Group Coaching Core Essentials - 4 of 18 - What Coaching Is and What Coaching Isn't

Welcome back to our fourth of eighteen Group Coaching Core Essentials. This week’s focus is on the

principle of “Ensure that your (potential) clients clearly understand what group coaching is, and what group coaching isn’t”.

Practically, you will want to:

·       Discuss the program’s structure

·       What participants can expect (and not)

·       Co-design what the program’s overall objectives are

A key part of this conversation is helping clients understand that group (or team) coaching is not training, facilitation or other development modality. As I introduced back in Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2009), the group program continuum explores these nuances. Refer to chapter 2 and 3 of the book.

The more recent ICF Team Coaching Competencies has built upon this idea, presenting Team Coaching across the continuum of Team Building, Team Training and Team Mentoring.

Another part of this conversation is exploring the philosophies of coaching. Elements such as:

•  The role of the client and role of the coach – how does the client own the process?
  
• What partnering means
•  How client agendas are created and what the balance between individual and group focus is
• How clients are Creative, Resourceful and Whole in the coaching process and they have the answers themselves.

Exploration of this topic of what coaching is, and what coaching isn’t can take the shape of an email, a short video and/or a discussion as part of your kick off together. Recently I recorded a 7 minute video for a client team, bringing to life what was also reinforced in writing.

 

Activity this week:

Draft out your key messaging of how you want to describe the work  you do, and what “coaching is, and what coaching isn’t”.

What are the elements which participants can expect in your work? What can they not?

What are the key components of the work you are doing – consider group calls, individual touch points, the role of action, awareness and accountability

What format do you want this to take? Email, video etc?

 

With best wishes,

Jennifer

 

Jennifer Britton - Group Coaching Essentials | Effective Virtual Conversations | Potentials Realized
Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder (for coaches)

Want to know what's new? Looking for remote and hybrid resources - Pick up a copy of the  Reconnecting Workspaces book or the 90-Day Guide for Success. Instagram: @ReconnectingWorkspaces

Build out your skills, toolkit and mastery in coaching in the remote and hybrid space with the Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach training (24 CCES). Or join us for one of our other ICF CCE approved programs:

Group Coaching Essentials (8.75 CCEs) - starts Tuesday June 7th, with an accelerated 4 session program in June. July dates are now set for Tuesdays 1015 - 1130 am ET: July 12, 19, 26, August 9 and 16, 2022

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs) - next starts on Monday June 11th at 830 am ET, running July 11, 18, 26, August 1 and 8 (830 - 10 am ET for 5 Weeks)

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs): Tuesdays 830 - 10 am ET: June 14, 21, 28, July 12 and 19 2022

Also 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.

Group Coaching Core Essentials - 3 of 18: Program Goals

 

This week we continue to discuss goal setting, focusing on program goals.  Goals are at the heart of any group coaching process. They are an important anchor in helping individual group members create their own roadmap moving forward.

 

Participants joining your group should be fully aware of your program structure, what they can expect, and overall group goals. 

 

As a group coach, you must identify and share the outcomes your participants can expect from participating in various touchpoints, including presales, before the first session, and throughout the program. Clarity of goals ensures compatibility of the coach with the participant in the program; furthermore, supporting the right blend of people coming together and, as a result, group cohesiveness. 

 

Be mindful, however, that your participants own the direction, pace, and overall journey, including the learning (agenda of the sessions). Your role is to continually assess the program’s impact from the participant’s angle. 

 

Principle – Make sure program goals are clear.

 

Action: Discuss the program’s structure, what participants can expect, and the program’s overall objectives. 

 

This week consider how you are supporting goal setting and accountability in your programming. Consider reviewing:

 

* What are the top three goals of your group coaching program?

 

* What important information must you share with potential participants to support a powerful “yes”? 

 

* What documents, websites, etc., need updating to ensure your participants know what they are signing up for? 

 

* What (if any) changes must you make to ensure your program structure aligns with your program goals? 

 

*What can your clients expect from your program, and what structure do you have to ensure they know? 

 

* What accountability structures can you add to ensure your participants fulfill program goals? 

 

* What is the best way to communicate my program goals to attract the right people to my program

 

As you consider setting goals within your groups, don’t forget to use a One Page Plan!

 

Enjoy the conversation,

Evana and Jennifer

Today's blog post was written by Evana Valle who is the current Team Lead for Group Coaching at Potentials Realized. Join Jenn and Evana for our upcoming Group Coaching Essentials programs (next Accelerated June 2022 session starts on June 7th - Tuesdays and Thursdays running for 2 weeks), or the Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (Tuesdays 830 - 10 am ET - 10 CCEs)

Group Coaching Core Essentials - 2 of 18 : Individual and Collective Goals

Goals are at the heart of any coaching process. Our strong focus on support of the goals as set by our clients is what makes group coaching different than other modalities.

