What to Pack and Prep for Back to Back In Person and Virtual Group Engagements

This week I'm facilitating a number of different back-to-back programs. It’s one of the crunch weeks that usually emerge every quarter. From new virtual groups, to in-person groups, from one off team events to in-person speaking. In one week, I'll pretty much be leading the full range of what I offer in my work.

A question I often get from coaches and others new to this work is "What do you pack and build in as you go to prepare for your own work?".

I thought it would be useful to do a bit of an exploration of what's in my toolkit as I step into this week of both in person and virtual calls. 

First, remember that we work doesn’t start when you meet with the group or team. It begins way before that. Have you built in enough time to meet with them and get to know them? Have you built in the the time you need for preparation?

One of the key success factors to ensuring that programming is the right fit for everyone attending is holding a pre-call one on ones. While this may not meet everyone's needs, it does provide a key component of building trust and connection as you go to design and pull together program elements. While it’s easy to think that group A will be like group B, more often than not, they will be different. 

Our work needs to be tailored to the different groups that you work with. This can take some time, and shouldn’t be left to last minute. 

You may also want to include multiple pre-checks along the way (through phone calls or sharing materials for review) to make sure that there is enough time to make changes as needed. 

If you are a solopreneur and don't have a team around you, be sure to do a last minute quality check. It can be useful to run it by others who can catch any last minute typos or changes in font size. These are little details but it is a big one!

Some of the other things I always want to make sure I have for in person-programs include enough materials plus an extra copy or set of all handouts and eval forms. Also, for for every in-person engagement,  I like to pack:

•  Post it notes
•   Colored Dots
•  Markers and some extra pens
• masking tape 
•  any visual cards I'm going to use
• a spare set of the handouts/worksheets or binder I am using.

I also always carry my presentation or any files on earth on USB key, in addition to having it on my laptop. I also want to make sure I have my remote control for slides/laptop. 

Before I close my briefcase I do a final check for cords. It's inevitable that once in awhile cords got left behind so create a bit of a checklist for yourself at just to see what you're missing!

This week, in between my in person work I'm also going to have to be doing some calls on the road. Given that “technology usually happens”, what's critical for making this happen while on the road is:

• 1   making sure I have the contact details for each call I am leading. This usually includes access codes, back up dial in and url links;
• 2.       making sure I have the backup contact details and number;
• 3.       making that the app on my phone works;
• 4.       Ensuring I have the participants email addresses and phone numbers in case tech happens.

 I also need to remember to pack headphones and a spare battery charger.

These are small details but they mean the big difference of being able to do work well on the road.

When getting ready to deliver back-to-back programs during the week, a final area is to make sure that your building in enough time for yourself what will help you transition from activity to activity.

Anytime you have “crunch weeks”, it is important to pause once it’s done. How will you take some time to recharge afterwards? When you are working for yourself, you may find you have 80 hour weeks but these should not represent every week. It is important to build in “focus breaks” for yourself before, during and after the event.

The last part of the year can be a very busy time for teams and groups as they are usually trying to fit in events during the fiscal. It an be important for you to decide what you can, and cannot take on, and who you might be able to refer to.

Let us know what you pack in your kit for either in person and or virtual programming by commenting below.

Have a great week everyone!

Jennifer

 PS - I hope that you'll join me for an upcoming program including our upcoming community calls – including Monday October 15^th 11:15 – 11:45 am ET call on Team Tools for the Virtual and Digital Space. This call will be held in my zoom room (zoom room 270-302-0415).

Tomorrow I'll be sharing more about 2 additional October programs starting in the next 10 days. Stay tuned!

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, PCC
Potentials Realized | /GroupCoachingEssentials
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
Phone: 416-996-8326
Group Coaching Essentials - All things group coaching
Effective Virtual Conversations.com - All things virtual
Coaching Business Builder.com- All things business related (for coaches)  

Mentor Coaching - Developing Your Muscle and Refining Your Craft

For the last few years I have been hosting the Mentor Coaching Group for ACC Renewals as well as ACC and PCC portfolio candidates. It's one of the group programs I really enjoy as I get to work with a small group of coaches (max 4) who are eager to sharpen their skills as a coach. It's amazing to see how crisp our skills can become when we place a focus on what we do.

Many of you have emailed me in recent weeks indicating that you enjoyed my article in the recent edition of Choice Magazine. You can download a copy of the article entitled Mentor Coaching: Developing Your Muscle and Refining Your Craft at my Resources page. Scroll down on this link to access this and other articles I have written.

