Scaling your work as a coach

When I first started training to be a coach back in the early 2000s, I was still working as a leader with

the United Nations, responsible for programming and a staff team across a sub-region of 10 different countries. I had stumbled across this thing called "coaching" at a conference, and immediately saw potential for bringing these types of conversations into my work to support enhanced learning, insights, and also action. What I couldn't see clearly was how I was going to do it 1-1. My work in those days, as it is now, was primarily with groups and teams - from community groups, to teams, through to government agencies.

In those days when I first started as a coach, gorup and team coaching were very much in their infancy. Today, we still have a long way to go, however, these modalities are now recognized as sub-disciplines of the coaching profession.

Since opening my doors to business through Potentials Realized in 2004, I've been fortunate to work directly with thousands of coaches - from individual clients, to ICF chapters. A common question I get asked is "how do I scale my work as a coach"?

Today there are a lot of options to expand your coaching conversation. Consider these different ways:

Group and/or Team Coaching
Retreats
On-demand Video Based Programming
VIP Days
Peer Coaching

What are the ways you are adding different revenue streams onto your business? What are avenues you are interested in exploring?

For more posts on this topic, do check out:

These past posts from the blog on Program Design here
These past posts from the blog on Business Development here.

As with most program development initiatives, developing new programming can take time, AND one step at a time, programs can be out the door in weeks. I've just started a new series on Instagram called the #90DaysPlanDoTrack, where I'm sharing a different question fo you to consider and take action on around your business for each of the 90  days of fall (or spring) this year. I hope that you will follow along at https://www.instagram.com/coachingbizbuilder.

The new 4 hour Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreats I am hosting this fall, also are gong to support coaches and other professionals in carving out time to Plan important projects, take some steps in action and identify how they will track there results. Check the upcoming dates here, including next Thursday October 4th from 1 - 5 pm ET.

What are the modalities you'd like to add to your programming in the next 12 -15 months?

Enjoy the rest of your week,
Jennifer

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)  

Day 10 of 12 Days of Holidays: Creating Your Own On Demand Programming

One of the areas I've been involved with for several years now is creating on-demand programming. With the advent of Udemy a few years ago it opened up the possibility of creating a new revenue Teachable more than a year ago, and continue to enjoy designing new programming for different audiences. One that I have referred to already in the 12 days series is a compilation of three of the courses I designed in response to regular and frequent questions about marketing team and group program work (workshops, retreats and group coaching). This winter I've bundled together 3 programs to create the 2017 Kickstart Your Coaching Business program. This is a compilation of:

stream in my business through short video based courses.  I moved most of my courses from Udemy to my own site at

•  the Marketing Tips for Your Group and Team Programs course - a 4 hour deeper dive into different strategies for marketing your group and team programs,
• the Solopreneur Primer - which focuses on 12 key activities for any solopreneur business
• The Coaching Business Builder - 12 More tips for creating and growing your coaching business

As a program bundle I'm able to offer a $100 savings for a total of $197 for the three programs.

During 2017 I'll be sharing more about creating your own on-demand programs during the month of March at the Learning Lab and Design Studio (LLDS) As some of you know, the LLDS is a group which meets throughout the year on Fridays from 8-8:45 am ET by zoom. With two calls a month we take a deeper dive into related topics to building a coaching business, and offering group and team programming. The LLDS also hosts a growing body of resources only available to LLDS members. I hope that you will consider joining us for the kick off of our 2017 programming on Friday January 13th at 8 am ET. Click here to learn more, download a schedule and reserve your spot.

In the interim, enjoy today's goodie which is an article on 10 Tips for Designing Your own Video Based Programming.- one of the monthly articles from the LLDS.

Have a great Wednesday. See you tomorrow for day 11!

Best wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC

GroupCoachingEssentials | PotentialsRealized

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) - Fridays 10:15- 11:30 am ET starting Jan 13th

The Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs) - Fridays 1:15 - 2:30 pm ET starting Jan 13th

and the Mentor Coaching Group for ACC/PCC portfolio routes - Fridays 9 - 10 am ET or 12 - 1pm ET starting January 13th.

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)

• 
  

Planning for an Exceptional Group Coaching Program in the New Year

As we move towards the end of the year it's time to gear up for new year planning, if you haven't

already. You might think that you don't have enough time but with the way the holidays are falling this year, some people and many schools will be taking holidays from December 24th through to January 9th. That leaves a good 6-7 weeks for planning, and marketing.  The new year is a great time to launch new programs, as many coaching clients are looking to make their changes stick come January 2nd!

