Group Coaching isn't just teaching?
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
Recently one of our clients reminded us of an important distinction he'd made during the course of working with us.
Before he started with us he thought of group coaching simply as teaching. He expected to get on his call with his group and teach them all the amazing knowledge that flowed from his expert brain.
Well, YES, he's an expert.
And, YES, he knows a TON of stuff that his own clients could really benefit from.
If only he could stuff all that great knowledge into their eager little brains... so that they could LEARN all the INFORMATION he could help them with and maybe even change their lives!
If only he could drop his pearls of wisdom and help them see the light!
The problem is, as a coach, and you may already know this... our clients most often need to go on a journey with us, rather than learn just one thing.
This email for example, while it's great information and can even help you... doesn't take the place of the journey you need to go on to truly master the art and science of group coaching.
That's because almost all of the time, our coaching clients (just like in 1:1) can't go through the entire journey in one session, one conversation, one magical nugget of information.
What the client needs is TRANSFORMATION. Not more information.
But, wait, what about all the teaching we need to do? Consider teaching in a new way. Instead of teaching your clients, involve them. Instead of dropping a concept, have them experience that concept. Instead of just sharing a framework (like the 3Ds of Group Coaching), give them a GATE experience (Group + Authentic + Transformational + Experiential).
It works best when it's framed in what the participants are saying... draw out THEIR wisdom, words and concepts. And you do that through architecting the exercises with great Question Sequences, that are answered experientially by participants.
The most powerful transformations happens when the clients feel they figured it out their breakthrough themselves, not when you did all the teaching of the concepts.
If you Design your group experience to help them not only see the thing you're teaching, but help others see it through the interaction, and you create an EXPERIENCE, they'll move farther on that progress toward transformation and mastery. You're a great coach, so you know that progress often takes time... but make every session count, because as coaches, we want our clients to get there FASTER.
How do you create a GATE for your clients? You build the session and the exercises with a purpose, through a higher degree of intention around what you know they will need, and what experience will get them there faster.
Just like in 1:1 coaching, you want the CLIENT to reach the insight through a transformational experience that is facilitated by the CONVERSATION... and with Group Coaching, that's going to be through YOU leading the Group Conversation. The more authentic you can be, and the more intentional you can get with that experience, the more transformational it can be.
You can even get your group to help each other learn MORE through a well-designed Group Conversation, instead of telling them about your wisdom. Just like 1:1 coaching. It's takes more effort to engage everyone at the same time, but it is definitely possible, and rewarding for them... AND for you!
The best way we know of to gain MASTERY in that is to join us as we create those experiences for you! Then you can take what you learn and apply it right away. Our mission is to help coaches develop MASTERY at Group Coaching, so we think about this every single day. If you attended our Live Workshop, you know exactly what we mean (if you are interested in the replay, just reply and say "REPLAY!")
Aside from simply charging more, Group Coaching is the ONLY way to scale your impact and income as a coach without limits on your time. So getting really really good at it is a critical skill. That's what we want to help you do.
Sending you Virtual Hugs,
Rob & Daniel
P.S. If you want to go deeper, consider joining us for The Surefire Group Coaching System 6-Week LIVE Training & Coaching Experience, with experiential coaching and training. You transform as a participant, you learn as a coach, you're supported in a community, and you get all the templates, session plans and resources on our best tools
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