This article by Master Coach Steve Mitten, is about the importance of having a niche – or focus – in your practice.

Do you remember the disco ball?  It is that round, multi-faceted, mirror-ball that is a fixture at so many high school dances.  It was fantastic at breaking up a beam of light and scattering it into a million, faint, fleeting images across the dance floor.

Too many coaches market like a disco ball.  Being highly intuitive, feeling, inclusive, souls we do not want to say no to anyone.  So we send a bunch of weak, general and ineffective marketing messages out into the market.

In contrast to a disco ball, a laser so concentrates a beam of light that it can cut through anything.  The marketing equivalent of a laser is developing a niche, or focus, for your coaching practice, and it’s important.  (However if you are in your first 6 months of coaching, don’t worry about finding a niche yet.  Experiment coaching different people to build your confidence and competence, and learn who you really like working with.)

In picking a niche, you differentiate yourself from the rest of the world of coaches. You find a place where your passions, experience, and strengths meet an aching need in the marketplace. And then you get noticed by communicating a clear and consistent message in the language of the problems your clients already have.  When you find a good niche, you get to a place in your practice where suddenly your clients recognize the tremendous value you offer, and start to come to you.

When considering a niche, as a minimum, it is important to pick a group of people:

• That you love to work with.
• That would appreciate or value much of your life experiences, training and accomplishments.
• That have big challenges or problems they are spending money on now.
• To whom you will be able to add a lot of value.
• To whom you will have credibility as a solution provider.
• Where the competition is not too entrenched.
• That you can reach in large numbers, quickly and cheaply.

The fact that you pick a niche does not mean you cannot keep coaching your current diversity of clients, or that you have to turn down any future clients who may not be in your niche.  It’s simply about being more effective with your marketing efforts because with a niche you will:

• Understand your ideal client’s problems.
• Speak their language.
• Know the competitive landscape.
• Know how to reach large numbers of them. (Their magazines, meetings, associations, etc.)
• Be able to stand out as a recognized solution provider so they start to come to you. (I.E. – a big fish in a small pond.)

My best estimate is that a carefully chosen niche gives you about 10 times the return on a given investment of marketing, than the disco-ball approach.

“The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance
- and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” Oprah

Contributing Author: Steve Mitten B.ApSc., CPCC, MCC. Steve is a Master Certified Business & Executive Life Coach, and Past President of the ICF (International Coaching Federation). Learn more about Steve and check out his many resources for coaches at acoach4u.com.

If you liked this article on marketing and finding your niche, you may also like:

• Don’t Have a Niche yet? Relax, Wait and See…
• 10 Ways to Know You Have a Good Coaching Niche!
• And if you have not found your niche yet, you may be interested in Steve’s AUDIO recording “Early Days Marketing – How to Qualify Prospects and Deliver Powerful Sample Sessions that Get You Hired” available via The CoActive Network.

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Usually when we use the word ‘stress’ we’re referring to so-called ‘bad’ stress or DIStress. But did you know there is a name for good stress?  Eustress, pronounced YOU-stress, is a term coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye who studied the impact of stress on the mind and body. Eu comes from the Greek meaning well or good and suggests that there is indeed such a thing as healthy stress.

So, What Is Eustress and Why is it Important?

Well, without eustress we are not equipped to deal with excitement and/or challenge in our lives.

It’s eustress that fuels our successes and achievements. Your clients may be experiencing eustress if they feel eager, excited, thrilled, proud, resilient, determined, fulfilled or in a state of flow. Distressing and tough circumstances can also lead us to experience healthy eustress – as we learn to cope and develop greater strength, determination and courage.

1) In the short term eustress provides us with an energy boost to perform challenging activities – especially where we need to focus and put in extra effort eg. playing competitive sport or public speaking/delivering a seminar.

2) In the longer term, eustress helps us keep working at things – especially when the going gets tough eg. learning and growing as get on with our lives after a rejection or keeping on studying when we’d really rather give up!

In short, stress can be good! Eustress helps us achieve things of meaning and value to us, leading us to feel better about ourselves – and grow in confidence and stature.

