Can You Coach a Group?
As a coach you may already have been asked if you would coach a group of people together. These requests often come from those who have not been coached before, and who are seeking what they perceive to be a lower-cost option.
People making these requests are not aware that coaching is inherently a 1:1 modality and its success relies upon the:
- Confidentiality of client issues
- Coach focusing their attention on a single client and their issues and
- A deep and trusting relationship built between client and coach.
This means that coaching is badly handicapped in a group setting. In a group setting you can’t possibly do justice to each participant and the quality of your coaching work will suffer as a result.
Don’t Coach Groups – Facilitate Them!
However, if you have a group with a specific shared interest or shared problems, you can use facilitation as a means to explore and resolve their issues.
Beware, though! A number of people together in a room with no inter-relationships, no working relationships, or no shared problems is not a group. Run, don’t walk away from these assemblies.
What is Facilitation?
Facilitation does have some similarities to coaching, but the addition of group dynamics makes different interventions and different styles of working necessary.
“But isn’t facilitation a skilled job” I hear you ask? Yes, but there are some guidelines you can use to facilitate a group effectively. Use the POES structure (Purpose, Outcome, Evidence and Steps) I outline below adding facilitation to your skillset!
Know your Purpose
What is your Purpose in facilitating this group? If the person asking for your services cannot give you a clear, unambiguous purpose, or tell you who can, you’re wasting your time and theirs.
So know the purpose, and get it clear, or do not proceed. Questions to ask include “Why are we meeting today?†“What is the intention behind our session?”. A skilled facilitator I know well consistently refuses to facilitate a workshop unless it has a clear stated purpose.
Know the Outcome
Having established the Purpose, determine the desired Outcome. This is the required end result of the session. Having this specific can considerably shorten and focus workshops. And a clear, unambiguous outcome makes finding the means to reach it that much easier.
In this article, we’ve covered the Purpose and Outcome of the POES process. In the next blog entry, we’ll cover the next essential steps of the POES structure, and ensure you’re on your way to becoming a top-flight facilitator!