Part of my Q4 creative project was to launch the new daily Coaching Shorts ™ video series on YouTube. These are quick 60 second or less videos to support you as a group or team coaching, providing you with a quick daily soundbyte around core topics like coaching competencies, coaching tools or frameworks.

In the last 33 days I've covered a range of topics from:

Why I do what I do - https://youtube.com/shorts/-jixCmcaDQo?feature=share

to Metaphor - https://youtube.com/shorts/i12r1VDytEg?feature=share 

Scaling the Coaching Conversation - https://youtube.com/shorts/i12r1VDytEg?feature=share

 Coaching Agreements - https://youtube.com/shorts/rEfqB5bZXik?feature=share

Pre-calls - https://youtube.com/shorts/IFfCCNgIumM?feature=share

To the Six Layers of Connection we can activate in group and team coaching - https://youtube.com/shorts/Wlxmq0gcW7A?feature=share 

 I also got to take you on the road with me to Barbados as I returned to my second home in the Caribbean last week to support family members. See what I had to say about my roots as a coach in Day 19 of the Coaching Shorts series - https://youtube.com/shorts/ZcIQCAvnI3M?feature=share

Enjoy!

Jennifer

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

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Join us for an upcoming program including: 

Team Coaching Essentials - this foundational program is geared for coaches who want to add team coaching to their mix. It is a practical "let's get going" practitioner program of 6 weeks and 14 CCEs. Next session will be led by Jennifer starting Monday November 6th at 12 noon ET. 3 spots open. Reserve your spot.

Neuroscience, Learning and Experiential Processes for Group and Team Coaching - NEW  -- a 2 day offering will be part of our year-end celebrations

Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us for the final program of the year in the December accelerated program. https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html.  With Evana

Mentor Coaching Group - Fridays 9- 10 am ET starting November 8th running to February 9th with Jennifer for ACC renewals and PCC. Join us for this 10 hour program to sharpen your skills as a team coach. With Jennifer

   

Establishing Ground Rules and Ways of Working

Leaning on ICF's core competency category, "Co-Creating the Relationship," it's crucial for you, the coach, to consider how you will establish and maintain agreements and integrate this in the design of your group programs. 

One of the ways to do this is through ground rules or Ways of Working (WOW). Similar to individual coaching, in group programs, both the Coach and the participants create this agreement, so it is mutually honoring the needs of both the group members and the Coach. 

There are various names for agreements, including "Ground rules," Rules of Engagement, Rules of the road, or even Ways of Working. 

Co-Creating Agreements and Expectations for the group coaching process is a critical step for success. As we illustrated in one of our recent Group Coaching DEMOS, you might use a whiteboard, chat or even verbally go round to hear from everyone about "what is going to make the conversation zone a positive space".

It is important to allocate time fair time in your first session to allow all group members (and you, the Coach) to establish what each person needs and, in turn, have a group consensus. Doing so will create:

• Group ownership, in turn, increases group engagement.
• A container of trust, safety, and connection, making participants open to exploring potentially sensitive topics and expressing their insights and challenges with the group over time. 
• Group cohesion, allowing participants to learn and grow from one another
• Less tricky issues to navigate with difficult personalities in the group. 
• Space for the group to get acquainted with individual needs for program success and fulfilling the forming stage of Tuckman's model of group dynamics.

Possible next steps:

1. Review the ICF core competency category "Co-creating the Relationship" and identify action steps you can take to ensure your group programs align with ICF.
2. Join an upcoming Group Coaching Essentials program to learn best practices for Establishing group agreements in design and delivery. Click here to see upcoming programs: https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html
3. Take a deeper dive into learning and practicing group and team coaching this summer at the 2 Day In Person Group and Team Coaching Intensive running July 27 and 28 in beautiful Bracebridge, Ontario. Join Jennifer in person for this return on an annual summer favorite. Early Bird rate on until end of June. Space is limited to 10.

 Enjoy the conversations and we hope that you will join us this summer! 

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

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Join us for an upcoming program including: 

The Group and Team Coaching Intensive - 2 days of in-person training around group and team coaching with Jennifer Britton in beautiful Bracebridge, Ontario, CANADA. Space limited - 7 spots open. Early Bird rate on until end of June 2023.

Neuroscience, Learning and Experiential Processes for Group and Team Coaching - NEW - Join us Mondays at 130 pm ET starting June 6th - With Jennifer (6 weeks)

Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us in July starting July 14th (Fridays 1015 - 1130 am ET) - 5 weeks:  https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html. 

