Reflecting Back on 2015 Trends for Team and Group Coaches

I hope that you have been enjoying a happy and restful holiday season. As coaches, this can be a busy

time of year with clients preparing for  the new year and taking stock of the year that was.

In January we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Group Coaching Essentials program and I am excited to be hosting some special events, including our new semi-monthly Blabs on the topic of Group and Team Coaching, and also the launch of a new six and twelve month coaching support program for coaches at the Learning Lab and Design Studio.

As I logged in today to write this last post of 2015 it was amazing to note we are almost hitting the 100,000 read mark here at the blog.

A few weeks ago I held my 12th Annual Year End Group Programs call on a newer platform - Blab - and highlighted these four trends that impacted our work during 2015:

 1. Explosion of technology
2. The different options and combinations needed by clients
3. Value in the variety of tools available
4. Recognition that clients engage in different ways (visual, auditory, kinesthetic)

If you missed viewing the blab you can see it on YouTube, or directly at the Group Coaching Design Studio Blab site (and please check out the others I did this fall as well on topics including using visuals,  three core components of group coaching processes etc).

On a macro and global level around Group and Team Coaching, it has been a busy year with group coaching continuing to embed itself as a real option for public and corporate clients, and I can't count how many times I have  heard people say that they think team coaching is ready to explode in terms of demand.

For me, it continues to be a privilege to write, and speak and support coaches in this  area. During 2015 I was able to connect with  more than 1000 coaches directly through my speaking, training and many more through my writing, and blabs. I look forward to continuing to support you during 2016 as well.

Some of this year's most popular posts included the following - perhaps an indication of areas coaches are focusing on:

The Twelfth Annual Year End Group Programs Call  - Read and View it here

Six Ways to Bring in Visuals to Your work -Read Part 1 here. Read Part 2 here

Group and Team Coaching Myth - Everyone Engages in the Same Way. Read it here

Group and Team Coaching Myth 0 More is More in Terms of  Program Design Read it here

Three Core Elements of any Group Coaching Program - Read it here

Coaching Questions - Year End Review (December 2015) - Read it Here.

6 Coaching Questions to Strengthen Connection in Group and Team Coaching - Read it here

What's the Difference Between Group and Team Coaching? - Read it here

Three Keys to Marketing Group Coaching (the inspiration for an on-demand program I launched this spring dedicated to Marketing. It's called Marketing Tips for Your Team and Group Programs. You can enroll for 24/7 access here and take the program at your own pace).  Read the blog post here

and finally a link to the Eleventh Annual Group and Team Programs call

I want to wish you the best of success for 2016 and enjoy these last few hours of our current year!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC, CPT
GroupCoachingEssentials.com | Potentials Realized
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2009) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
(416)996-8326

Join me in January to sharpen your coaching skills, amp up your group and team coaching work and/or coaching business:
Group Coaching Essentials teleclass starting Thursday January 7th from 10:15 - 11:30 am ET (8.75 CCEs with the ICF)
Mentor Coaching Group starting Friday January 8th from 9-10 am ET (for ACC Renewals and ACC/PCC portfolio routes
The six and twelve month Learning Lab and Design Studio membership group which includes two group calls  a month, a Facilitation Lab, access to a treasure-trove of resources, and some 1-1 time with me monthly

Four Critical Success Factors for Team Coaching

This fall I was asked by participants at the Team and Group Coaching Intensive what were the critical

success factors for team coaching engagements. Given that team coaching engagements are often longer in length with more touchpoints and time involved, it is critical that we get things right.

A critical success factor is something that is essential for success. That's a pretty strong statement, and after dozens of team coaching engagements, I shared the following four as critical success factors for the teams I have coached whether they have been in customer service, health care, financial services or consumer goods:

1. Leader Engagement and Openness - The engagement and buy in of the leader is absolutely essential. Without their active participation and openness to not only the team coaching process, but supporting change and crreating n enabling environment is key.
Sometimes team coaching points to areas the leader needs to take responsibility for. As such, it is important for us to spend time with the leader preparing them, and priming them, for potential change and their role.

