SUCCESS MAKING

Executives Coaching Training – Tips for Group Coaching

Executive Coaching and the broader Coaching in Organizations are probably the only two fields of coaching where you may regularly be expected to coach a group of people rather than just one. Coaching a group is more complex than coaching a person. Here are some tips on what to do, and what not to do.

First, establish your authority. When you are coaching one person, it is clear to him why you are there. It may not be so for a group. Take care to be properly introduced to the group by a superior, and to obtain a clear mandate to perform the coaching sessions.

Beware of possible ‘session wreckers’:

- The loudmouth. Cut him off quickly. He may sulk a little, but you will gain the gratitude of his long-suffering colleagues.
- The cynic. Cynicism is a defense mechanism of past believers (in anything) who got disappointed and lost their faith, and now ridicule all believers. Ask him to contribute only positive remarks, or else shut up. Cynicism has no place in a coaching session, or any other management function. Be careful not to mistake the cynic with the skeptic. The skeptic is willing to be convinced, if you supply the evidence. It is your responsibility to supply it.
- The authority. If the group includes a person senior to the rest, they may be intimidated. Make sure that they are not, or arrange in advance for the senior person not to participate. Some people in the group may be shy or quiet. Try to draw them out, but gently, and do not push hard. They will join in when they feel secure enough to do so.

You can use the group to your advantage in many ways:

- Assign a ‘scribe’, a ‘clock’ and possibly also a moderator. This will free you to manage the session, take your notes and think ahead.
- Use creative thinking or other techniques to involve everyone and have them contribute. It is much easier to get good ideas when you have a group than when you coach one person.
- Build on team dynamics to create positive atmosphere and a sense of ability. It will facilitate the changes that are likely to be the outcome of the coaching session.
- Assure that the entire group is clear about their goals and objectives, and that they defined effective goals. You will need all the group to ‘buy into’ the goal to assure success. 

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About the Author

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Shmaya is a certified Master Executive Coach (MCI/EMCI). Shmaya teaches coaching courses and develops coach-training materials, courses layouts and coaching tools.