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!

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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

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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)!

 

 

 

 

10 Ways to Keep the Conversation Going - Countdown to 2020 - Day 4

Group coaching is all about an extended conversation. Today’s blog post gets you thinking

about how you can keep the conversation going in a group coaching conversation.


Before you think of the HOW, it can be important to think about these four areas

1.       Purpose – Why do you want to keep the conversation going? Is this group focused on goal achievement or more on awareness? Is keeping the conversation going to expand awareness, create focus, or accelerate growth? Note that for each coaching client they may have a slightly different emphasis around this.

2.       What do your clients prefer? From support via text to support via peer partnering, your client preferences should help to shape WHAT the ongoing conversation looks like and the platforms you will use.

3.       Outcome – As you think about your client’s goals, what are the outcomes they are looking for? What are they wanting? Adjust the frequency and vehicle to the outcome they are looking for.

4.       Time investment – how much time is this going to take? On your part, on their part. Communicate the time commitment throughout the initial marketing phase. The time involved will influence how the conversation ensues.

Consider these different ways to keep the conversation going:

1. Daily prompts put out to the network
2. A private (Secret) social conversation platform -From Mighty Networks, to Facebook, keeping the conversation real time is an important part of coaching. Be sure that the platform you are using is secure and that client's identities are kept confidential.
3. Peer partner work
4. Videos to watch – Is there a playlist you want to share?
5. Book list – are there recommended resources people can tap into?
6. One on one coaching with you or others – Nothing can replace the deep dive around content
7. A daily (or regular) check in call -  Would it be useful to incorporate a 15 minute live check in call to see how people are doing? This is one in some super accelerated programs – i.e. 28 day programs
8. A daily email  - a daily email can keep things top of mind for group member
9. Meeting with a peer partner
10. Field work the client identifies for themselves, or is shaped with the group, basd on the conversation you have had.

What do you want to incorporate in your upcoming programming? What's gong to be of value and preferred by the people you work with?

Enjoy the conversations,
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  coaching skills development through CCE approved programs - 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.

January 1st marks the kick off of the 60 Day Accelerator Coaching Business Builder. What could 60 days of consistent focused action look like in your business? Click here to learn more and register. Early bird pricing wraps up on December 23rd. This in a one-off special program so I hope you will join us! Let's kick off the new decade together!

Six Ideas for Field Work in your next Coaching Engagement

Accountability is a critical part of any coaching process, whether we are working with groups, teams or individuals. Here are six ideas which you may consider as you co-design field work with your group and/or team members:

1. Provide group or team members with a reading, weblink or podcast as a follow-up to some of the topics you worked around, or as pre-work for the next session. Coaching is not about teaching content, however, groups and teams can benefit from having a common framework.

2. Assign buddies or learning partners who meet between your group or team calls. In today's world of budget constraint, learning partners can help sustain the conversation, while bilding peer coaching skills. Peer partners/buddies/learning partners can benefit from a  suggested focus and possible questions they may want to explore in each call. Check in with peer partners at the start of the next group/team session to have them share their best practices. Again, this helps to build coaching skills and capacity for better listening, questionning and relationships amongst the group or team.

3. Create with individual group members or the team an activity to support the coaching competency of "DO IT NOW". Perhaps team has been putting off a particular task and would benefit from  accountability around this before your next meeting.

4. Co-create a coaching challenge with the team and/or group members. Remember, a stretch for one is not a stretch for all.  Coaching challenges serve to provide a supportive stretch in action. What will provide challenge for each group member.

5. Have group or team members use a MindMap to collect their learning, insights and action plans.

6. Use journaling as a way to provide opportunities for group members to deepen their awareness around the issues you are working on. You may go low tech or explore online platforms such as  Journal Engine.

What are some of your favorite field work activities which you have used with teams or groups?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC, CPT
Potentials Realized
Phone: (416)996-TEAM
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)


Join me for  an upcoming program:
1. The December Accelerated Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar (Tues and Thurs 3-4:15 pm ET on December 3, 5, 10, 12, 19) - 6.75 CCEs, 
2. The Group Facilitation Intensive in Toronto (for trainers and facilitators) on December 18-19
3. The 2014 Business Planning Virtual Retreat (Friday December 6 and 13 (1:30 - 4:30 pm ET)
4. A special 1-1 Day of Mentoring with Me (Nov 27, December 2,4 still open)

Keeping the conversation going: group programs

"Keeping the conversation going" between group members can add tremendous value to the connection,

learning and trust amongst group members. Whether you are running a group coaching program, offering a teleclass/teleseminar or webinar, how do you keep the conversation flowing between touch points?

You may want to consider incorporating into your work some of these options:

1. Structured assignments/fieldwork between sessions which individuals share insights by email to each other
2. Journalling assignments group member share  using a platform like JournalEngine
3. Learning partners or triads which meet in between sessions (with formal or informal assignments)
4. Tips sent out by email or posted a group site (for example if you are working on busienss development issues, providing group with links to articles written/online resources)
5. Quotations sent out by email or posted to a group site (generated by you as leader/coach or the group)
6. Audios or videos for group members to tap into
7. Private Facebook page

In today's busy world it is easy to lose focus and get pulled into many other areas. What can you do to support accountability, learning, insights, and engagement, with your group members between touchpoints?

Have a terrific week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Phone: (416)996-8326
Join us for the 3rd annual Group Coaching Intensive in beautiful Huntsville, Muskoka this July (Thurs/Fri July 11 and 12). 15 CCEs with the ICF (including 13 hours of core competencies)!