As part of our series on How to Put on Effective & Profitable Group Coaching Programs, in part one we discussed Why You Should Consider Group Coaching; then in part two we discussed the Top 10 Benefits of Putting on Group Coaching Programs. Today we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty of things and explore How to Actually Create Your Group Coaching Programs…
Creating a successful group coaching program takes time and effort, yet it’s well worth your time- and potentially $s-investment, as it can be a rewarding way to serve more people achieve their goals, often at a way more affordable rate.
How do you create a group coaching program? Here are the steps…
7 Steps to Creating Your Group Coaching Program
By following these steps, you can develop a program that meets the needs of your target audience and helps them achieve meaningful results. Here is an overview of the process:
1. Define Your Target Audience Identify Your Target Audience: Determine who your program is designed for. Consider the specific needs, challenges, and goals of your target audience to ensure that your program addresses their unique needs.
2. Establish Clear Objectives
What outcome will the participants achieve as a result of enrolling in your program. For example, Increase Energy Levels by at Least 50% and Losing at Least 10 Lbs.; or Become More Mindful of How You Spend Your Time and Increase Business Revenue by 25 to 50%.
The examples above have a % quantifier in them. You don’t need to do that, but it always helps if you can show there is some type of specific quantifiable outcome for those who enroll. The better you understand your Target Audience and their Needs, the easier it will be to enroll
3. Create a Curriculum
Share a detailed outline of what will be covered in every session. Keep in mind that for many of us this outline would be a framework and within it we’d still coach participants based on their needs. We found in the past two decades that programs that have a clear outline/curriculum are more successful in enrolling participants.
4. Choose the Right Platform to Deliver Your Group Coaching Program
Choosing the right platform for your group coaching program is an important decision. Here are some factors to consider when selecting a platform:
🎯 Ease of use, for both you AND your Group Coaching clients
🎯 Cost – unless you know you’ll enroll at least 5 to 10+ coaching clients at a few $100s each, NO NEED to spend on some fancy expensive platform
🎯 Features – does is provide you with tools that’ll allow you to serve your clients at the highest level? Such as, break-out rooms, white board (if needed), polling, assessments, etc.
Most of us deliver our Group Coaching Programs on zoom – a platform that allows for break-out rooms where you can pair participants for discussions or for buddy-accountability-coaching; allows you to create polls, and many other great features.
Many of us found that a HYBRID Group Coaching Program is the most effective.
Participants would first go through one or more short informational videos (usually NOT longer then 3 to 4 minutes each); then during the actual group coaching session (zoom, if that’s what you are using) would build on those lessons/videos.
You can host your video modules on your website, on hidden pages – perhaps protected with a simple password – or use a formal training site, such as Kajabi, Thinkific, aMember (for wordpress integration), etc.
For a sample of such a hybrid program, and to see how we host our Video and Text Modules, please Click Here to send a message – just let me know that you’d like to see one of our Hybrid Group Coaching Programs platform.
5. Incorporate Interactive Activities
One of the mistakes that often ends in losing members (and losing repeat business) is to deliver too much content and NOT engaging your Group Coaching participants. Instead, make sure to provide activities – perhaps break up participants in small groups, even groups of two, and have them discuss a challenge/goal/topic/etc., then share their results with the group. Talk to others who’ve delivered Group Coaching programs successfully and find out what types of interactive activities do they use. If you’d like a list of 12 Interactive Activities for Group Coaching Programs, Click Here to Request!
6. Establish Guidelines
Be clear on participants’ rules:
✔ emphasize the importance to attending as many of the live sessions as possible
✔ ask for a commitment to respecting the privacy of all participants – “what happens in the group sessions, stays in the group sessions”
✔ instruct them where to see the pre-recorded sessions (if you’ll use a hybrid group coaching program)
✔ how much time each participant has when contributing. Let them know what reminders you’ll have if they speak beyond their allotted time.
✔ instruct participants on how to choose a buddy-coach or accountability coach from within the group.
✔ ask for commitment to be open for feedback… and let them know that it’s a two-way road, as you, the group coaching leader, is also open to participants’ feedback
The above are just a few suggestions – you can add more, or fewer, guidelines depending on your program. One caveat: don’t get too heavy on rules – don’t have too many of them, but rather fewer, so it encourages participants (vs. stifling them with too many rules)
7. Utilize Assessment Tools
One way to increase retention, as well as repeat-business, is to provide participants with tools to assess their progress. One of my favorite way to do this is through clear checklists that keeps track of one’s progress.
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I hope you found the above tips helpful. If you have any questions regarding Group Coaching, post your questions in our Coaches’ Support Group discussion*, so others can benefit from our conversation; or if you are not a member, send your questions here!
* If you are not a member of the Coaches’ Support Group, make sure to apply and send me a message so I can approve you.
Read More
Read Part 1, Group Coaching – Part 1: How to Serve More Clients More Effectively… and Earn More 💸 – Click HERE!
Read Part 2, Group Coaching – Part 2: Top 10 Benefits of Group Coaching… to you as the coach AND to your clients – Click HERE!
E.G. Sebastian, is a Business-Development Coach, Corporate Trainer, and founder of Corporate Speaker Academy where he helps coaches, consultants, and authors break into the world of delivering Workshops, Group Coaching programs, or Keynotes to corporate teams. Learn more about E.G. at www.egSebstian.com and connect with him on LinkedIn.