Here are several considerations for your planning over the next few weeks:

1. Consider or listen into the focus areas your clients are looking for group coaching support in.

• If they are a business owner, what are the key 3-4 areas they are looking for support in? 
• How can these areas become the foundation of a new program areas for you?

2. Consider how long you want to be offering groups for.

• Is this a short term group or long term group?
• How frequently are you meeting?
• When are people able to meet?
• What do they want/expect in terms of contact points with you as coach? With each other?
• Be noticing what your clients are hungry for in terms of support areas.

3. How do you want to offer this? Virtually or in person?

• Again, consider your client preferences, as well as your own.
• If you need to set up a bridgeline or zoom room, do that now.

4. What are the 5-10 ways you can consistently get the message out to people about your offering.

• Marketing is often left as the final thing to do and in group programs we need people on the line in order to have a group.
• Grab a calendar and map out your daily actions for the next 30-45 days in these 5-10 strategies. What exactly will you do?
• What are the things you want to communicate? What's included in the program? What benefits are there? What can people expect from your work together?
• Check out past posts here about marketing and promotion

5. Consider what additional support is going to make this group become a reality?

• What support you do need in order to make it happen?
• What program supports are going to make this an exceptional program?
• Who can help you make this a reality?

What other things are going to make this real for you? Grab a pen and paper and make a list right now - scheduling it in.

As we know "What doesn't get scheduled, doesn't get done!" - Peter Drucker.

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCCGroup Coaching Essentials | Potentials Realized  
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Phone: (416)996-8326
Email: info(at)potentialsrealized(dot)com
_______________________________________________________________________________
➪If you are looking for some support, join me this Thursday, December 1st from 10-2 pm ET for a Virtual Retreat Day focused on Program Development. Over the course of the 4 hours you will move through a series of group calls and individual exercises (offline) to breathe life into your program plans. I'll be available for part of the day as well for "Drop in" 1-1 mentoring as well. You can also join us for a second virtual retreat day on Friday December 9th from 1 - 5 pm ET with a focus on Getting Things Done. Sometimes we need the space and focus to make things happen. Register for one, or the two (and receive access to the recording of a virtual retreat I held a few weeks ago on Business Development - if you opt for the two program option).

Looking for more tips, tools and best practices? The final Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar is starting this week and we'll be meeting in an accelerated fashion with calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-4:15 pm Eastern/New York on December 1, 6, 8, 13, 15. This program is approved for 8.75 CCEs with the ICF and covers the best practices of designing, implementing and marketing group coaching (Virtual/in person/corporate and public). 3 spots still open. More info and registration link here.

Group and Team Coaching Myth - More is more in terms of program design

Photo from DollarPhoto.com

This past weekend I hosted the Group and Team Coaching Intensive a weekend long program where coaches get a chance to practice their skills in group and team coaching. As we moved through many great coaching  moments it became really apparent that coaching conversations really take time in groups and teams. Less is truly more!

While we may be able to squeeze more moving parts into a workshop or retreat process, in group and team coaching trust and connection is paramount. Without this foundation, members won't engage in the coaching dialogue. Trust and connection takes time to form. This connection and trust is often formed over several sessions, so coaches will want to consider how they want to invite people to get to know each other, set goals for their work, and engage with each other in the conversation.

When we look at the less is more principle to program design we want to consider:
* What key elements do we want to include in each session (check in, check out, pre-work/post-work and coaching moments)?
* What key themes does the group want to explore during their time together?
*  What is the optimum group size the facilitate the dialogue and coaching process?
* What do group members really want and value (group dialogue, paired discussion, more individual reflection etc)?
* Just how much can we explore in the time we have together.

Really embracing and understanding the less is more principle to programming, requires that we get into action and get into real time dialogue with groups. Experience helps us understand just what this means. What opportunities can you create to work with groups in the coming months and into 2016. Nothing can replace real-time practice and experience.

For more on program design topics related to group and team coaching, check out some of my past posts in the area of program development here.