So, Here Are 9 Real-Life Examples of GOOD or Eustress Your Clients May Need MORE of:

1. GETTING TO KNOW SOMEONE we really like – a new friend, colleague or romantic interest.
2. STUDYING for a new qualification over a period of time - sustaining us as we work towards something bigger that will move us forwards in life like a new qualification.
3. LEARNING and ADAPTING to new routines and cultures when TRAVELLING. When we travel, we must get out of our routines and comfort zones – and adapt to different foods, timezones, customs, language/s, scenery and more.
4. NETWORKING and CONNECTING with others to grow ourselves and our businesses. Meeting lots of new people at once and showing ourselves and what we do to a larger world.
5. PERFORMING at our best when we play COMPETITIVE SPORTS or a fitness activity. Eustress helps us perform better in the moment AND also to improve ourselves by staying committed to our exercise routine even when we may not feel like it.
6. PREPARING for and working towards BIG GOALS or EVENTS like getting married, having a baby, getting a new job or promotion.
7. DEVELOPING NEW SKILLS especially where we have to practice to improve and work through the awkward beginner’s stage eg. learning a new hobby, language or sport.
8. GETTING OVER A REJECTION – whether it’s a job, relationship or some other opportunity, eustress sustains us and helps us learn, grow as individuals – and find the silver lining.
9. STAYING THE COURSE with personal development - even when it gets tough. This is especially relevant for coaching and therapy. It’s eustress that will help our clients keep working on themselves and turning up for coaching sessions even when the going gets tough…

So, any time we are out of our comfort zones, but working towards something bigger or feel excited or challenged in a good way, eustress is at work. Without eustress our lives would be pretty dull – and hard work!

It really is all in the mind. Whether something is considered eustress or distress depends on 1) our reaction to the stimulus AND 2) how in control of a situation we feel. For example networking could be considered eustress for some people (who consider it fun or a challenge) and for others it may feel DIStressing. Or we may feel eustress if we asked for a promotion and start a new, more challenging role. But we may feel DIStress if we are told we MUST perform a role which we don’t feel equipped to do well.

Final thought: How could you reframe your client’s DIStress into more positive and helpful EUstress?

“When we accept tough jobs as a challenge to our ability and wade into them with joy and enthusiasm, miracles can happen.”  Arland Gilbert

If you liked this article about eustress, you may also like:

• Our Free Resource: mini-poster of “The Effects of Stress and the Warning Signs”
• 12 Awesome New Ways To Use The Wheel of Life in Your Coaching Practice including a Wheel of Frustration or Stress!
• Having a “Pity Party” – When it’s a Good Idea!

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Summer is a time for relaxing and recharging our batteries. But whether it’s a staycation, a trip to the family cabin on the lake or a trip somewhere exotic our clients often find it difficult to make this transition. And sometimes people put so many expectations on the holidays that they end up disappointed.

Over the summer, most (non-tourism based!) businesses move to a slower pace. We go on vacations, take longer lunches, enjoy longer evenings, long weekends and lazy Sundays – and these all give people an opportunity to slow down, reflect and enjoy life a little more.

In fact, did you know that National Relaxation Day falls on the 15th August each year? I like that!

Now, while people are in this slower space it’s a great time to not only recharge their batteries – but also to help them reflect on their needs, how they take care of themselves – and explore life balance.

This is a great way to help and stay connected to your existing clients – and also a great way to reach out and market to potential NEW clients in the upcoming months.

So, how will YOU help your clients – and potential clients – relax and recharge their batteries? How will you help them have their best summer ever?