Without leader engagement and openness, even the best team coches can only have limited impact on the team and its' system.

2. Linkage into regular/ongoing team practices - Teams have a lifespan outside of our work with them. Therefore, it is important that as coaches we have team members make the connection back to their work with the commitments and practices they want to undertake. For example, if the team is committed to having more direct conversations, a great starting point might be their regular team meetings. Check back with the team regarding what structures they already have in place to support new behaviors, accountability and action/.

3. Masterful team coaches have a variety of tools to pull from. Our ongoing professionl development is key. Acquiring skills, techniques and approaches from a variety of sources can help to build our tolbox. As you think to the new year, what new skills do you want to add? Look to other professional associations outside of the ICF for potential learning opportunities - ATD, the Institute for Performance and Learning,

4. Metrics - Measurement is key starting wiht the begining of the team coching assessment where the team defines that their success measures are. As coaches continue to ask those involved, how can ou measure this? When will be measure this? Given that many team coaching engagements are longer term (i.e. 3 to 6 months or more), consider how you can build in with the team measurement points (i.e. start, mid-point, end point). Be aware of the potential fricition which can exist between measurement, evaluation and confidentiality.

There are definitely more Crticial Success Factors fr this work such as trust, connection and mnay more. What do you see as critical success factors in the work you undertake?

Have a great week,
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 me at the Learning Lab and Design Studio for ongoing group and individual coaching support during 2016. Six and twelve month packages now available.

12th Annual Year End Group Programs Call - Jennifer Britton

Late last week I held my 12th Annual Year End Group Programs call which has become an annual tradition. Over the years, I've migrated from bridgeline, to zoom, to this year's blended format of bridgeline and Blab. If you missed it, you can listen into, and view the 30  min call/presentation here.

In the call I shared four key themes of this year which impacted our work as group and team coaches, facilitators, and trainers. They included:
1. Explosion of technology
2. The different options and combinations needed by clients
3. Value in the variety of tools available
4. Recognition that clients engage in different ways (visual, auditory, kinesthetic

Key needs and focus areas in our work continue to be:
Trust
Connection
When coaching focusing in on goals (as articulated by the clients), support for action and awareness, and on-going accountability
Providing a rich space for conversation

You can also listen into some of the trends I see coming in 2016 - will be blogging on this in early 2016!

What are you doing to create a pause for the end of the year? Do you journal? Retreat? Join me for a one day retreat on Thursday December 17(8-4pm Eastern/NewYork) where over the course of 8 hours we'll be doing a combination of group calls, individual reflection and I'll be available throughout the day for some 1-1 laser coaching. You'll also have ongoing access to the Inner Biz Leader Virtual Business Planning Retreat on-demand program which you can return to quarter after quarter at your own pace. Cost: $495 for the day, or save 35% at http://bitly.com/dec17vrspecial.

Have a great weekend,
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 me at the Learning Lab and Design Studio for ongoing group and individual coaching support during 2016. Six and twelve month packages now available. 

Coaching Questions - Year End Review and Vision for the Next Year

This is an exciting part of the year where many of our coaching clients want to take stock of the year

Photo D. Lupeneau - Freeimages.com

that was and look ahead to the vision for their next year. That was the inspiration for today's post.

In my December newsletter I include 10 Activities you may want to undertake as part of your year end process with groups and teams. You can read it here.

Some of the questions I like to use at year end include:
What do you want to celebrate about 2015? What have been your greatest achievements this year?
What opportunities have provided you with the greatest learning? What have been those key learnings?
Who has helped you be successful?
What has helped your successes?
What obstacles have you overcome?
AS you look back at the year, how would you sum it up in 1-2 sentences?

AS you look ahead to the new year:
What is your intention for the new year?
What are the top three goals you have set for yourself? (or what are your main goals if people find it too hard to isolate or prioritized just a couple)
What's going to support you to be at your best?
What might get in the way? How can you be proactive to make sure this doesn't happen?
What is really important to you in 2016?
What plans do you have to recharge? Renew?
What commitments are you making to yourself for 2016?