Best
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Group Coaching Essentials | Potentials Realized  
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Join us for an upcoming CCE approved program including the Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar starting December 1st (Tues/Thurs Dec 1, 8, 10, 15, 17 - 8.75 CCEs with the ICF)
 (416)996-8326

PS - A reminder my next Group Coaching Design Studio blab will be held this Thursday from 945 - 1015 am ET. I hope that you will drop in and join us. Link to the session is here - focus of this week's blab is  on Core Design Elements for Group and Team Coaching.  We'll be exploring program elements and considerations pre-program, during the program and post-program, Hope you'll join us!

Group and Team Coaching Areas - Part 3

Over the past month we've been taking an a through z walk through potential areas you might be coaching teams and groups around at our Facebook page. We last left off a few weeks ago with f through i. Today's post includes letters j through o

What other areas might you coach your teams and groups around?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, PCC
GroupCoachingEssentials.com | PotentialsRealized.com
(416)996-8326
Join us for an upcoming ICF approved Continuing Education Program -
Group Coaching Essentials teleseminar - Tues/Thurs 10-11:15 am ET: June 4, 6, 11, 13, 25 (6.75 CCEs)
Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (by phone) - Thursdays 11:30 - 12:45 pm ET: June 6 - August 1 (no classes June 20, July 4 or 11) - 8 CCEs including 7 hrs core competencies
3rd Annual Group Coaching Intensive - Huntsville, Muskoka - Thurs/Friday July 11-12 (8:30 - 5 pm each day) - 15 CCEs including 2 hrs of core competencies

MindMapping - An essential part of group coaching design

"How do I design a group coaching program" is one of the most common questions I get when I speak

to coaches. From experience, there is always a tension between doing some per-preparation design, and also having this infused buy the group or team participants.

One of the design tools I wrote about in Effective Group Coaching was the MindMap (Refer to chapter 5 on Design).  My Effective Group Coaching Tip today on my Facebook page was in fact a reminder of this handy design tool (see today's blog post photo).

MindMapping is a right-brained tool, originally created by Tony Busan. Business Dictionary.com provides the following definition of mindmapping:

Graphical technique for visualizing connections between several ideas or pieces of information. Each idea or fact is written down and then linked by lines or curves to its major or minor (or following or previous) idea or fact, thus creating a web of relationships. Developed by the UK researcher Tony Buzan in his 1972 book 'Use Your Head,' mind mapping is used in note taking, brainstorming, problem solving, and project planning. Like other mapping techniques its purpose is to focus attention, and to capture and frame knowledge to facilitate sharing of ideas and concepts.

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/mind-mapping.html#ixzz2Ptfn9TBX

I find mindmapping a terrific tool to capture program ideas as I move through initial deisgn, into pre-program calls, and then program design.

Some professionals my prefer to draw their MindMap by hand. If you prefer using the computer some of the diferent MindMap software you may prefer are:
MindJet.com
MindMeister.com
Buzan's ThinkBuzan.com

There are also a number of great apps available for MindMaping on a iPad or Android. You can see me talk about my experience using MindMapping on an Android tablet here.

The activity I pose in today's Effective Group Coaching tip is to spend 10 minutes MindMapping all of your program ideas for an upcoming program. Capture all of your thoughts around potential themes, questions, activities, venue, to dos etc.

Have a great week!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
My newest book - From One to Many - Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching will be released mid-June.
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)
Email: info{at}potentiaslrealized{dot}com

Join me for an upcoming program including the:
 Group Coaching Practicum - 8 CCEs: starts Tuesday April 9th at 4:30 pm Eastern/1:30 pm Pacific. Practice and get feedback on your group coaching skills in the virtual domain. Group calls April 9, 16,

30, May 14, 21 and 28, 2013
Group Coaching Essentials - 6.75 CCEs: starts Thursday April 11th at 10 am Eastern/7 am Pacific. This teleseminar provides coaches with the foundations of group coaching - design, marketing, implementation and exercises. Group calls Thurs 10-11:15 am ET April 11, 19, May 2, 9, 16, 2013. The next program will start in May on Fridays 10-11:15 am ET May 3-31, 2013.
Mentor Coaching Group - For ACC Renewals, and ACC/PCC Portfolio Routes, Fridays 12 - 1 pm ET April 12 - July 12th. 10 hours of mentor coahcing - 7 hours small group calls, 3 hours individual calls. Click here for more info and to register.