Coaching Diverse Teams and Groups using the Work Styles - Tuesdays 645 - 8 am ET: June 20, 27, July 11, 18, 25, August 2 (14 CCEs) - Widen your toolkit for working with diverse styles in teams and groups in this 6 week program based on the Hybrid Work Styles. WE also explore Coaching for Creativity and Innovation. This is course 5 in the 70 hour Certificate in Team Coaching Program.

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Tuesdays Starting June 20th (6 weeks)

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Starts Monday July 10th (Mondays 12 - 130pm ET). Being asked to coach teams OR Want to work towards your ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)? 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.

ACTIVATE your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs) - Two days in person August 8 and 9 in Barrie, Ontario

Coaching Supervision Group (Small group format) - NEW COHORT - Mondays 9 - 1030 am ET:  Next call June 12, July, August and September 11 OR Thursdays 1st week of the month - 12 - 130pm ET.  book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

   

D-Differences between Group and Team Coaching     

Copyright 2023 - Potentials Realized

Although there are many similarities between group and team coaching, many coaches and organizations, for that matter, often have some questions about what makes them different. This post intends to address these questions. 

Let’s start with definitions of both:

Jennifer Britton defines team coaching as “A sustained series of conversations, supported by core coaching skills. The focus is on goal setting, deepening awareness, supporting action, and creating accountability. The focus of the coaching may be on the team as a system and/or strengthening individuals within the team. Team coaching links back to business goals, focusing on results and relationships.” (Britton, 2013 - From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching)

Furthermore, Jennifer shares that Group coaching is the “application of coaching principles to a small group for the purpose of personal or professional development, the achievement of goals, or greater awareness, along thematic or non-thematic lines.” (Britton, 2009 - Effective Group Coaching)

Although they are a common foundational skillset in design, marketing, and implementation, the main differences are the role of relationships, the role of leadership, the lifecycle of the group, and what may be at stake.

 Context

In a team coaching context, coaches will connect the conversation and focus to three levels of impact: self/individual, team, and organization. Team coaches need to be able to support teams as a whole system and a team of individual group members. 

Whereas team coaches may be working with the team as a system or supporting individual member development towards the team goals, vision, and values, in group coaching, by its nature, coaches often focus on individual development in the group context. An exception to this is in the organizational context, where you may be working with groups of new managers who don’t report to each other. In this context of offering group coaching within an organization, the group coach needs to support individual group members to reflect on the learning and insights related to themselves, in addition to the teams they are part of and the overall organization they belong to. 

Role of relationships

Relationships in many group coaching processes start and end when the group process finishes. Teams usually have relationships that exist before and will continue after the coaching relationship. The team coach (or team coaches) will be the ones "fading in" and "fading out" of the team system".

With groups, members of the group MAY know one another but hold disparate positions and levels of relationships. The group is likely to disband in form after the conversations are complete.

Role of leadership

Due to the nature of team coaching, the team leader plays a crucial role in supporting the team coaching to be successful. Their early engagement and including them in designing the type of coaching before coaching commences support a team coaching process to be effective. 

Leadership plays a minor role in group coaching. Consider having your participants share learnings with their leaders without leaders being directly involved. This could also be the case of working with teens/young adults. Similarly, you can encourage them to share learnings with their parents/loved ones.

Lifecycle of grouping

With groups, typically, the coaching lifecycle is short (3 months, six months, etc.), disbanding at the end of the coaching agreement. Nothing is ongoing, as it’s a group of individuals who return to their life or teams within the organization once the group dismantles.

Teams, on the other hand, exist before and after the coaching engagement. Knowing this, an effective team coach can support the team to integrate models/frameworks back on the job for continued success beyond the coaching conversation and engagement. For example, they can encourage the team to incorporate the “ways of working” to support “acceptable behaviors” on the job. 

 What’s at Stake?

Team coaching - there is a perception that there is more at stake. Team members opening up to their peers and leaders require a certain level of vulnerability and trust. As such, team members may take time to open up with their peers if they don’t feel that the coaching space is nonjudgemental and safe concerning the coach and all the team members.

