5 Hints for Coaching Groups

[featured_image]
Coaching groups is a powerful means of helping people move toward their goal!

Recently, a coach asked me, “Do you have any hints for coaching groups?” As I reflected on her questions, here’s what I came up with…

5 Hints for Coaching Groups

1. Coaching groups works when there is a common goal or agenda. You cannot coach a group of people where everyone has a different agenda.

2. The COACH Model™ works great when coaching groups:

• Connect – have everyone check in briefly as you begin
• Outcome – with a task group, the result of the coaching conversation is often established by the person who initiated the group. With a ministry team or group, the outcome may be established in advance by the team leader. In almost every situation, there is only one common outcome for the coaching conversation.
• Awareness – raising awareness may happen as the group individually responds to questions, or by a guided process where the coach is asking each person to reflect internally while one person shares their personal perspective. There is no right/wrong approach here. It’s important to not become so narrow in this part of the model that the conversation is only benefiting one or two people.
• Course – guide each group member to identify their specific action steps to move forward. Allowing them to verbalize 1-3 actions will build in peer accountability.
• Highlights – just like asking for highlights in an individual coaching conversation reinforces learning, the group will together reinforce what’s most important to them from the call.

3. In terms of basic ground rules – encourage everyone to contribute. Make it clear you will call on those who are silent. Encourage people to be sensitive to dominating the conversation. Allow the group to help monitor everyone’s involvement together.

4. Work to keep the tone positive. Especially be aware of those who want to shoot down the ideas of others. Discourage this behavior.

5. Make certain everyone has an identified action step that they are committed to taking. Encourage them to write them down. If appropriate, you could have one person take notes on action steps and distribute to the group. This could aid in reinforcing accountability.