Less Is Definitely More

Time and time again through my own programs, and hearing about coaches and trainers speak about theirs, I am reminded that Less is Definitely More when it comes to group coaching or any other type of group program. Back in March I wrote about the 80/20 rule , which I wanted to resurrect again (unfortunately due to Blogger's capabilities it is now buried in the archives).

In short, the 80/20 rule encourages you to take a look at your overall content for a group coaching program, and to carve out and put aside at least 20% of your content. This material can become part of a follow-up program for that group of participants, or part of another product (for example, an e-course or a retreat program).

Think back to recent group programs you have run. Where would you rate your amount of content? Too much, too little, just right? What's the impact on the group when you have too much content? Overwhelm? Lack of time to really dig into the topics? Lack of engagement because too much is being covered?

My request this week is to ask you to take a look at what you are going to cover in an upcoming program. Apply the 80/20 rule and see what the impact is on the group you are working with! I'd love to hear your experience with the 80/20 rule - feel free to comment.

Warmly,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Web: www.groupcoachingessentials.com
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com

The next Group Coaching Essentials program starts in a few weeks! We will be meeting on Thursdays from 10:45 - 12 noon (EST) on November 9, 16, 23, 30th. This will be the last program for the year. Are you ready to launch your group coaching programs in January? Reserve your spot today.

The Engaging Exercises for Teams and Groups Manual

It is hard to believe how quickly a year flies! Eighteen months ago, I launched the Engaging Exercises for Teams and Groups Manual. It is designed to support coaches, trainers and other professionals who work with teams and groups.

The 60 page manual, available in both Electronic and Binder Copy Editions, includes twenty-five participatory and engaging exercises to use with teams and groups during workshops or retreats. Many of these exercises can also be used for your participants in group coaching programs. Exercises include Values, My Vison, Partner Introductions, and Next Steps.

The manual is divided into five sections:

• an introductory section with information on group process, why activities are important;
• icebreakers and activities to start off sessions;
• exercises you can to use at any time;
• closure activities;
• and a comprehensive resource section.

The resource section includes a workshop planning checklist, a workshop planning matrix, a workshop design matrix and the workshop design template, along with many other resources.

Until November 15th you can order the electronic copy of the Engaging Exercises for Teams and Groups Manual and save 20%. Regularly priced at $24.95 USD/26.95 Canadian the special pricing is $19.95US or $21.50 Cdn. The manual will be sent to you via PDF file. Payments are accepted by Visa, and orders can be placed by sending an email to: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com or by calling us toll free at 1-866-217-1960. Faxed orders can be sent to 1-866-217-1960.

This is a perfect addition to your group program library. For more information please visit Group Coaching Essentials or the Potentials Realized website for an overview of the manual, or download an order form here.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
www.groupcoachingessentials.com www.potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Phone: 416-491-9680

More resources for group work

I must admit that I didn't get back with my promised posting last week -- it seems as though just as quickly as the leaves are starting to fall from the trees, a number of new corporate and group clients are starting to arrive at my doorstep. Isn't it amazing how the metaphor of seasonal change can bring so much richness?

I received a wonderful new book on games last week from ASTD (www.astd.org). I often speak to coaches about what a great resource ASTD is (as is CSTD - the Canadian Society for Training and Development). If you are looking for resources and information on learning and development, and working with teams and groups, ASTD is an organization you must connect with. The have fantastic chapters across the US that you can get involved with, as well as a strong international network. Their annual international conference (usually held in May/June) is chock full of information. They also hold an annual E-Learning Conference - TechKnowledge in the early part of the year. Their early bird registration deadline is coming up soon, so if E-learning is an area you want to start to play in and prehaps Las Vegas is a place you want to visit, you may want to consider attending the TechKnowledge conference. I attended back in 2003 and took away some amazing new knowledge and skills.

Steve Sugar and Jennifer Whitcomb have put out a great new book called Training Games which includes a lot of how tos, some exercises and a lot of information on how to select the right exercise or game for different groups. You can check it out further at ASTD's online store: http://store.astd.org. Special discounts apply for ASTD members (and if you aren't one yet, it's a great investment).

One of the topics I speak alot about is the skill sets needed by group coaches. As trained coaches to do 1-1 work we already bring a great toolkit and have many, many tools to use in group contexts. However, I do believe that anyone working with groups as a coach should also have a solid understanding in group development, group facilitation skills, and knowledge of adult and experiential education principles. If you are looking to add these skills and knowledge, or brush up on them, consider some of the programs and conferences held by ASTD.

On the topic of conferences, we are less than a month away from the ICF Conference in St. Louis (November 1-4). I am so looking forward to seeing so many friends and colleagues in person, many of whom I will finally be putting a face to a voice. Will you be there? I'd love to hear if you will be there and would love to connect in person!

Warmly,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com and www.potentialsrealized.com
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com

Amazing Resource for Group Activities and Exercises: Wilderdom.com

Keeping in the theme of powerful and engaging exercises for small groups, I wanted to share a great link with you to Wilderdom - www.wilderdom.com. If you are looking for some free resources to incorporate into your next program check out their index of group activities at www.wilderdom.com/games. There is also great information about outdoor and experiential education, as well as quotes on inspiration, life and wilderness.

As a former outdoor and experiential educator myself, I was so pleased to come across this fantastic site which originates from James Neill in Australia. Thank you James for putting this amazing body of work together.

Enjoy checking out the site! I'll be back later this week with more on games, and a special offer on my Engaging Exercises for Teams and Groups Manual.

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton ~ Potentials Realized
Web: www.groupcoachingessentials.com and www.potentialsrealized.com
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

A few spaces still remain for the next Group Coaching Essentials program which starts next Tuesday October 3rd at 10:45 - 12 noon(EST). The dates for the program are: Oct. 3, 17, 24 and 31st (note a slight change to originally published dates as a client has booked me to run an all day retreat on the 10th).