What are the ways you are working with goals in your programs? Are you spending time at the start of calls checking in on the progress people are making in their own pathways? Are you checking in at the end of recordings regarding what progress is being made towards individual and collective goals?

The balance between the focus of individual goals and collective or group goals can be different from program to program. Within some groups there may be meta collective goals like “Becoming a better leader” and then individual goals below this, for example, some members may want to focus on enhancing their presentation skills, while others may want to get better at managing relationships.

One technique that coaches may want to incorporate is the creation of a One Page Plan as part of the early field work in the program where individuals are able to articulate their own goals. Consider how these are shared in between conversations so group members can consider peer support.

Principle – Identify and add systems in your program to ensure group and individual goal alignment

Action: Ensure program and sessions fulfil their promise which making certain participant and group goals are focused on

This week consider how you are supporting goal setting and accountability in your programming. Consider

*  What space and structures are you using to create space and time for individual group members to identify and articulate their own goals?

* What pause points are you creating across the coaching process to create milestone marker?

* What are you doing as a group to provide the opportunity for individual group members to share their goals with each other?

*  What are you doing to celebrate goal achievement?

* What are you doing to use goals as a way to support ROI (Return on Investment)?

For more on the One Page Plan take a look at this earlier blog post - http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-power-of-one-page-plan.html

 Or work on your own One Page Plan as part of the Coaching Business Builder Book - Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner: Putting the Pieces Together: Britton, Jennifer J.: 9780993791536: Books: Amazon.com

 Enjoy the conversation!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Group Coaching Essentials | Effective Virtual Conversations | Potentials Realized
Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder (for coaches)

Want to know what's new? Looking for remote and hybrid resources - Pick up a copy of the  Reconnecting Workspaces book or the 90-Day Guide for Success. Instagram: @ReconnectingWorkspaces

Build out your skills, toolkit and mastery in coaching in the remote and hybrid space with the Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach training (24 CCES). Or join us for one of our other ICF CCE approved programs:

Group Coaching Essentials (8.75 CCEs) - next starts on Friday May 13th at 1015 am ET

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs) - next starts on Monday May 16th at 130 pm ET

Also 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.

Group Coaching Core Essentials - 1 of 18: Clients at the heart of great programming

Recently, as part of our 18^th anniversary celebrations here at Potentials Realized, we pulled together some new quick resource guides for coaches and leaders in our core areas of business – group coaching, team coaching, and remote and hybrid work.

Here at the Group Coaching Ins and outs blog we’ll be taking a regular (i.e. weekly) dive into our new one-page checklist for Group Coaching, by exploring each of the 18 Core Group Coaching Essentials weekly. If you don’t have a copy of the resource, you can access it here. It includes 18 core areas to support you in designing, running and marketing your group coaching work.

Principle #1 starts with our clients, who always are at the heart of great programming as a coach. 

Principle: Create group programs based on the needs and preferences of your participants.

Action: Consider how your clients impact marketing strategies, delivery methods, the duration of your program as well as the program topic.

Co-designing with participants is at the heart of great group coaching work. It’s important to really get to know WHO you are designing for as their needs will dictate whether your group is meeting weekly for a quarter, daily for a month, or bi-weekly for a year.

What do you notice about the needs of your clients?

In the Group Coaching Essentials program we take a deeper dive into learning more about client needs, in a couple of different ways. One is an interactive method we use during our GEC calls (often rated as one of the favorite activities of the program!), and another in the Group Coaching Client Assessment form. Check that out here.

Activity this week:

Thinking about your ideal client, paint a more detailed picture by asking these questions:

·       What is the cadence and rhythm people want with your programming?

·       What goals are your ideal clients working towards?

·       What accountability support are clients wanting?

·       What else is important to note about your clients and their needs and preferences?

Enjoy the conversation, and consider joining us for the next Group Coaching Essentials program to shape a program catered to your clients needs.

With best wishes,

Jennifer

****************

Jennifer Britton - Group Coaching Essentials | Effective Virtual Conversations | Potentials Realized
Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder (for coaches)

Want to know what's new? Looking for remote and hybrid resources - Pick up a copy of the  Reconnecting Workspaces book or the 90-Day Guide for Success. Instagram: @ReconnectingWorkspaces

Build out your skills, toolkit and mastery in coaching in the remote and hybrid space with the Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach training (24 CCES). Or join us for one of our other ICF CCE approved programs:

Also 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.