Group Coaching
Making coaching affordable with Group Coaching
Group coaching has proved popular in the last few years in America where it provides a more cost effective means of receiving coaching during the economic downturn.
Up to six managers with the same development needs are coached within a group session. Whilst I am focussing on one individual at a time the remainder of the group get the opportunity to observe and reflect. From my experience of facilitating leadership development programmes, some people say they learn as much from observing as from experiencing a situation. A question posed to one coachee may be just as pertinent for another in the group.
Group coaching shares the cost but also enables you to:
- have a more timely, focussed approach to your personal development needs
- increase your self awareness and self discovery
- generate your own solutions and strategies
- learn from other people's issues and reflect on how you might deal with the situation
- take the opportunity to request insight from other people in the group who share the same issues
- generate a bit of 'peer pressure' to ensure you take action
Group coaching has a single theme running throughout a programme of six sessions, typically over a six month period. This gives the opportunity to reflect and practise between each session, thus building your skill levels.
During May and June I piloted this approach with three senior managers from the NHS, Utilities and Chemical sector. They all found it extremely beneficial, valued my coaching approach and found it useful to gain insights from their peers in the group. The group also built a commitment to each other which kept them motivated and ensured they got the most from each meeting. Here are the comments following the pilot:
"I have found the sessions thoroughly useful in assisting me to crystallise my thinking and my approach to a variety of work related issues. These sessions have provided a rare opportunity to air issues which I would not typically have the time to address during the course of my normal working day. They have also provided the opportunity to receive suggestions, advice and comments from people who I would not typically be exposed to in my work environment and who were able to provide a different and objective perspective to my issues"
"I participated in a group executive coaching pilot initiated by Ian which was extremely successful. Ian used a combination of expert facilitation skills to bring together a diverse group of people, as well as traditional coaching skills. This enabled a frank and open discussion around some common workplace issues such as effective influencing skills and time management. Ian was able to offer practical tools and resources to apply back in the office as well as a structured environment in which to safely explore specific issues and dilemas. I believe the group coaching model offers many potential benefits beyond the obvious one of cost efficiency. These include the sharing of experiences, as well as the learning to be gained from listening to and observing others. I look forward to seeing this concept emerge further!"