The modular approach to program design

A shot of two of my current projects: Jenn Britton

In my book, Effective Group Coaching, I talk about how I use a modular approach to program design in creating most of my coaching and training programs. We also cover this in the Group Coaching Essentials teleclass.

By  using a modular approach I can combine different components to create different programs. For example, over the years I have developed several different components (or building blocks) around working with values. Some of these run for 20 minutes, others can expand to 2 hours. We may use a values checklist to start the conversation, or do a peak experience visualization to explore values, depending on the group. Likewise, I have several different options (or building blocks) if a client, team or group wants to look at strengths. Some shorter and more defined, others more exploratory and group led.

The great thing with a modular program design is that is allows you  to quickly take stock of what approaches you have already and how these can be combined for different groups and needs. Right now, I am in the process of designing three different sessions to be delivered in the next few weeks to three different client groups. One is a full day retreat, one a series of team coaching conversations, and one is a two hour presentation. As I have moved through the pre-program 1-1 calls the focus and interest areas have emerged for the different groups. This has allowed me to quickly pull together draft agendas which either go directly to the team and/or organizer for consideration. It certainly has made it much easier to be planning for multiple new programs this month.

How might a modular approach benefit your program design?

Best wishes,
Jenn

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
GroupCoachingEssentials.com
Next Group Coaching Essentials teleclass starts Tuesday/tomorrow Feb 5th at 2 pm Eastern. Group calls held Feb 5, 12, 19, 26 and March 5, 2013 (Tuesdays 2-3:15 pm Eastern/New York). 6.75 CCEs. Three spots still open.
Phone: (416)996-8326

Different Types of Groups in Group Coaching

As group coaching work continues to expand around the world, the diversity of types of groups, and group formations which are emerging, also continues to expand. One of the key principles we want to keep in mind as coaches in designing our work is Knowing Our Client, and being aware of their preferences in terms of length of engagement, frequency, time of week, and pricing. Essential elements in the group coaching process also include a focus on goal setting, action, awareness and accountability, usually over a sustained period.

Some of the different types of groups which coaches are working with under the banner of group coaching include:
- Coaching Circles (often with a strong emphasis on peer coaching practices)
- Mastermind Groups
- Workshops and retreats which bring in a group coaching approach
- Virtual Retreats
- Post Training Groups (i.e. Group Coaching initiatives as part of a longer term training process, where group coaching conversations focus on the application of skills, learning involved,  roadblocks, commitments and successes
- Groups which focus on laser coaching individual members
- Groups which are a combination of individual reflection, group dialogue and sharing
- Group coaching of intact systems such as community groups or boards

How would you describe the groups you are leading? What gives your work impact? We have been exploring the myriad of different group coaching approaches in the Advanced Group Coaching Practicum, and what is apparent is the wide variety of approaches of interest for the clients we work with.

As you consider the groups which you are working with, ask yourself:
1. What are the key needs of this group?
2. What supports the group in setting better goals?
3. What supports the group in deepening awareness around issues of importance to them (individually or collectively)?
4. What structures are in place to sustain the conversation and exploration?
5. What is the role of accountability and commitments within this group?
6. What does this group value in terms of approaches? Is it individual reflection? Small group conversation? Lazer coaching? Witnessing? Conversation with a partner? Other?

Have a wonderful week,
Jennifer

Jennifer B|ritton, PCC, BCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Phone: (416)996-8326
Connect with us on Facebook for the A-Z of Team and Group Coaching Activities
Upcoming programs include: Group Coaching Essentials (6.75 CCEs: starts Thurs Sept 13), Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (8 hrs, starts Friday Sept 14), the Mentor Coaching Groups for ACC Renewals and ACC/PCC portfolio (starts Tues Sept 4 and Friday Sept 14)

 

Pre-Program Questions for Corporate Clients

Last week I wrote a post on questions to ask pre-program for clients who are signing up for public programs, or programs that you may be offering. Many of you may be offering group coaching in an organizational context. Today I wanted to share with you some of the pre-program questions I ask to group coaching members when I work in organizations:

1. What do you wan to get out of your involvement with the program?
2. What are your needs and preferences around - delivery? Topic areas? Learning styles?
3. How do you see your participation linking to you - Performance Goals? Role (individually and in your team)? Developmental needs?
4. How will you feed back what you are learning/your insights to your Team? Supervisor? Organization? Life?