Possible next steps:

1. Invest in a copy of Jennifer Britton's book, “From One To Many”- Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching” for further conversation on team and group coaching. https://amzn.to/3KFp8tN
2. Schedule an exploration call to discuss compatibility and upcoming opportunities for possible learning and growth as a Group or Team Coach. : https://calendly.com/potentials-realized/group-coaching-essentials

 Enjoy your conversations,

Evana Valle (thanks Evana for penning this week's blog post) and Jennifer Britton

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

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

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

Neuroscience, Learning and Experiential Processes for Group and Team Coaching - NEW - Join us Mondays at 130 pm ET starting June 6th - With Jennifer (6 weeks)

Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us for an accelerated program in June on Tuesdays and Thursdays on June 1, 6, 8, 13 and 15 for this 8.75 CCE program - 5 spaces still open - https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html. 

Coaching Diverse Teams and Groups using the Work Styles - Tuesdays 645 - 8 am ET: June 20, 27, July 11, 18, 25, August 2 (14 CCEs) - Widen your toolkit for working with diverse styles in teams and groups in this 6 week program based on the Hybrid Work Styles. WE also explore Coaching for Creativity and Innovation. This is course 5 in the 70 hour Certificate in Team Coaching Program.

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Starting June 20th (6 weeks)

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Starts Monday July 10th (Mondays 12 - 130pm ET). Being asked to coach teams OR Want to work towards your ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)? 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.

ACTIVATE your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs) - Fridays 10 - 1130 am ET: June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30  with Jennifer- Course 4 in the pathway (catch up on call #1 with the recording)

Coaching Supervision Group (Small group format) - NEW COHORT - Mondays 9 - 1030 am ET:  May 15, June 12, July, August and September 11 OR Thursdays 1st week of the month - 12 - 130pm ET.  book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

   

Welcome back to the A-Z series of Group Coaching. This series is part of our 19th anniversary

Every few weeks we'll bring you a different principle you will want to consider incorporating into your group coaching work. They are based off of my book, Effective Group Coaching (by Jennifer Britton).

This week, we are at C – Co-Facilitation. When EGC was first published there was a digital chapter on Co-Facilitation that later inspired Chapter 11 of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and GroupCoaching.

For years I have been fascinated by the creative and evolutionary dance of co-coaching. It is part art and part science.

We have been exploring the foundations of this topic as part of the ACTIVATE Your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers program, one of our newer ICF-CCE approved programs (and part of our 60 hour pathway to Team Coaching Certification, and Group Coaching Certification).

As I share in my latest TEDx talk, CoachingTeams through Chaos, Diversity = Strength. The same holds true for Co-Facilitation.

Our best co-facilitators are often the ones who bring different strengths and styles. Their unique ability to see different things and work differently is additive, especially in a large group or team coaching situation.

Great Co-Facilitation doesn’t “just happen”, it’s designed. It is intentional. And the design process starts early on in  your relationship, WAY BEFORE you start working with a group or a team.

As I share in Chapter 10 of From One to Many, there are a series of questions you will want to ask throughout the design phase as well as when you are in the room.

It is not uncommon as a coaching supervisor of group and team coaches to hear about how a coaching engagement was derailed by sub-par co-facilitation. I’ve had my own share of great, and not so great engagements. And as we boil it down to some of the core elements of what makes it great or not, we have a variety of relational, coaching, and design elements which go into the mix.

In today’s blog post we’re going to zoom into one of the many elements which shape our co-coaching, that of styles.

Our styles also play a key role, and this is a great starting point for discussion and building your “alliance” (as we would say in CTI language).

• What is your superpower? Take the Team and Group Coaching Superpower quiz to find out.
• What is your partner’s coaching superpower?
• How do they relate?
• What strengths do you bring collectively?
• What blind spots, or gaps, exist?
• What you do want to make sure you are not overcompensating for?
• What is important in your partnership?
• What are you committed to, NO MATTER WHAT?

These questions alone might form the springboard to a 30 minute conversation together. It’s areas like this that we explore in the Co-Coaching Essentials program, coming again in June.

If you don’t see yourself co-coaching, use the same questions listed above to think about how these influence and interrelate with the styes of your group members. You can also take a look at the related Hybrid Work Styles Quiz

Enjoy the reflection and conversation!

Jennifer

Group Coaching Essentials

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

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

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

Neuroscience, Learning and Experiential Processes for Group and Team Coaching - NEW - Join us Fridays starting May 12th or Mondays at 130 pm ET starting June 6th - With Jennifer (6 weeks)

Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us on Fridays from 1015 - 1130 am ET on Fridays starting May 12 for this 8.75 CCE program - 4 spaces still open - https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html. 