Well, to help you we recommend:

1. Our Balance & Self-Care Exercises VALUE Toolkit! Right now it’s our Deal of the Month at just $49! You get a total of 7 Balance and Self-care Coaching Exercises including (until the end of June) a FREE BONUS Worksheet, “10 Things for Your Best Summer Ever!” Maybe you’ll even use this toolkit to recharge your own batteries…
2. Our Free “Wheel of Life” Template. Ask your clients to score their CURRENT satisfaction levels with each area. Then ask them to score what they would LIKE those scores would like to be for the summer.
3. Our Free “The Effects of STRESS & Warning Signs!” Mini-Poster. Ask your client how many of the stress “warning signs” or symptoms they are currently experiencing. Then ask them what their goals are for the summer? How they would LIKE to feel over the summer? How could they use the slower summer season to slow down?
4. Our Free “Blank Coaching Wheel”. Simply ask your clients to label each of the 8 areas with something that would “Recharge their Batteries” this summer – and then identify an action for each one, or an action for the 3 areas that they are most excited about.

Final thought: Many of us find marketing challenging – and yet it’s essential if we want to keep finding new clients and help people create better lives, careers and businesses for themselves. If you align your marketing with your potential clients’ wants and needs they’re going to see YOU as the solution provider. Keep reaching out and when the student is ready, they’ll contact YOU!

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For the past several years I have been building lists and always wondered why everyone thought they were so valuable. That’s because my lists were not very responsive and the people hardly ever bought anything from me. Gradually I discovered several reasons that may have been responsible and when I changed what I was doing, suddenly, sales began to happen.

As I refined my approach to email marketing, the sales grew and now I am delighted to look at my email and regularly find several sales have come in. Now I’d like to share some of the changes I made with you so you can build a more responsive list and get more sales.

First of all why build a list?

You want to build a list so you have an audience – people to build a relationship with that want to hear from you and want what you have to offer. A list is also a way for you to give them a free taste of your service, so you can attract your ideal clients. Then you can keep in touch with your audience through your newsletter or ezine and ideally an auto-response series of emails that you set up.

It’s up to you to take the responsibility for building your list. That’s where your leads will come from and in due course, your clients/customers. It’s been said, “You can make a million dollars for every 10,000 people on your list, if you know what you’re doing.”

Here is Your Step-by-Step Guide with Valuable Tips on Email Marketing:

1) How to get people on your list

You start this process by having an opt-in page (or form). Your opt-in is an on-going list builder, and you need to always be doing activities that also drive new people to your site. On this opt-in page you offer a gift. Your gift will be unique to you and your visitors will give you their email address in exchange for it. They are also saying yes to receiving more from you, including your marketing messages, which you will give them in your email series and newsletters.

The wording you put on that page will attract the kind of clients you desire. Your compelling message converts these people to your list. And it also determines the responsiveness of your list. You only want subscribers who love hearing from you and then it’s your job to nurture that relationship.

2) How to keep people on your list

You want to keep people on your list so you can deepen relationships. When you first meet someone, you don’t expect him or her to ask you for something. You expect them to get to know you. The same is true in today’s online marketing world. You want to give your subscribers time to get to know you.

Some of the things that you want to convey to your audience include what kind of person you are, how much you care about them, and what you can do for them. This is how you build the “know, like, and trust” factor into the relationship.

First show them what kind of person you are by giving them gifts. Your generosity will win their interest in you. The gifts you give them will show how you care about them.  And they will plant the seeds for what you can do for them. In this way you develop their knowledge, likeability, and trust in you.

3) How your gifts build the Know, Like, and Trust factor

The first gift is what you advertise on your opt-in page. It isn’t enough for your visitors to give you their email in exchange for your newsletter.  They want more. So the best thing you can do is give them two to three gifts right away. They can be a combination of a report, a checklist, an audio, a video, or an article.

Then, it’s great to follow-up with your new subscribers with a series of emails that you set up on an autoresponder – which is the best way to follow-up with your new subscribers so they will want to stay on your list.

How to Use Auto-responders: The first email will be a thank-you for subscribing and link to download your freebies you promised on your opt-in page. Then for the next two weeks you send out an email every 4-5 days that does not mention any of your paid products. In each email you deliver great content. You can discuss one or more of the challenges that your particular target market has, but give no links to any products.  You can give them a video tip, an article or blog post, an audio, a webinar that you teach, and something they can download.

