Group Coaching Unplugged: What's the buzz all about?

Group coaching is a powerful way to help people achieve their goals, but leading a group effectively requires a unique set of skills and strategies. Whether you're new to coaching or looking to enhance your current practice, understanding how to create a supportive, engaging, and results-driven environment is key. 

Group coaching

​Group coaching is becoming increasingly popular. It is a powerful and collaborative approach that brings together individuals with shared goals in a supportive, guided environment. This method fosters connection, accountability, and mutual learning, as participants work alongside each other towards personal or professional growth.
 
Through group coaching, individuals benefit not only from the insights of a coach but also from the diverse perspectives and experiences of their peers. Whether focused on health, career, or personal development, group coaching offers a dynamic and cost-effective way to achieve meaningful progress and sustained change.
 
As a coach, group coaching allows you to expand your reach and help more people in less time.
 
For your clients, it provides an opportunity to connect with others pursuing similar goals and learn from the experiences of like-minded people.

What is group coaching?

Group coaching is a collaborative approach where a coach works with a group to foster their personal and professional development. Unlike one-on-one coaching, group coaching leverages collective wisdom, shared experiences, and peer accountability to drive transformation. It provides a platform for participants to learn from each other and build a supportive community. Group coaching can take place in diverse settings, such as online platforms, corporate environments, educational institutions, and community organisations, and is adaptable to a wide range of goals and outcomes.

Key benefits of group coaching

Member benefits include:
 

• Shared goals: Group members often aim for similar outcomes. For example, managing stress or work life balance.
• Interactive sessions: The group will engage with the coach and each other through activities and discussions.
• Facilitated discussions: The coach will facilitate and guide the conversation to ensure the session is productive.
• Mutual accountability: The group will support and hold each other accountable for their progress.
• Cost-effective: Group members can access the coach’s expertise and a supportive network without the high costs associated with one-on-one coaching.
• Shared wisdom: Group members can learn for their coach and their peers, creating a rich pool of shared wisdom.
• Increased confidence: A supportive group can boost individual and group confidence.

Coach benefits include:
 

• Expanding your reach: A coach can have more impact on individuals simultaneously compared to one-on-one coaching.
• Time maximising: A coach can manage multiple group coaching sessions, saving them time and energy compared to if they were conducting multiple one-on-one session. This may help to reduce their potential for burn out.
• Financial gain: Group coaching can demand a higher service fee. Charging per member can often surpass the rate of individual coaching sessions. Large business have budgets set aside for learning and development, and are willing to pay well for a great session for their team.
• Marketing strategy: Group coaching expands the word-of-mouth marketing for your coaching business and may result in client referrals.

Group coaching vs 1:1 coaching

​Whether you’re working with individuals or with groups, many of the coaching skills you utilise will remain the same. For example, the skill to stay focussed on a client’s goals, maintain flexibility and active listening.
 
Even so, group coaching comes with its own unique challenges and set of critical skills that a coach requires. Below is a breakdown of the differences[1].

Group coaching example

Here’s what a typical program might look like[2]:

• Weekly or bi-weekly sessions (60-90 minutes each)
• 8-12 week program duration
• 10-20 participants per group
• Online video calls or in-person meetings
• Structured curriculum with actionable exercises
• Breakout sessions (small group discussions) for deeper thinking and idea exchange
• Dedicated online community for ongoing support

Group coaching tips

Below are three of the most important skills to master:
 
1.      Ensuring confidentiality. While clarity and expectations around confidentiality are important in one-on-one coaching, it is crucial in group work. It should be clear that group members understand “what is said within the group, stays within the group”.
 
2.      Creative collaboration opportunities. In group sessions the group should drive the discussion, and the coach helps to foster this by tapping into the group’s collective wisdom. A group coach will have a treasure trove of intentional small group activities that facilitate peer-to-peer interaction.
 
3.       GroupThink. Group discussions, especially in executive and professional coaching, are susceptible to groupthink—a phenomenon where cohesive groups prioritise harmony and consensus over critical thinking. Groupthink occurs when the desire for unity leads to a failure to thoroughly evaluate decisions and challenge underlying assumptions. One effective way to combat this is by using thought-provoking questions that encourage deeper analysis and diverse perspectives[3].
 
Other challenges include:

• Balancing group dynamics and personalities to ensure everyone feels included
• Managing varying member commitment to the process, participation and engagement.
• Keeping the group on track ensuring discussions are relevant to the session.
• Ensuring confidentiality and creating a safe space for all members.
• Equal time and feedback for each member.
• Keeping on top of each member’s progress ensuring they all meet their goals. 

Group coaching models

There are a number of tried and tested group coaching models, each with unique characteristics and benefits. Here are some of the more common models.
 
1 Cohort Model 
As a cohort, individuals/members of the group will journey through the coaching program together, they all start and finish at the same time.
 
In this model you will build a sense of community and solidarity; the cohort share similar goals or challenges. Their bond throughout the program creates a powerful camaraderie and mutual support. Working through shared experiences over a period of time, the cohort will often bond with heightened motivation, collective wisdom and accelerated progress towards their goals.
 
How it works:

• An already established group or cohort come together, or a business will run their team through a specific and targeted program. Either way, everyone starts as one.
• The cohort go through a specific, established curriculum together.
• Once a cohort finishes, the next cohort starts.

 
2 Membership Model 
This model mimics a membership approach with an ongoing subscription. Members can join at any time and access all the group coaching resources and sessions as long as they maintain their membership. This approach provides flexibility and ongoing support to members, they can pick and choose what works best for them and at their pace. A key benefit of this model is that long term and new members will ensure a dynamic and diverse range of perspectives, enriching the coaching experience. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving.
 
How it works:

• Members pay a subscription fee (monthly or annually for example), a good method to ensure continuous income.
• Members get regular access to coaching sessions, resources, and a community or peers.
• Great for long term growth and development.

 
3 Course Based Model 
A blend of the above models, the course-based model is a structured approach where the coach follows a set curriculum, structured like a course.
 
How this works:

• Members sign up for a program that follows a syllabus with predetermined topics and activities.
• A specific start date and end date is promoted for anyone to join.
• Ideal for specific coaching.

 
Examples might be a program targeted at couples, aged 55 years and over, who are looking at retirement and want to age and retire well. The program is structured from week to week with various aspects of physical health and mental wellbeing coaching sessions.

 Create your program

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a group coaching program.

Final message

Group coaching has a different dynamic to one-on-one coaching and there are more variables to consider prior to launching a new program, such as accounting for and managing the unique personalities of participants, different styles of learning and communication, and creating a safe space for sharing and critical thinking.
 
Group coaching provides the opportunity to support more clients in less time and enables you to expand your reach. The energy that can be experienced in a group session can be incredibly motivating and inspiring for you and the members.

References

[1] Blackbyrn, S. (2023) The Ultimate Guide to Successful Group Coaching: Tips, Strategies and Best Practices. Coach Foundation. Online www.coachfoundation.com Accessed: 2/10/24.

​[2] Simply Coaching. (2024). How to Structure a Group Coaching Program (Step-By-Step). Online: https://simply.coach/blog/group-coaching-program/ Accessed: 2/20/24

[3] Park, W. W. (1990). A review of research on groupthink. Journal of Behavioural Decision Making, 3(4), 229–245.

Author

Michele Cooper