 All of us can benefit from refining the work that we do through focus and practice.

Have a terrific week!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2012)
Phone: (416)996-8326
Upcoming programs include the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (6.75 CCEs starting Nov 1st - Thurs 1030-11:45 am ET), the Group Coaching Intensive (2 days of in person training in Toronto - November 10-11, 15 CCE renewal pending), and the Mentor Coaching Group (Fridays 12 - 1pm ET starting November 16 and January 11, 2013)

What are your strengths as a coach?

Many of us work with strengths-based assessments with our clients. What are your strengths? How are you leveraging these in your work? In your business?

If you have not yet done so, you may want to undertake theVIA Strengths Survey to discover your Signature Strengths, or purchase a copy of the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book from Tom Rath, to find out what your StrengthsFinder Strengths are. The online resources are great. Marcus Buckingham’s work, Go Put Your Strengths to Work, is another great resource to work with strengths.

As you consider your strengths ask yourself:

1.       How are you using your strengths on a regular basis?
2.       Which ones are not being used?
3.       Which ones are being overused, and may be creating a blind-spot?
4.       Which, if any, were you surprised to see?
5.       Which one would you like to place some focus around and use more in your work or life in the next month or quarter? What changes would this entail?

Finally, on the side of working with your clients, what would you like to do with strengths based work? How can you incorporate this into your next group or team coaching program?

Have a great week,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPCC, PCC, CHRP

Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

Email: info{at}potentialrealized{dot}com

Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

90 Day BizSuccess Group Coaching Program runs Tuesdays from 7:45 - 8:45 pm ET September 11 - December 11, 2012 - Are you a coach looking to grow your business this fall and want to experience and participate in a group coaching process. Hope you will join us!

Five Great Books for Coaches to Add to their Bookshelf/Reader

I often get asked about some of my favorite coaching books during the Group Coaching Essentials and Mentor Coaching Group programs. Here are five books I like, and continue to refer back to, in my own work:


1. Facilitative Coaching - Dale Schwartz and Anne Davidson. I really like the practicality of the exercises, tools and templates included in this book. Geared for more of the individual coaching conversation, many of these activities/resources can be adapted for team and group coaching. The book also includes a CD with the resources on it.


2. Coactive Coaching - Whitworth et al. Not only because I originally trained and certified through CTI years ago, I continue to find that the foundational principles of coaching are well spelled out. The appendix is also a terrific resource for new and seasoned coaches. It includes a wide array of powerful questions, inquiries and sample wheels (of life/business) you can use.

3. Appreciative Coaching - Binkert, Orem, Clancy. This book fuses appreciative inquiry and coaching. It's a wonderful resource, and I appreciated the questions and framework which can be brought into the individual coaching conversation.

4. Retreats that Work - Liteman et al. Many coaches also offer retreats for individuals, couples and teams. Retreats that Work is a fantastic resource, with exercises and designs galore. I have found myself referring back to it this spring several times as an inspiration source for retreats I have led.

5. The Coach U Essential Coaching Tools Book - This is a terrific resource for coaches looking for tools, worksheets and activities that they can incorporate into their work. Spanning everything from working with Tolerations to Resources for new Clients/Coachees, this is a great resource particularly for those starting their own practice/business.

What books would you recommend coaches add to their bookshelf or reader? As always, please feel free to comment below. You can also check out other suggestions I have in the online bookstore I created with Amazon. (Note this is an affiliate link).

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (6.75 CCEs, starting Wed May 23 at 7pm ET) and the Mentor Coaching Group (starting Friday June 1 at 1 pm ET)

Group Coaching Intensive: Community, Dialogue, Strengtening, Focus

I'm just back from an renewing weekend I spent with coaches who attended the Group Coaching Intensive here in Toronto. Over the course of the weekend I led the coaches through the ins and outs and practicalities of making group coaching successful from a coaching and client perspective. There was also ample opportunity for coaches to get their "hands dirty" practicing their own group coaching skills.

It was really a blast and I am looking forward to doing it again at least twice more this year. On Thursday and Friday July 14 and 15th I will host another two day Group Coaching Intensive in Huntsville, Ontario, CANADA in the beautiful wilderness setting of Muskoka. There will also be Group Coaching Intensive here in Toronto in October/November of this year. Registrations are now being accepted for the July program in Muskoka which will have a maximum of 8-10 spaces. I'll be applying again to have the course accredited for 15 CCEs with the ICF (13 Core Competencies, 2 Business Development).