Many times it may not be feasible to have a phone conversation prior to the program start, so if we can't meet by phone I will send this by email to participants. As with public programs, designing the coaching agreement is an essential component of any group coaching process. The more you know your clients, their priorities/focus areas, and preferences, the better a program will be. Likewise, pre-program information can help with clarifying and confirming expectations.

For more questions, and additional elements you may want to consider in your work, please check out Chapter 7 of Effective Group Coaching.

Have a terrific week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, PCC
Group Coaching Essentials - next program starts Tuesday October 11th - 6.75 ICF CCEs
Group Coaching Intensive - Toronto - November 5-6 (Saturday/Sunday) - 15 hrs of Training (awaiting renewal of ICF CCEs - 13 hrs Core Competencies, 2 hrs Business Development)
Phone: (416)996-8326

Evaluation Questions - Group Coaching

Earlier this week I posted on the importance of evaluation in the group coaching process, with a couple of coaches emailing me asking "What type of evaluation questions might I want to ask"?

You may wish to ask for feedback on the following (in no particular order)
1. Venue/Bridgeline
2. Ease of Program Registration
3. Materials provided
4. Facilitation/Coaching quality
5. Benefits the clients/participants viewed from the process
6. The most important goal the client has taken action on as a result of the program
7. The most important learning/new insight as a result of their participation
8. What they really found useful (topic/homework assignment)
9. What topics/themes they would add and/or take away
10. Price Point
11. Individualized attention to their needs
12. What they wish they had known before participating in the program...
13. What they know now (knowledge/insights) because of participating in the program
14. Group/Individual Support between sessions
15. Quality of the coaching requests/fieldwork/assignments/inquiries

This is by no means a comprehensive list, and certainly you will not want to ask for feedback on all these areas at once. These are areas you as a coach will want to take a look at and reflect upon in terms of impact and potential improvements each and every time you run a program.

In addition to asking for written feedback, also ask for quantitative (numerical) feedback.

You will also want to ask for testimonials/recommendations from participants to provide prospective clients/participants with real-life feedback and insights from those who are alumni.

As I mentioned earlier this week, there is a lot more on this topic in Chapter 10 of the Effective Group Coaching book and I spend time covering this in the Group Coaching Essentials program.

As a coach, what other areas are you eager to get feedback on? As always, please feel free to email below!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Group Coaching Essentials - New Group starts July 13th (Wednesdays 10:30 - 11:45 am Eastern/New York) - Registration now open. 6.75 CCEs.

Join me on July 14 and 15th in Muskoka, Canada for a 2 day in person Group Coaching Intensive (Holiday Inn Huntsville, ON) program, geared to provide you with tools, and practice in the area of group coaching. We'll also cover evaluation! 15 hours of training, ICF CCES have been applied for (15 hrs - 13 hrs Core Competencies, 2 hrs Biz Development)
Questions? Please feel free to contact me directly at info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Retreat With Me In June (By Phone!)

I will be running two of my popular virtual retreats in June, geared for busy professionals and business owners who are looking to create space, time and focus on issues that are important to them, and their business.

Group Program Development Virtual Retreat (By Phone)
Friday June 3 and 10, 2011 (1-4pm Eastern/New York) both afternoons
Geared for coaches, trainers and others who are looking to develop their own group program (workshop, retreat, teleseminar or group coaching program), this program takes you through a structured series of exercises to move you from program idea to reality over the 6 hours. Each hour we spend 15 minutes by phone as a group, with the remaining time spent working offline on exercises related to the design, marketing and implementation of your own group program. The program includes a Virtual Retreat Manual (which includes all the exercises along with more than a dozen tools/templates), group calls each hour, a group follow up call, and access to me for 1-1 conversation at points throughout the retreat. Space is limited to 8.

Here's what past participants have said about the program:
"Jennifer's program gave me the vision and confidence to develop virtual programs for my clients..Thank you Jennifer, for breaking down the process into doable steps" - Marsha Barnosky
Cost: $175 US

Click here to register or for more information.


