critical part of the coaching process and it's important to note that in group coaching that individual group members are likely to be moving in different ways at different pace. Each group member is also going to need different levels of support to help them thrive. 

#4 - Clarifying what you are offering and what COACHING IS, and COACHING IS NOT.

AT this moment in time, there is continued diffusion around what coaching really is in the marketplace. A reminder that group coaching is not training. Group Coaching is not advising. It is about helping each of your group members create new awareness about what they already know themselves, through questions, reflective pause and dialogue. 

At this moment in time, it's useful to return back to your definition of what coaching is and how it aligns with the ICF definition of coaching. 

If you are coaching a group, note that as much learning will happen with the engagements BETWEEN the group members as the engagements with the coach. Be sure to be leaving time for group members to have conversation themselves. A group coach should not always be the one leading the show - if so, it's likely not coaching, but training!

What other layers of agreements are important to put into place with your work?

Enjoy the conversation,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Group Coaching Essentials | Effective Virtual Conversations | Potentials Realized
Instagram @Remote Pathways (for remote workers) and @CoachingBizBuilder (for coaches)
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

Join us for the one-day Virtual Facilitation Essentials program on Thursday October 29 (930 - 4 pm ET). Take your virtual facilitation skills to the next level (and yes, even if you've been on zoom every day for the last 7 months there probably still are a trick or two to help you continue to create a WOW experience every time). Cost: $475 US.

Last call - Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (fall 2020) starts TOMORROW, FRIDAY October 23rd and will run for 5 weeks until November 20th - Fridays 12 - 130 pm Eastern. 10 CCEs with ICF. Get hands on practice and skill development.  Ideally suited for those who want feedback on their skills and to learn and connect with a small group of other coaches who are committed to refining their craft. The program is capped at 6 coaches. Cost: $525 US.

Shifting your coaching to the remote space? Check out these resources

With the current global context, social distancing is becoming a recommended go-to by many

governments around the world. What implications is this having for your coaching work?

For many coaches it is meaning a shift of their conversations over into the virtual and remote space, not only for individual coaching clients, but also group and team coaching clients.


The virtual space has been a primary focus for me in my work as a coach over the last 16 years, as well as the years leading up to that when I managed virtual and remote teams across the world in my work as a Program Manager for the international humanitarian sector.

In today's post I wanted to share a number of resources you may find useful if you are needing to transition over the remote space. Please also share these with your clients as they too are also looking to shift operations to work from home for many teams, or remote work for others who still need to be in the office.

Resource #1 - Resources from the International Coach Federation
I was honored to partner with ICF on creating three videos for members on how to transition your coaching over the remote space, just a few days ago, as part of their support for coaches at this time. You can find these videos, along with other resources for member coaches, and the wider community, and our clients at this the page ICF has set up - https://coachfederation.org/covid-19-resources-for-coaches

You'll find three different videos I created:
#1 - Getting Started
#2 - Top 10 Things to Consider
#3 - Trust, Safety and Connection

Much of the content I share in these videos come from my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations. You may want to pick up a copy of it at Amazon (print and kindle editions)

Resource #2 - Remote Pathways.com
Last fall I partnered with PlanDoTrack facilitator and coach, Michelle Mullins, to co-host the Remote Pathways podcast. It's grounded in some of the new writing i've been engaging with around remote work since last year.
We've released 8 different episodes about the different pathways people find themselves on in the remote space, and have just started releasing episodes with our guests - including the recent one on Strengths and Remote Work with Jennifer Grote (Episode 8)

In addition to the Remote Pathways podcast, I am also doing a weekly blog series there as well. Week 10 focuses on Peer Support in the Remote Space. Enjoy the downloads offered each week.

Resource #3 - Remote Working Whitepaper. 
Check out the 24 page Whitepaper I've pulled together on remote work, based on the writing I've done over at the Teams365 blog these past few years on remote teams.

You can get a copy of the Whitepaper here at the Resource Hub.

I also dedicated the March 2020 Newsletter to Virtual and Remote. You can view it here.

Resource #4 - Let's work together
Finally (and most importantly), many of the programs I offer have a specific focus on the virtual space including:

Virtual Facilitation Essentials - boost your virtual faciltiation toolkit with this ICF CCE approved program (8.5 CCEs including 5.5 core competencies). Offered in a convenient one day virtual format or 5 week series, I take you through the best practices of leading and designing highly interactive virtual calls. Whether you are coaching, facilitating a virtual team day, or a virtual retreat, you'll leave the program with lots of ideas and more confidence with how to navigate in teh remote space. Each participant leads a virtual energizer, opener or closer.

Upcoming dates include:
Friday March 13th (930 - 5 pm ET) - One day format
Wednesday March 25 - One Day format
Wednesday April 1 - One Day Format

The five week series starts again Monday March 30th from 130 - 245 pm eT, on March 30, April 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2020 (April 13th may be replaced with a date on May 1)

Cost: $475 US which includes the course, module notes, and 1-1 time with me (pre call, post call and 2 other laser calls -15 min)

Learn more and reserve your spot.

Or perhaps you decide to book me for some 1-1 time. You can choose from a 45 minute ask me anything mentoring session, a six hour strategy session, or a series of coaching conversation around your programming. Find out the options and availability here.