Use different media in the emails so they get used to interacting with you in different ways. Each email they receive with more goodies will increase the quantity of information you give them. This also increases their level of commitment to you. Think of it as a courtship because as you know, in a courtship, the wooer brings gifts at regular intervals to wow their recipient.

4) How to promote your paid services

Only now that you have established a relationship in which you make your subscribers awed at the amount of free information and gifts you have given them, are you in a position to tell them about your paid services. I’ve heard it once described as earning your hall pass.

Remember in high school when you wanted to go do something out of the normal routine and you had to go to the principal’s office and get a hall pass, so you wouldn’t be accosted by a teacher demanding to know what you were doing? Well, this is a similar situation in that, you have to do something special to get the reward. And the reward is to be able to market to your audience.

The best place for that is your newsletter. The reason why it’s the best place is because it’s not just an email sales pitch. Your newsletter is filled with more great content, some things of interest like news in your industry, and then something about one of your products. This way it comes across as you being helpful once again to help them through the problem your product and/or service addresses.

Common sections of a newsletter are:

1. A Welcome/Introduction – which can be something pertinent to the reader or a personal note.
2. Featured Article – more great content, which can have a link to a product that solves a problem
3. Spotlight – this is a good place to spotlight a client with their testimonial about you. If you are an organization, you can spotlight one of your members.
4. News – this can be news about upcoming events you are doing, industry news that your audience would want to know about, or even your own product launches.
5. About you – some ezine owners have a section that gives a brief bio about themselves with their social media links, and contact information.  Some also include their schedule if they travel or have or attend events.
6. Links – You can also have a separate section just for social media links, and contact information.
7. Recommendations – is another optional section where you recommend products. I’ve seen solopreneurs recommend one of their own products but I think that’s overkill and I have found that many subscribers prefer recommendations of other people’s products. I recommend events, webinars, and products that I am an affiliate for, and my subscribers have told me that they appreciate those tips.

If you follow these 4 steps for email/newsletter marketing you will be able to build your list faster, have higher-quality subscribers, and better lead-conversion rates from your list. It’s a great way to build relationships and the preferred way in today’s techno-savvy market. And remember – it’s an ongoing process.

You will always have people just starting out on your list and people who have been on it for years. To all of them you need to keep giving great information, great content, and show that you not only care about them, but also appreciate their commitment to you by being on your list.

Contributing Author: Jeannette Koczela is the founder of the International Association of Professional Life Coaches. For more tips and support for your life coaching business, visit our Facebook Page or Become a free Bronze member of the IAPLC and get a welcome pack including an audio “Magnetize Your Ideal Clients” and a “30-DayAction Guide”.

And if you liked this article on email marketing, you may also like:

• A Powerful Marketing Tool – When and What to Ask Your Clients To Get Effective Testimonials!
• Are You Zombie Marketing? With Five Questions to Help You | By Guest Author Kristen Beireis
• How to write an About Page that Rocks! 6 Key Tips | By Guest Author Julie Nowell

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This reflective journaling exercise will put you in touch with what you want and need and give you a sense of replenishment, stress release and authentic well-being.

Simply follow the simple steps below for your Reflective Journaling Exercise experience:

1. Book a ½ hour into your schedule. Call it “Time for Self-Reflection” (book this activity in and it is more likely to happen).
2. Prepare for this self-care/self-reflection date by deciding where you will take it (at home, during a break at work, at a café, on a bench in a park…) and get your supplies ready. You will need your journal, notebook or a piece of paper and a pen, you might also want to take some water to drink, and if you feel like you might get fancy – perhaps take some coloured pens.
   Now you are ready and the time has come.
3. Begin by connecting with your breath, simply notice your breath as it enters and leaves your body giving you life. Take four deep breaths in and out, inhale for a count of 4, pause, and exhale slowly for a count of 4. Repeat this rhythmic breathing four times. This helps you to arrive fully to the moment and to relax. You are much more able to access your intuition (inner wisdom) when in a relaxed state.
4. For your journaling exercise, write the following writing prompt at the top of the page: What I REALLY need for my own sense of well-being, replenishment, stress release and/or inner peace at this time is…
   - Pause and simply listen to what guidance you are receiving from within and from spirit (universal energy source).
   - Start writing. Simply capture what you are hearing from within.
   - Keep your pen moving for at least 15 minutes – just keep listening within and writing.
   - Don’t worry about grammar or making high art. You are writing for yourself, writing to hear your own thinking, your own knowing, and connect with your authentic needs.  Simply keep your pen moving and trust the process.  Trust yourself. Next…
5. Read over what you just wrote and now write for five more minutes using this writing prompt to guide you: What is clear to me now is…
   