You'll participate in 5 x 75 minute teleseminars on the HOW TOs for developing and marketing your group coaching programs. You'll also receive a 70 page manual, full of information, resources and links to support you in your program development, marketing and implementation. In addition, all participants can access me for 1-1 meetings throughout the course of the program at no extra charge. The cost for the program is $225 USD.

This program is hands-on and interactive - space is limited to 8 coaches. Click here for an overview of the program. Downloadable registration forms are available here. Please email or phone to reserve your spot. I look forward to serving you!

Exercises for Group Programs - The Importance of Closure

Closure for Group Programs
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT - Potentials Realized
Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved

Closure is an important part of any group program, even though it may be the first thing that is cut out when programs are running a little long. Effective closure activities can serve many purposes including, creating:

1. A framework for participants to identify:

• What they have learned from the program
• What they will take away in terms of learning, new perspectives/insights etc
• How they will apply their new learning into their daily life - at work or home

2. A forum for participants to create an action plan to reinforce the learning that they have undertaken during the course of the program. How will the participants be "bringing the learning home" to their real lives?

3. An opportunity to reflect upon the learning journey in the context of the program

4. An opportunity for celebration and to give thanks

What type of closure activities do you use in your programs? Is this the first thing that gets cut off when time is running short?

Here a couple of ideas for your next program:

1. Develop an action plan handout (or at the end of a participants notebook/manual) which has participants make commitments as to specific actions they are going to undertake.

2. Learning Partners - Have participants pair up with another/or two other participants to discuss their major learning throughout the program. Provide each group with two or three structured questions they can discuss. have them contact each other by email/phone/in person one month after the program to discusss how their learning has impacted their work/life. Get each group to contact you with a summary of the results. Allot sufficient time for each group to meet, get to know each other and design how and when they will reconnect.

3. Closure Circle - Have each participant share with the group the one most important learning point for them and how they are going to integrate this in their daily life and work.

4. Nature Walk and Closure - To add a creative twist, allow participants 5 - 10 minutes to do a silent walk in the surrounding environment (if venue permits) and have them select a piece of nature which they bring back into the program (i.e. stone/flower/leaf). Participants can close with a discussion of what they have chosen in the closure circle format. A neat thing about it is that participants can take this object home with them as a reminder of their learning and commitments.

I hope that you will try some of these out in your upcoming programs. If you do, I'd love to hear how it went.

Jennifer J. Britton - Potentials Realized (http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com and http://www.potentialsrealized.com)

Jennifer J. Britton has been faciltiating group programs (workshops, retreats and group coaching) since 1988. Her work with teams and groups has taken her around the world, and she has faciltiated programs in over 14 countries. Jennifer is the founder of Potentials Realized, a coaching, training and consulting firm, and works with corporate and group clients in the areas of teamwork, leadership and enhanced business results. She is the author of the Engaging Exercises for Teams and Groups Manual, and also a co-author of Starting Your Own Business - A Guide for Women in York Region.

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7 Success Strategies for Your Group Programs

Over the weekend I was one of nine presenters at the ICF-GTA Fall Conference (International Coach Federation - Greater Toronto Area Chapter) and spoke about "7 Success Strategies for Your Group Programs".

There was a great turnout at an enriching and powerful day of learning, sharing and building community. The coaching community in Toronto continues to grow vibrantly (there were about 100 coaches at the one day event), and it was very encouraging how many coaches are considering expanding their skills into the area of group programs. I hope that I can act as a resource for you in your journey - through this blog, and also my individual and group programs.

If you weren't able to join me over the weekend in Toronto to hear about 7 Success Strategies for Your Group programs, I will be offering a call on this topic in the near future. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I want to leave you with a question -- "If you knew that you would be amazingly successful - what group program would you offer right now?". I'd love to hear your comments...please post them!

Have an amazingly creative and rewarding week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials Web: www.groupcoachingessentials.com
Potentials Realized Web: www.potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

October's Group Coaching Essentials program starts on October 3rd - Tuesdays 10:45 - 12 noon (EST), meeting on October 3, 10, 17, 24 and for a follow-up call in November/December. Move your group coaching program vision into action!

Exercises for Group Programs - Icebreakers

Affectionately known as "icebreakers", these are activities used at the start of a group program - whether it is a workshop, retreat or group coaching program. Icebreakers are important for many reasons. First, they help to set the tone of a program, while allowing participants to get to know each other. Icebreakers, when chosen effectively, can help to reduce the anxiety participants arrive at a program with. As we know, anxiety is a blockage to learning, so reducing anxiety for adult learners is an important concept.

There are literally millions of icebreakers out there, in print and on the web. As I have asked in previous posts, what exercises do you have available at your disposal? Is it time to update some of your icebreaker activities? Spend some time adding to your list of exercises at your disposal.

As a group coach, introductory exercises (icebreakers) can be very powerful in starting to create the environment of trust between group coaching participants, while setting the stage for whatever topics the coaching revolves around (for example, work-life balance, values, business vision, career transition, leadership -- these are all areas I often run group coaching programs on). When you are looking at designing your next group coaching program, think about what exercises might be great at setting the stage for your work together.

In my next post, I'll share with you one of my favorite icebreakers from my toolkit, so stay tuned!

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

Have you checked out our upcoming programs for the fall? There is a wide variety of teleseminars, in person intensive programs, and virtual retreats that I will be offering over the coming months. I know that they would be useful in supporting you with your work with teams and groups. Check out our upcoming events listing at www.groupcoachingessentials.com/pages/upcoming-events and register. Spaces are limited for all programs, so reserve yours today!