You can also simply drop me an email and let's set up a time to chat.

I look forward to acting as a resource for you as you continue to navigate and grow in this area.

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Group Coaching Essentials | Teams365 | Potentials Realized
Instagram @Remote Pathways (for remote workers) and @CoachingBizBuilder (for coaches)
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

Join us for an upcoming CCE approved program, including the
 Mentor Coaching Group - for ACC/PCC - starts Friday March 20th at 9 am ET (10 hours meeting ICF mentor coaching requirement)
Virtual Facilitation Essentials program (8.5 CCEs),
Group Coaching Essentials (8.5 CCES) starts Monday March 23 at 9 am ET (calls Mondays 9 - 1015 am eT - March 23, 30, April 6, 20, 27), or the
Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCES) starting April 3rd (Mondays 3 - 415 pm ET)
 

Why Team Coaching?

Team

coaching is getting a lot of attention these days with the current WBECS spotlight on the new team coach training being spearheaded by David Clutterbuck and Peter Hawkins.

It's an era where team coaching is coming into its own. As someone who is a team coach practitioner, author on the topic and coach trainer for group and team coaches, I'm often asked, why is team coaching valuable?

I thought I'd reach back and share the value of the team coaching process which I first published in From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching  back in 2013.

Here are the six reasons I highlighted back in 2013 about what was being said about the benefits of team coaching. Consider how relevant these still are for our work today:

#1 - Space for the team to pause and reflect - As I wrote back in 2013, "In today's busy environment, it is very easy to let reflection moments become swept away by immediate issues. A team coaching sometimes provides the only reason why teams will stop". Consider how you are incorporating short and long pauses, along with reflection for the team.

#2 - Prioritizing the need for focus - related to the first point engagement in a team coaching process may create urgency and a priority for the team to focus, particularly as now there is someone coming in to create a pause.

#3 - A non-judgmental sounding board/space for dialogue

#4 - Ability to mirror back to the team what is going on. Observations are foundational to the coaching process, and new awareness gets created by the team as they start to notice their own patterns, behaviors and habits.

#5 - Strong fous on the outcome

#6 - Accountability focus: it holds the entire team responsible for taking the action, and making the changes they have committed to over time, through sustained conversation and check-ins" - pp 147

As I often say, regardless of how much the context changes, the foundational approaches and practices of team coaching are still the same.

What do you hear from coaching clients about the importance of the team coaching process?

Enjoy the conversations,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Group Coaching Essentials | Teams365 | Potentials Realized
Instagram @Remote Pathways (for remote workers) and @CoachingBizBuilder (for coaches)
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

Join us for an upcoming CCE approved program, including the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program (8.5 CCEs), Group Coaching Essentials (8.5 CCES), or the Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCES) starting April 3rd

Coaching Virtually - Five Things to Keep in Mind

An increasing number of coaches are working virtually with individual clients as well as teams and

groups.

Here are five things to keep in mind as you navigate a call

1.       Create shared expectations – what can people expect from the call. How will this be different. What are you there to offer? What do they want out of the experience?

2.       Connect people early on – to what they want out of the call, and with each other. This might involve posting the question : What do you want to make sure you get out of the call today and having people share that in chat. To connect people, even at a surface level, have people annotate and dot where they are calling in form.

3.       Keep the pace moving – Don’t just talk at people. Involve them through slides, inserting ideas via chat and also by having them use annotation. Annotation is not naturally set up I all rooms but it does provide a more hands-on experience. Give people some practice and guidelines on how to use it.

4.       Provide pauses for people to do things along the way. While many virtual leaders hesitate from doing this, if you are streaming, you’ll see how valuable it is to provide a pause of a minute or two for people to do something practical and tactical. This might involve capturing what they have learned in a mindmap, or identifying their top 3 bullet points and writing it down some where, or identifying their next steps, or scheduling it in. What can you do to provide a pause point.

5.       Follow up – keep the conversation going. There many different platforms to build community. From closed Facebook groups, to shared virtual boards such as Mighty Networks, keep the conversation flowing by sharing resources related to your topic, inviting people to respond via polls, and get together for future calls or co-working sessions.

For more ideas check out these past blog posts I’ve written on virtual:

Watch out for these pitfalls - Five faux pas to avoid in virtual calls from the Teams365 blog https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-742-virtual-facilitation-faux-pas

Virtual Facilitation – Creating Powerful Starts and Ends to Virtual Calls – We remember the start and end of things – how can you jazz things up to make your last call more memorable? https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-560-virtual-facilitation-creating-powerful-starts-and-ends

Check out the Effective Virtual Conversations tips published each Monday at my Teams365 blog. These tips are based on my 2017 book – Effective Virtual Conversations. Pick up a copy at Amazon today.

Thanks for joining me - let us know what you put into practice and what impact it has!

With best wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC, CPCC

 Author of Effective Group Coaching (2009), and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and Coaching Business Builder - Workbook and Planner (2018)
Phone : 416-996-8326
Upcoming Spring 2019 programs include Group Coaching Essentials program (8.75 CCEs) which starts again mid-April and the  Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs which focuses on the "practice" of group coaching). Advanced will start Friday May 3rd (6 weeks, 10 CCEs)