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Have you ever considered Group Business Coaching?
Posted March 26th, 2009 by Carroll King Schuller
There are many different ways to receive business coaching. One way, of course, is to schedule a one-on-one phone call or visit with your business coach. This is the most common way of conducting a business coaching call, but there is another alternative that you may be interested in: group business coaching.
In group business coaching calls, you join other business owners in the discussion. The business coach directs the call, with everyone adding his or her own ideas or asking questions during the discussion. There are some advantages to group business coaching. Instead of just hearing the ideas of the business coach, you can get feedback from the entire group. Often one person will have a completely different view on a subject, which can be very valuable. Because the business owners in the group are often in different types and sizes of businesses, they can provide viewpoints outside of your own. Hearing these other business owners discuss their problems and how they do things can be very insightful and may help you avoid roadblocks in the future.
The biggest downside to group business coaching calls is, of course, the group. You don’t have the one-on-one time with the business coach like you normally would. This means the conversation will not be as focused on your own concerns. In fact, since the call is on a time limit, the group may not get to your concern at all. However, most business coaches do keep this in mind and stick to a schedule, so that everyone gets time to speak.
In my coaching practice, I offer group sessions by phone and also in person at my office. The groups are kept small, no more than 6 people, in order to keep the conversation flowing and still give everyone the chance to ask questions and get what they need. Many people like the group sessions because of the benefits of working with other business owners and professionals, as well as the reduced per-person cost. But some business executives prefer a session with just one or two of their own business partners, in order to more quickly solve their own business problems.
Whatever you prefer – group sessions, partner sessions or individual coaching – the discussion will be valuable to you, perhaps in different ways.