Summer 2011 Business Planning Retreat (By Phone)
Friday June 17 and 24, 2011 (1:30-4:30 pm Eastern/New York) both afternoons
Are you a business owner who wants to create dedicated time to focus on planning and ACTION for their business? Join me for a 6 hour Virtual Business Planning Retreat where our focus will be on what you want to create and take action on for the rest of 2011 and into 2012. The retreat includes a series of short group discussions, and structured exercises taken offline to reflect and TAKE ACTION on your business goals and priorities. I'll be bringing in some of my favorite tools from the 90 Day BizSuccess Program, including time management, business vision, social media and more!
Business owners are encouraged to identify one key area/project they want to really make headway around over the two afternoons. There will also be some time and space for discussion on areas important for you.. Retreat registration includes a Virtual Manual, the series of group calls, a group follow up call after the retreat, and a comprehensive reading list.

Cost: $175 US. Space is limited to 8 business owners.

Click here for more information and to register.

I look forward to having you join us!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program and the 90 Day BizSuccess Program
Phone: 416.996.TEAM
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Integrating Nature into Your Programs

With spring on the doorstep (or even having arrived) for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a wonderful time of year to start thinking about how you can integrate nature into your programs. Whether you are running in person programs, or even phone based programs, consider how you can get group members engaged with the outdoors.

Here are some quick ideas about how you may wish to incorporate nature/the outdoors into your next workshop, retreat, group coaching program:

1. Build time in during the program for participants to actually go outside. You may have them journal on a specific question related to the topic you are working on, or have them walk around and really be "present" or notice the envionment they are surrounded with. If you are undertaking a phone based program be specific on how much time people have "offline" and get them to set an alarm as a reminder to call back in.
2. As part of your closure, have participants undertake a silent walk through their surroundings, taking note of the lessons they have learned throughout the program. You may also wish to have them "bring back" a natural item which represents their learning or Who they have become.
3. As Pre-work or home/field work - Create a structured exercise, or a reflective exercise, for participants to take outdoors.

Consider how much time you have actually spent experiencing the outdoors. This can be a wonderful exercise for us as facilitators to undertake as well. You may wish to use the quiet time to reflect on your learning and how you are finding the program.

What steps will you take in the coming weeks to integrate nature more into your programs?

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CHRP
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Next Group Coaching Essentials programs start on May 10 (Tues 7-8:15 pm ET) and May 19 (Thursdays 12 - 1:15 pm ET) - 6.75 CCEs with the ICF. Spaces are still avaiable: http://bit.ly/9Q7oSc

Group Coaching By Phone - 4 Things to Keep in Mind

Throughout the Group Coaching Essentials program I often get questions from coaches who are designing their own group coaching programs which they are going to deliver by phone. There are some important considerations when designing and delivering phone based group coaching. Keep the following in mind next time you are creating your own phone based program:

1. Consider what is the best use of your phone based time. Really consider how much time you have with a group and if some of your exercises may be better as pre-work, so that you can have sufficient time for updates, coaching and discussion around the key themes you are working on each session. I continue to encourage coaches to consider in their design how they can create meaningful work for their group clients to engage in between sessions. Remember the impact of coaching really happens between the calls.
b
2. Check in with group members regularly - Research continues to point to the importance of engaging virtual audiences every 5-7 minutes. This may include asking the group to write down a response to a question, hearing from all or selected members of a group, or engaging the group in an exercise. You may wish to refer to some of the posts I've written about engaging your audiences here.

3. Carefully consider your numbers of participants - A purer group coaching approach leverages the smallness and intimacy of a group. To facilitate the flow and sharing amongst group members many coaches opt to keep the numbers in their phone based group sessions on the smaller side - say between 4-8 group members. Even for experienced coaches like myself, I prefer the intimacy and connectivity with these smaller groups.

4. Consider both the benefits and drawbacks of phone based programs and what adaptations you may need to make.
Phone based programs have the benefits of:
- Real time participation without the time and expense of travel (for you and participants)
- Ability to bring together groups across distance, time and geography
- Low, or no overhead cost

Some of the drawbacks can include
- Not being able to "see" each other
- The wandering eyes, and minds, of group members (i.e. multi-tasking)
- Technology challenges

These are just a few of the pros and cons to phone based programs. What this do you want to put into place to address these?

Have a terrific week!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, PCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching: http://bit.ly/dAlgf3
Group Coaching Essentials program starts on Jan 25, Feb 8 and 17 (6.75 CCEs with the ICF)
Group Coaching Intensive - Toronto: April 2-3, 2011

Group Coaching: What's Your Focus?