6. Choose one action you would like to take based on the insights you gained from your reflective journaling exercise. Give yourself permission to be spontaneous!

“Maybe the only thing harder than facing an honest desire is denying it.” Ariel Gore

Contributing Author: Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC is the founder of Creative Wellness and author of Life Source Writing™: A Reflective Journaling Practice. Lynda offers a free e-book filled with journaling exercises here. Creative Wellness – where writing + well-being meet.

If you liked this article about journal writing, you may also like:

• Use Affirmative Writing To Get Clients Unstuck And Connected To Their Goals (also by Lynda Monk)
• Another Tool to Handle Rejection, Self-Esteem!
• Our Coaching Exercise: Daily Gratitude Diary Template

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Kacie was so excited she sent me this awesome postcard she created to promote her “Spring Clean Your Life” Teleseminar – using our Spring Clean Your Life Toolpack!

And I was so excited, I wanted to share this inspiring example of a coach, promoting herself, getting out there and creating a Coaching Program/Workshop using Coaching Tools & Exercises.

And who knows? Maybe you’re inspired to attend Kacie’s teleseminar…

Support Kacie by Liking her Facebook Page here >>

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It’s wonderful when we can learn powerful lessons from movies. The experience can be so visceral that we feel tremendously impacted. So, there are two wonderful documentaries out there that I highly recommend you rent.

“What? What is this? I’m reading this to be a better coach. Not to build my DVD collection.”

Bear with me. The first movie is “Children Will Listen” where 100 students from Inner City schools all converged to perform a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods”. The other movie is “Yellow Brick Road,” which follows a production of “The Wizard of Oz” with a cast of players with disabilities, both physical and mental.

For anyone to attempt either of these performances must be up for a challenge.

“Into the Woods” is a very difficult production for even the highly trained actor.  The music is complex, the undertones are multi-layered, the subtext, the emotions, the themes, the lessons, all of that can keep the most skilled performer super packed at the brink of overwhelm in a three-month rehearsal period as they struggle to get it “right”. While “Oz” is so well known that any production will invariably be compared with the legendary movie. And how can anyone match that?

But these are not part of the cast’s concerns in these documentaries. They aren’t concerned with doing it as well as some other “professional” version, they’re not comparing themselves to other actors, instead they are genuinely grateful for the opportunity they have and are determined to give it their all.

What is revealed is not their majestic skill, but their courage, their innocence, their passion, and their humanity. The magic is their simple commitment to being authentic. They can only be exactly who they are, and when they reveal that to the audience, it’s spellbinding. Regardless of how hard they have worked (and they sure do work hard), lines get dropped, sets fall apart, cues are missed and many other sort of “mistakes” occur, and it’s all overlooked. Because the power of authenticity is amazing. It beats “doing it right” every time.

“Great. Far out. I’ll go rent them and have a film festival. In the meantime, how does this help me with my coaching?”

If you haven’t figured it out yet, just like these performances, the secret to powerful coaching is just what is revealed in these films – the willingness to show yourself authentically. Never underestimate its power. It’s fine to have a script, someone else’s words (like your training), but it’s even more important that you get to shine through those words.

For some of us, that stretch out of the comfort zone can be really uncomfortable. It may feel naked, risky, dangerous, vulnerable. But, like these performers, all you need is a little direction, a little script to follow, and a little feedback.  The rest just comes with practice.

Before you know it, it’s Showtime, and you’re the star!