Key insights for me this past weekend were the importance of regular dialogue within our community designed to strengthen our skills and focus our activities. As a lot of the group coaching work I do these days is by phone, if not in organizations, I was also reminded of how powerful an in-person community can be. What do you have planned to support you in strengthening your focus and building your community in the coming months?

The picture above is coaches this past weekend with their new Group Coaching Toolkits.

Have a great start to your week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Phone: (416)996-8326
Email: info{AT}potentialsrealized{dot}com
The next Group Coaching Essentials program starts this Thursday April 7th at 10:30 am (6.75 CCEs with the ICF - 3 spaces still open)

Coaching Business Builder - Planning and Tracking

In project management we have an old adeage that 1o minutes of planning can save up to 60 minutes of unfocused work. How much time do you spend on a daily or weekly basis, planning short, medium and long-term tasks? Do you have a clear list of what's really important for you to tackle today?

As a coach building their business, planning is only one part of the equation. Ensure that you track your results - new clients acquired, speaking sessions booked, new registrations received. Tracking can be done on paper or on your larger business plans. When new business comes your way, make a practice of asking where they have heard about you/the service. This can provide you with valuable inforrmation of knowing what marketing strategies are having an impact.

Questions to Consider:
What are the most important and urgent tasks for me to undertake today? This week? This month?
What tasks am I avoiding? What do I need/want to do about this?
What tasks do I need to let go of?
Have I done enough planning, and really need to get into action?
What action do I need to take today? This week?
What activities do I want to track?
What am I noticing about where my recent business has come from? What are the sources? What can I do to amplify these?
What activities may need tweaking because I'm not getting the impact I want?
What do I need to let go of?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, CPT
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program: Accredited for 6.75 ICF CCEs. New programs start March 9 and 22.
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Join me in Toronto, CANADA on April 2 and 3, 2011 for the 2 day in person Group Coaching Intensive Training: http://bit.ly/hccays
Phone: (416)996-TEAM(8326)

New Mentor Coaching Group - For ACCs

I am pleased to announce the dates for the Winter 2011 Mentor Coaching Group for ACC Renewals and Applicants. For those of you who are looking to renew, or apply for your ACC with the International Coach Federation, you are required to work with Mentor Coach for 10 hours over a 3 month period.

Starting on Friday February 25th I will be working with a small group of coaches as we move through the 3 month mentor coaching process. The program is a combination of 7 hours of mentor coaching group calls, and 3 hours of individual mentor coaching calls (held monthly).

The Winter 2011 Mentor Coaching Group will meet on Fridays from 11 - 12 noon Eastern on Feb 25, March 11, 25, April 1, 15, 29, and May 20, 2011

The program will include:

• A look at each of the 11 Core Coaching Competencies (ICF)
• Self Assessments of each competency;
  
• Identification of your strengths, and blind spots as a coach;
• Specific action steps to hone and refine your core coaching competencies;
• Practical, and tested tools and templates for coaching and business building which accompany the 7 group mentoring modules;
• An opportunity for you to practice and receive feedback on your coaching skills from Jennifer and your peers;
  
• 7 hours of group mentor coaching;
  
• 3 hours of mentor coaching individually with Jennifer (taken monthly in one hour mentor coaching sessions);
  
• A letter of support, based on your successful demonstration of the 11 core competencies, and completion of the 10 hours.

the cost of the program is $1000 US which can be paid monthly, or in one or two installments. Register with a colleague and each save $250 off your registration. Space is limited to ensure interactive discussion, feedback and dialogue.

For more information and to register, click here or contact Jennifer directly at 416.996.8326 or by email at info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com.

Warm regards
Jennifer

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

Where's Your Mojo?

My team coaching partner, Sharon Miller of CoachingWorks recently introduced me to Marshall Goldsmith's concept of Mojo. It's been a few years since I've seen Marshall speak, but am still influenced by his words at the 2005 CSTD Annual Conference which challenged us to get our learners to identify only one action step or commitment at the end of a program, rather than a 10 item laundry list.

I just opened up May's T and D magazine from ASTD (yes, I'm a little behind on some of my reading), and there is a great article from Marshall on Mojo for the learning professional. He states "I operationally define Mojo as "that positive spirit - toward what we are doing now - that starts on the inside and radiates to the outside. We experience Mojo when we engage in activities that simultaneously provide us with happiness and meaning."

How are you as a coach engaging in activities which make you happy? Activities which are meaningful? Both of these are essential for Mojo. How are you supporting your clients to engage in activities which make them happy and meaningful?