Coaching Diverse Teams and Groups using the Work Styles - Fridays 1015 - 1130 am ET - May 12 - end of June (14 CCEs) - Widen your toolkit for working with diverse styles in teams and groups in this 6 week program based on the Hybrid Work Styles. WE also explore Coaching for Creativity and Innovation. This is course 5 in the 70 hour Certificate in Team Coaching Program.

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Fridays 1230 - 2 pm ET - May 19 - mid-June (6 weeks)

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Starts Monday May 8th. Being asked to coach teams OR Want to work towards your ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)? 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. 6 week program on Mondays 12 - 130 pm ET  starting May  8 with Kathy

ACTIVATE your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs) - Tuesdays 645 - 8 am ET: starting May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6 and 13  with Jennifer- Course 4 in the pathway (catch up on call #1 with the recording)

Coaching Supervision Group (Small group format) - NEW COHORT - Mondays 9 - 1030 am ET:  May 15, June 12, July, August and September 11 OR book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

   

Welcome back to the A-Z series of Group Coaching. This series is part of our 19th anniversary celebrations. We hope you enjoy it.

This week, we are at B - Coaching Happens in Between Sessions.

Do your group programs support coaching to happen between the sessions? This principle relates to ICF Core competency #8 - Facilitating Client Growth. The definition of this competency provided by ICF is "the coach partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action—the coach promotes client autonomy in the coaching process.

Your role as a group coach is to support your participants in fulfilling their program goals with the roadmap they have, ideally co-created with you. Doing this promotes client autonomy and ownership of the journey. Just like individual coaching, your sessions are the place to allow participants to come and explore a topic as it relates to their goals, which brings new awareness of who they are and possible action. However, more is needed. Awareness without change doesn't yield the outcomes people come to coaching or group coaching.

 Group Coaching is maximized when program design includes structures to ensure the learning goes beyond the session. For example, peer partners may meet in between calls OR an alarm may signal the prompt to put something into action or note a sensation. What are you doing to create structures in your group coaching process with clients? What do you notice about how structures look and sound different for different group members?

 In addition, always keep the meta-arc of the learning journey in mind, and consider how one session relates, or connects, to the next session's topic and what can be given to your participants to set up the following conversation, creating a natural bridge between sessions.

The following are things to consider to support you in integrating this principle of "Coaching Happens In Between Sessions" into your group programs:

- What content/new learning is available on the topics in your programs to share before the session?

-What powerful questions can I ask to support any new learning being integrated post-session?

-What is the relationship between the session topic and the meta-arc journey regarding participant goals concerning possible in-between session work?

-What structures can be added to reinforce ownership by the group?  -Review the ICF competencies (with particular attention and focus on Facilitates Client Growth).

 For further resources, here is the Amazon link to Jennifer's book (the first on Group Coaching), "Effective Group Coaching." In addition, consider joining us in an upcoming Group Coaching training program where we explore this topic more deeply. Here is the link to check out upcoming program dates for Group Coaching Essentials.

Enjoy the conversation -

Evana and Jennifer

Group Coaching Essentials

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

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

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

MONDAY's Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us on Mondays this spring from April 17 - end of May on Mondays from 1 - 215 pm ET for this 6.75 CCE program - 2 spaces still open - https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html. 

Coaching Diverse Teams and Groups using the Work Styles - Fridays 1015 - 1130 am ET - May 12 - end of June (14 CCEs) - Widen your toolkit for working with diverse styles in teams and groups in this 6 week program based on the Hybrid Work Styles. WE also explore Coaching for Creativity and Innovation. This is course 5 in the 70 hour Certificate in Team Coaching Program.

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Check website for dates

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Starts Monday May 1st. Being asked to coach teams OR Want to work towards your ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)? 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. 6 week program on Mondays 12 - 130 pm ET  starting May 1 with Kathy

ACTIVATE your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs) - Tuesdays 645 - 8 am ET: starting May  with Jennifer- Course 4 in the pathway (catch up on call #1 with the recording)

Coaching Supervision Group (Small group format) - NEW COHORT - Mondays 9 - 1030 am ET: April 24, May 15, June 12, July, Augut and September 11 OR book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach - Thursdays 630 - 8 pm ET: April 20 to end of June (24 CCEs)

Amazon link for Effective Group Coaching: https://amzn.to/3zoEGLF

Program dates: https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html