Contributing Author: Ben Dooley, PCC. YOUR coaching confidence and success made easy and fun.
“I BElieve that you are an amazing, powerful, and impacting coach! I want to help you connect to that coach and unleash your coaching power and confidence to create your coaching success!”
Find out more Ben – awesome mentor coach and so much more – at www.bedo.org

If you liked this article about the power of Authenticity you may also like:

• Book Review – The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
• Coaching Tools 101: Discover The Qualities You Value Most About Yourself – It May Surprise You!
• Why Am I Unhappy? 7 Examples of How We Get Disconnected from Our Values and Our Selves

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I was writing a teleseminar this week about ‘concretizing’ coaching – finding ways to demonstrate the value and power of coaching in a tangible way. And it reminded me of a turning point in my coaching business several years ago – a coaching program I created that got me 12 clients in 2 weeks. It literally took me ONE day to put it together – the morning to plan and outline it, and the afternoon to create the poster and words. My first new client signed up that very afternoon (my mortgage broker who had stopped in to get some paperwork signed). I had just printed off a few posters and she said, “Sign me up!”. I  didn’t believe her at first, until she got her cheque book out…

As I look at this poster now, it takes me right back to that time years ago, when I was setting my practice up, questioning myself, and struggling to describe coaching and get clients. I was on a tremendous learning curve and kept wondering if it would all (ever) work out.

So, getting 12 new clients in such a short space of time was a HUGE confidence boost for me. I had been building a list through my newsletter, workshops, networking and had been getting a slow, small and steady stream of clients. But it was this program that made my coaching business feel REAL to me.

Now, there are different ways you can SHOW people what coaching is, like giving a great sample session, taking them through a coaching exercise or running a workshop or teleseminar series. But you have to get people interested in the first place! And I was having such difficulty explaining what coaching was that I thought, OK, I’ll just create my own coaching program using my coaching exercises – at least they’re ‘concrete’!

So, I spent a morning thinking – and listening to my intuition. What do my potential clients need help with? I sat down and thought about the problems and goals my clients and contacts tended to have, then looked at the coaching tools and exercises I’d created. I wrote a bullet point list of 9 steps that would help them with these problems and goals. Then for each of the 9 steps I identified 1-2 SPECIFIC coaching exercises that I could do with them. The idea was that having these concrete steps made it super-easy to be confident when I explained the program to potential clients.

I called the program, “Free Yourself and Get Happy!” and gave it a special promotional price of $195 for 3 sessions a month. The catch (my reason for the special price) was that I asked for a time commitment of 6 months – and a testimonial if they liked what we did together.

Now this program AND the poster are FAR from perfect. These days I would make the program simpler, more specific to a particular problem, goal or issue – and try to cover less. But this program – as it was – got me clients AND left me feeling proud and confident for the first time in a long while!

So, why did it work so well? Here’s what I think:

• My excitement and enthusiasm were infectious. I truly believed in what I was offering and knew that these clients would learn a lot.
• At LAST I could CLEARLY describe what I would do with my clients!
• The timing and topic aligned well. It was Spring and people were ready for a “Get Free!” type of program.
• The special deal price was good (and knowing it was a really good deal, helped ME talk about it confidently).
• I gave my program an inspiring title (even it it was a bit grandiose and/or vague)
• I listed the topics and exercises as CLEAR STEPS that people could actually envisage themselves doing – the client understood exactly what they were going to get from working with me..
• I put a timeframe on the program so the coaching was not some nebulous going on for years type-activity.

So, we have excitement, enthusiasm and confidence from me. And clear and relevant topics, good timing, great pricing and a time limit for the clients – so they understand exactly what the coaching involves.

Yes, I still had to put the poster up around town, email my contacts, mention it my newsletter and put it on my website. But it was totally worth it to get 12 NEW clients in under 2 weeks don’t you think? And this was before I was even ON Facebook!

I didn’t spend days creating a detailed, rigid program that gave my clients all the answers. I just created a simple framework that told people what I would do with them to move them towards their goals and solve problems they might have. I still coached  them towards their self-defined goals, I still ‘danced in the moment’ during our sessions. But the program’s steps gave us (me!) a focus – which took the pressure off me, and gave them something concrete to picture themselves doing.