Coaches often ask What Type of Group Coaching programs can I offer? It's great to see that group coaching continues to expand in how it is being offered (in person, phone, web and some skype). Expansion also continues with the core themes or topics coaches are coaching around. As I look at the coaches who have participated in the Group Coaching Essentials program this year, there has been tremendous diversity of client groups that they work with.

Here's a sample of some of the focus areas coaches have been identifying for group coaching:
- work-life balance issues,
- new entrepreneurs,
- new managers in the onboarding process,
- professionals at different stages of career transition,
- group coaching for new dads, new moms, college students, financial professionals, nursing and health care professionals, retirees...
The list does go on and on.

In identifying your group coaching area, or possibilities, consider the following questions:

• Who would I like to be offering this program to?
• What topics/themes/questions are really important for them?
• The biggest question they want answered is?
• The resources they are looking for are?
• The type of support they want is....
• What do I know aout the needs of this group already?
• How can I find out more?
• What other programs exist to support them (group coaching, individual coaching, other training programs etc)?
• Who else is doing work in this area? How is what I want to offer similiar? Different?
• To move my ideas into action this week, I will....

I hope that these questions will provoke some of your thoughts.

What are you going to focus on?

Have a terrific week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching
Group Coaching Essentials - accredited for 6.75 CCEs by the ICF. New start dates November 2nd, 16th and 30th.


PS - I am looking forward to connecting with many of you on Friday at 9 am ET at the Global Coach Conference where I will be speaking about 5 Keys to Successful Virtual Programs. See you there!

Group Coaching Program Materials

I often get asked what type of materials should I have on hand, or prepare, for my group coaching program? The level of structure, and materials, will often rest on your own style and preferences, and of course, the preferences, and expecations of your participants. Throughout the Group Coaching Essentials program I spend quite a bit of time working with coaches to get clear on what will really benefit their clients.

Some questions you may want to consider are:

• What do you know about what your clients expect and want?


• Are they really visually oriented? Is it important to provide them with materials they can follow (refer to my many posts here which stress the importance of providing a takeaway, and the reminder that about 60% of adult learners do have a preference for visual learning/support)


• Do your clients appreciate handouts and takeaways, or would they want something sent electronically (before or after the session)?


• The materials you provide may differ between in-person programs versus phone or web based programs. What will be important for you to provide for these different modalities if you are running a similar program.

I go into greater depth in my book, Effective Group Coaching, some of the different materials considerations you will want to take into account for in-person and virtual environments.

Take a look at your current materials, or plans for materials. What's the one thing that will boost the impact of these for your next program?

Have a great start to the week,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, CPT

Group Coaching Essentials - next program starts Monday June 7th (12 - 1:15 pm ET)- Space still remains. Accredited for 6.75 CCEs with the ICF.

Join me Friday May 7 and 14 for a Virtual Retreat

Do you have plans to launch a workshop, retreat or group coaching program this spring or summer but haven't sat down yet to focus on getting it into the works?

Join me on Friday May 7 and 14th from 1-4 pm ET each afternoon for the Group Program Design Virtual Intensive, a 6 hour program designed to support you to get focused and into action around designin and marketing your next group program.

Each hour of the program provides you with structured exercises to undertake to move you forward with your program ideas - vision, design, marketing and exercises. We spend 15 minutes of every hour on the phone as a group, and then 45 minutes working indivdually through the execises provided at our own offices offline.

In the past coaches have left the program having:

* Clarified their vision for their program;

* Completed their program session formats;

* Researched into exercises they want to incorporate:

* Identified marketing sources;

* Drafted marketing materials - websites, blog posts, announcements

* Identified and booked their venues

The list of possibilities for what you can accomplish is endless, as the focus of the day is on getting YOU FOCUSED on what you want to create.

The program is a steal at $150 US which includes the 6 hours of calls, the Virtual Intensive e-manual which includes all exercises, as well as a group call a few weeks after the retreat.

You can find out more information about the program here, as well as register there.

I look forward to having you join me!

Warm regards,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC

Group Coaching Essentials

Author of Effective Group Coaching

Phone: 416.996.TEAM (8326)

Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Taking Stock of 2008 and Planning for 2009

I hope that you are having a wonderful holiday season and are finding the time to do those things you love to do.

Every year at this time, I encourage my newsletter subscribers to carve out some time to do some year end reflection, and new year planning. Give yourself the gift of 15 minutes of quiet reflection time over the next week or so to look at where you have been and where you want to go.