I do a lot of visioning work at this time of year and you can listen into a 10 minute vision piece for yourself and your business at the Inner Biz Leader Virtual Business Planning Retreat. Scroll towards the bottom of the page where you will see all of the elements of the course including the Audio on Vision. (with the Preview button highlighted).

Perhaps you will even consider joining me for the one day virtual retreat session I will be holding on Thursday December 17th between 8-4 pm ET by phone. I'll be leading the group through both group activities and I will be available for one on one conversations throughout the day as well. You can save 35% off using this special link.

As you start this week consider how you would like to schedule time for yourself for planning for 2016 and reflecting on 2015. Not sure what areas you might find yourself coaching around in 2016? View last week's Group Coaching Design Studio blab (Blab 6.2) where I cover 24 areas coaches often find themselves coaching around. Enjoy!

Have a great start to the week,
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 me at the Learning Lab and Design Studio for ongoing group and individual coaching support during 2016. Six and twelve month packages now available. 

A reminder too that the 12th annual year end call will be held on Thursday December 10th at 12 noon ET at the Group Coaching Design Studio blab, or you can dial in to 1-805-399-1000, access 998223. No cost to attend other than your own long distance charges to connect by phone.

December Progamming - Business Building, Planning For 2016, Learning Lab and Design Studio

As we step into the month of December attention turns to planning for 2016. 

I'll be holding a one day live virtual business planning session which includes the 8 hour live program by phone with me, plus you get ongoing access to the on-demand Inner Biz Leader Virtual Business Planning Retreat. Throughout the day, and the on-demand program, we'll be focusing on supporting you to develop your business vision and plan for 2016 while also leaving space for you to tackle (and possibly check off!) one of your projects of choice. In past virtual retreats I've had coaches focus on their websites, their blogs, work on program and service offerings etc. Regular cost for the one day Virtual Retreat with me and ongoing access to the Inner Biz Leader on-demand program is $497. Save 35% until Midnight on Monday December 8th using this link.

Prefer something shorter and more compact? the Coaching Business Builder: 12 Core Tips is now available to you at the Learning Lab and Design Studio our new online learning portal for asynchronous courses (i.e. on-demand programming). This program covers 12 core areas for business development and provides you with short activities to get into action. Cost $59 US.

Last week I also launched my newest digital resource - 40 Ways to Work with Visual Cards. Many of you may know my penchant for working with different visual decks in group and team programs. I've pulled together detailed instructions on 40 different activities you can use, and also provide you with 5 worksheets you can use "as is" with your groups. Introductory pricing is $40 US -that's only $1 an activity! Click here to learn more and order the 40 Ways e-manual. If you are looking for cards to use consider the Conversation Sparker Cards orthe Teams365 Team Sparker Deck.


I will be hosting my 12th Annual Year End Call this year on the blab platform on Thursday December 10th from 12-12:30 pm Eastern. I hope that you can join me on blab. I'll cover some of the trends from the past year and share a few forecasts for 2016. No cost for this call other than your own time.

In January the Group Coaching Essentials program turns 10! For some time now coaches and alumni have asked What Next? What Else can I tap into for ongoing support around my own development as a coach, and support for group and team programs? You can now join me at the Learning Lab

and Design Studio for a 6 or 12 month membership. This includes two group calls per month, plus a once a month Facilitation Lab call where we experiment with and use a different resource for group and team work. It also gives you access to me once a month for 1-1 coaching call. Also at your fingertips will be dozens of hours of audio, video and written resources for group and team coaching. It's geared for coaches, and other professionals who are looking for ongoing support in the area of group and team programs, and coaching in general, who are looking for a network of colleagues to learn with, grow with and experiment with. For more information and to grab your seat in the Lab click here. I hope that you will consider joining me in 2016 at the Learning Lab and Design Studio. It's going to be  blast. Cost for a six month membership is $1250 US (which means that you get one month free. The monthly cost is $250 US or $2500 US for the year). Learn more or sign up here.

Looking forward to having many rich conversations this month and as we move into 2016.

Have a great month,
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 me at the Learning Lab and Design Studio for ongoing group and individual coaching support during 2016. Six and twelve month packages now available.