You can read more about Goldsmith's book - Mojo: How to Get It, How To Keep It, and How to Get It Back If you Lose it, http://www.MojoThebook.com.

Have a terrific week!

Warmly
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Group Coaching Essentials: Several ICF Accredited programs starting this summer including start dates on July 8 (Thursdays 10:30 -11:45 am ET), July 22nd (Summer accelerated program, and also in August)
Author of Effective Group Coaching
Phone: (416) 996-TEAM (8326)

Group Coaching and Your Personal Cultural Identity

Guest blog post for Group Coaching Ins & Outs

Submitted by Jennifer Bradley
www.jenniferbradleyphd.com

------------------------------
If you coach groups or teams it is very likely that you will have individuals from different cultural backgrounds as coachees. Have you considered your personal cultural identity? Most interculturalists contend that an in-depth understanding of your own culture is the foundation of your ability to work effectively with diverse groups.

I invite you to try the exercise below as a way of exploring how culture has shaped your identity today. This exercise, adapted from the work of psychologist Larke Nahme Huang, asks you to consider both how you see yourself (personal internal identity) and your views on how others see you (social external identity). Answer the questions below to explore these two different dimensions of cultural identity.

1. (a) Make a list the groups that you belong to that you feel have shaped who you are today.
Examples might be groups based on nationality, ethnicity, language use, religion, politics, region, or socioeconomic group. Select those groups that you feel have been most significant to to you personally.

1 (b) Extend your list by adding other groups, roles, or attributes that you feel have been or are important to how you see yourself. Examples might be family (sibling, son or daughter, parent, partner, spouse, etc.), profession, gender, age, health status, or role in your community.

1 (c) Different attributes may be salient at different times and in different contexts. For instance, if you are bilingual but now live in a community this is largely monolingual, being bilingual may be more salient if you experience this as a loss, or less salient because this aspect of your identity is in the background. It depends on your personal experience.

Review your list of responses to both (a) and (b), and mark the top 5 or 6 influences that seem most relevant to you today. Your answers to question 1 gives you information on your personal internal identity.

2. Next, think about how others might perceive you. For example, as a coach beginning work with a new group, what do you think is most salient to group members as they figure out who you are? What sources of information are they most likely to rely on to construct your identity?

Examples might be physical attributes such as skin color, appearance, gender, age, language use and accent, group memberships, professional, and community roles. This list gives you information about your social external identity in the context you have chosen.

3. Now compare the dimensions of how you see yourself (internal identity) with how you perceive that others see you (external identity).

What similarities and differences do you notice?
What aspects of your internal and external identity are congruent or dissonant?
Which aspects do you experience positively or negatively?

In his book, Coaching across Cultures, [link: http://www.coachingacrosscultures.com]
Philippe Rosinski argues that by leveraging cultural differences coaches expand the options available and improve coaching outcomes.

What new opportunities have you identified based on this exploration of your cultural identity? Share your thoughts and feedback below.



About the author:

Jennifer Bradley, Ph.D. helps mid-career professionals and expatriates craft a work-life environment where they can flourish both personally and professionally. She is a Registered Occupational Psychologist (U.K.) and Accredited Coach (ICF). She holds a Doctorate from the University of Manchester (U.K.) and a Masters Degree in Intercultural Relations (University of the Pacific, CA). She currently resides in Dallas, TX. She can be reached at http://www.jenniferbradleyphd.com.

What skills do you want to sharpen?

I have been spending a lot of time this spring talking to, and training, coaches and trainers who are engaging in phenomenal group work - whether it is group coaching, training or retreats.

Regardless of how long we have been practicing our craft, it's important for all of us to keep our skills sharp and continue growing in our own development.

Many of you who know me, know that I love conferences. I not only enjoy speaking at them but I do enjoy particpating as well.

In the last six months I've been part of a number of great conferences - CSTD, HRPA (Human Resources Professional Association) and earlier this week I attended the Partners In Prevention Conference, a conference for health and safety personnel in the area. Given that one of the major projects I have been working on in the last year and a half has been in the safety industry with respect to design and delivery of a leadership succession management training program, it was wonderful to meet other professionals in the industry. Completely unrelated to coaching or training, I was struck by the similarity of key messages - the importance of enhancing communication and leadership skills, the importance of professional development, and the need to flourish in an environment of continuous change.

Questions to consider:

As you look towards the last half of this year, what skills do you want to sharpen?
What opportunities for learning and growth will you create for yourself?
If you have been immersed in learning, what steps will you take to action your new insights?

Have a terrific weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Group Coaching Essentials
Effective Group Coaching Book