To support you in this process here are some of the questions I'm posing this year:

What was your greatest success as a business owner this year?
What was your greatest step forward this year with group work?
What did you become known for this year?
Where do you want to shine more light?

Looking Ahead to 2009:
What (and who) do you want to be known for during 2009?
What is a STRETCH Goal for you for 2009?
What work do you want to continue doing? Why?
What work do you want to stop doing? Why?
What work do you want more of? Why?
What do you need to say no to? Why?
What's going to be your primary FOCUS this year?
What 1% change will you commit to in the early part of the new year?

I hope that you will have a terrific start to 2009!

Warm wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Potentials Realized
Phone: (416) 996-TEAM (8326)

Group Facilitation Tip: Quick and Dirty Evaluation

Quick and Dirty Evaluation
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton. All Rights Reserved.

Evaluation is an often overlooked component of any group program. How do you evaluate your workshop, retreat or group coaching program?

Evaluation plays a key role in any group program, and can provide the following information:
1. What idd the participants like about the program?
2. What did participants learn from the program?
3. What changes may need to be made before the program is run again?
4. What is the value or benefits of the program?

If you are not yet familiar with the work of Donald Kirkpatrick, often called the Grandfather of Evaluation, I would suggest you check out his book " Evaluating Training Programs". This is seminal work in the area of workplace learning and development. His four levels to evaluation are:
1. Reaction - What were participant's reaction to the program? Did they like it?
2. Learning - What did participants learn from the program? Often measured pre and post program.
3. Behavior - How did participants' on the job behavior change due to the training?
4. Results - What business results were obtained due to the changes in participants' behavior on the job?

Many of you will also be familiar with a fifth level of evaluation - Return on Investment - ROI developed by Jack J. Phillips. This month's Performance Improvement Journal has a wonderful article by Jack on Measuring the ROI of a Coaching Intervention. An interesting read.

At minimum, whether I am running a full blown group program, or even offering a one-hour speech, I ask participants three questions:

1. What worked well?
2. What did you take away?
3. What should we do differently next time?

I hope that you will try out these questions with your next group. What impact did they have on your learning?

Have a wonderful week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, CHRP
Group Coaching Essentials
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Having essence infuse your group program development

I've been developing two new retreats for 2008 with colleagues in the last few months. One of my biggest lessons learned from this is process the realization of what an impact defining the essence you want for your program can have.

Both retreat programs I am working on right now are targeted to couples and as such draw on very similar concepts and exercises, yet have a very different feel. Last night we had a major breakthough with one of the retreats when we decided to look at the question: "What's the essence we want to create in this program? How is it different than other programs?"

To help us get really clear on what we wanted to create, we asked questions like:
* What's the energy we want to create?
* What's the ambiance?
* What colours come to mind with the program?
* What are some of the metaphors which would represent the program?
* What's the feel we want to create?

Keep in mind that we had already drafted the program and objectives. By getting really clear last night on the essence we wanted to create, it gave us a new strategic focus and made it really easy to start developing our marketing message. I have no doubt that the work we did last night is going to shorten a lot of processes in lead up to these programs, as well as help keep us grounded to what we want to create.

What's been your experience in coming from a place of defining your essence for a program in addition to defining your content? What results have you seen? I'd love to hear about your experience and any other questions you might want to add.

Have a great week!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Group Coaching Essentials
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Knowing Your Client

As I have posted before (see Jan 15th post - Group Coaching Client Assessment now available), Knowing your Client, is a key component of group coaching program success - for both implementation, marketing, and impact.

Whenever you are looking to develop a group coaching program, one of the primary considerations should be "What will these clients want?". This will influence everything from program design, to how and where it is delivered (venue/phone/in person), how you approach the marketing, what topics are covered etc.

In the training realm, we call this Needs Assessment, which according to most Instructional Designers should comprise about 15-20% of your total program time. How much time do you spend thinking about Knowing Your Client (TM) when developing a group program? What has the impact been when you really knew your client?

The Group Coaching Client Assessment (TM) is still available at no charge for coaches who want a structure to further define their group coaching client base. Feel free to email me at jennifer[at] potentialsrealized [dot] com to request your copy.

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Web: http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com and www.potentialsrealized.com
Toll free: 1-866-217-1960