So, ESPECIALLY when you’re starting out, a coaching program can be IMMENSELY helpful to help you clearly and confidently describe what you do in a way that people will understand. It’s something you CAN explain, feel GOOD about and go out and USE to market yourself and get some new clients!

So, why not CREATE Your OWN COACHING PROGRAM?

In fact, if it helps, here is the ACTUAL Microsoft Word Program Poster I used*** for you to use as a template. This is exactly as I used it – and  I have learned a LOT since then. I recommend having only 5-7 points, trying to cover less, coming up with your own name that addresses a specific problem or goal, and picking colours that tie in with your business and images that represent how your clients will FEEL once they’re completed your program. ***PLEASE NOTE: The poster has images, shapes and text boxes. If you’re a basic Microsoft Word user – just use it for inspiration or get some experienced help if you want to use this as a template.

And for ideas, here is the here is the ACTUAL Program Detail with Tools I created for the first 3 Months of the program. You’ll see I was clearly trying to do TOO much, but it felt great to have so many options up my sleeve and lots to inspire my clients!

And if you liked this article about Coaching Programs you may also like:

• 10 Easy Steps To Create Your Own Seminar Handout – Use to create a seminar handout, or your own Coaching Exercise for your new program!
• 15 Types of Coaching Products to Create! Article written for Back-to-School time, but these ideas can be used anytime!
• Create a Spring Clean Your Life! Coaching Program or Workshop with our Brand New Seasonal Toolpack (only available until April 30th)

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As a culture, we do have a tendency to focus on the negative. That’s why I liked this timely article by Master Coach Steve Mitten. I found myself thinking not only on the question Steve asks at the end, but “What would be MY 7 Beautiful Virtues?”. Well see what you think of Steve’s virtues – and why not comment on this article with YOUR 7 Beautiful Virtues below?

Over the Easter Holiday, my local newspaper ran an article on the “7 Deadly Sins”. This term attributed to Charles Dickens refers to the biblical sins of Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony and Lust which are thought to be “deadly” to the spiritual life. The point of the article was to show how many of these “sins” have become mainstream in our culture.

I will let others rant about the degradation of modern civilization. What the “Sins” article brought up in me was a question around what are the most important virtues. Specifically, I wanted to know what 7 virtues we (all of us in this modern world) would most benefit from embracing and living each and every day. After a little soul searching, basic research, and tuning into the ether of universal wisdom, here are my candidates for “The 7 Beautiful Virtues”, those virtues that would have the greatest positive impact on life on earth.

Here are my 7 Beautiful Virtues:

1. Faith – The ability to believe in the better.
2. Compassion – The ability to choose to let go of fear and to choose to love others and all living things.
3. Forgiveness – The generosity of spirit to begin anew.
4. Service – The desire to live for the benefit of others.
5. Courage – The strength to do what is right, even though you are scared.
6. Wisdom – The ability to see the bigger picture and access the deeper truth.
7. Commitment – The resolve to do what needs to be done.

Many answers are possible here. We could list virtues until the cows come home. I do not want to try to settle any debate once and for all. Rather my goal is to simply suggest that if we all focused a little more effort in bringing these virtues into our lives, the world would be a much better place.

And a Question for you to think about:

• What virtue, if you focused on it today, would add the largest value to your life?

Contributing Author: Steve Mitten B.ApSc., CPCC, MCC. Steve is a Master Certified Business & Executive Life Coach, and Past President of the ICF (International Coaching Federation). Learn more about Steve and check out his many resources for coaches at acoach4u.com.

And if you liked this article about sins and virtues, you may find these articles about values helpful:

• 7 Coaching Questions to Identify Values with Your Client!
• *Free* Value Examples List! 89 Values to give you ideas for your virtues!

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Group Coaching continues to increase in popularity for coaches and clients alike. Grounded in our core coaching competencies, group coaching brings the coaching conversation into a small group context. It is an intimate conversation space, focused on goal setting, deepening awareness around key issues, taking action, and accountability. For a group to be considered group coaching the ICF has set the upper threshold group size at 15. Most groups are much smaller, particularly those in the virtual environment.

Over the past few years, coaches have continued to expand the boundaries of group coaching. Whether you are a coach designing your own programs for parents, small business owners, those exploring work-life issues, or you are working with groups in an organization, group coaching offers many benefits to coach and client alike. Group coaching is both a virtual and in-person modality. Many coaches and clients enjoy the connections formed virtually with other participants, who may be several time zones and countries away.

The Benefits of Group Coaching:

Group coaching clients benefit from the peer learning with others, commonly referred to as the collective wisdom of the group. This peer learning is often as important as the interaction with the coach. Many clients find the process “less on the spot”, giving them more time to reflect and integrate their insights. Masterful group coaches step back and create a strong process framework for the coaching to emerge from.

Coaches may find that group coaching is a powerful way to leverage their time and resources, enabling them to work with more clients over less time, potentially at a lower price point per person.

Organizations may find benefit due to the scalable nature of the process, opening up communication between silos or group members in different parts of the organization. Over time these relationships create a valuable network across an organization. Group coaching can also be positioned as a training follow-on, supporting learners to with the transfer and application of their learning, creating an on-going accountability structure. Group coaching is an on-going conversation, which supports change over time.

What group coaching looks like:

Group coaching is taking many forms globally, given that it is driven and shaped by the various needs of different client groups. The group coaching conversation can feel “wide and broad” rather than the deep, deep dive of an individual coaching conversation.

Example #1: A group coaching program for female leaders exploring work life issues – ongoing in person corporate sessions over several months.

Example #2: Group coaching for new managers as a follow-on to leadership training, with conversations occurring monthly over a year.

Example #3: A three month bi-weekly program offered virtually (by phone) for business owners, with a mix of small group and individual coaching calls.

Key considerations:

What creates the foundation for masterful programs?

Lead from your core coaching skills – Group coaching is an extension of the coaching process. Coaches will want to lead from their core coaching skills, as well as remembering the importance of curiosity, holding your clients resourceful and complete, focusing on action and awareness along with accountability.

Spend time getting to know your group members – Just as in one-on-one coaching, in group coaching the relationship between coach and clients (plural in this case) is foundational for success. In group coaching there are multiple agendas at play, rather than just one.

In the lead up to my group coaching processes, I usually hold pre-program phone conversations with each group member. I use this call to answer any questions they may have, as well as to learn more about them, find out what brought them to the program and learn about their goals and success measures for your work together.

If you cannot connect with people before the start of the program, you will want to ensure this happens during the first group coaching conversation. The first group coaching session should also identify, or confirm, the topic or theme areas the coaching will look at, or use as anchors. Unlike a 1-1 conversation where it is common to have the individual client set the agenda that day, it can be useful to have an anchoring theme each session which group members use to ground their thinking or focus each week. For example, one week of a group coaching program for business owners may focus on business vision, or values. For leaders an anchoring theme may be strengths as a leader. These common themes anchor and focus the conversation.

Recognize that different group members will have different styles. There will be multiple personalities and style preferences within your group. Consider where preferences lay in terms of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles, or those that learn by seeing, hearing or doing. You will also want to learn about individual group members preferences in terms of how they prefer to process (verbally, in reflection, fast or slow). Vary your approaches accordingly.

Questions for you to consider after reading this article:

As you consider your own work, what might group coaching look like? What do you think the benefits will be? What considerations will you want to incorporate?

Contributing Author: Jennifer Britton is the author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley,2010). A thought leader in the realm of group coaching she has been working with teams and groups since the late 1980s. Jenn supports coaches in designing their own group coaching programs through the CCE-approved Group Coaching Essentials program. Join her on April 5^th for the Spring Community Call on Group Coaching Resources & Exercises. For many more tips and ideas visit the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog.

If you liked this article about Group Coaching, you may also like:

• Coaching Tools 101 – Using Coaching Tools & Exercises in Workshops Part 1

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