Last week here at the blog, I included a post on systems. Systems help us with scaling our business, automating certain functions and doing things faster. Pages 73-75 of the Coaching Business Builder covers these five systems coaching businesses will want to have in place:
There’s always more we can be doing and putting into place in our business, especially in the area of systems. Questions to consider as you think about your systems right now -
Last week, I had you note what you wanted to look at for next year in terms of systems (link to that post). Is there anything you want to focus on this year before you close off? One area that can be useful for coaches to develop is an FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions sheet. Think about the regular questions you get about your work. This might include things like: What is coaching? How can I participate? Is this an in-person or online program? Where is the program held? Provide participants with details around course location (online or in person) What do I need to participate? What materials and technology do people need to participate? Do they need access to the internet? Is there any software required? What time will be required to participate? What are the expectations from you in terms of amount of time required for assignments, readings, preparation before the next session, etc.? How do I connect/access the calls and/or information? Include any details and testing required prior to the start of the program. Indicate what people need to have done, and WHEN, before the start of the program. As a participant, what supports will I have? Include information on materials provided, access to you and other participants What components are included in their registration? Provide details in your FAQ— the program itself— length, start and end times; any follow-up coaching, follow-up calls. FAQs can be uploaded to your website. What's the one thing you'd like to further develop as a system in your business to support you with automation, service and scaling your business? Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton
Author of Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Potentials Realized - Supporting Coaches, Businesses, Leaders and Teams Is 2019 your year to take it ahead? Join me for one of our two annual groups - The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on coaching business development) Phone: 416-996-8326
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Keeping Neuroscience at the Forefront of Good Design - © Jennifer Britton Photo Credit - Britton, 2017 (Excerpt, Effective Virtual Conversations) In Effective Virtual Conversations I share the journeys of two professionals who work in the virtual space – Jane and Jo. In chapter 5, Jane reflects on what it takes to incorporate science into her work with groups in the virtual space. I highlight eight different areas of focus. We want to design with the learner’s entire self in mind, brain included. This month at the Learning Lab Design Studio. I explored eight different neuroscience elements you will want to keep in mind as you go to design your own programming. As you read through today's blog post, consider what elements you want to be focusing on in your work: These include:
Under times of stress our brains may revert to their more reptilian past, and we may go into “Fight” or “flight” mode – looking to fight or wanting to run away respectively. What can you do to create more certainty and safety for your learners and in your design. Mirror Neurons – Just like a mirror, we are influenced by those around us. The notion of mirror neurons indicates that our brain will “fire” in ways that is similar to those we are in dialogue around. With this in mind, what is the environment you want to create for your groups? PEA/NEA – Explored by Richard Boyatzis and his team, the Positive Emotional Attractor Network (PEA) is a series of components of the brain, which support in “opening up” the brain. When we ask questions like “What’s possible?” or “What would you do if you won 50M dollars?” all active this network, and create an open space. Consider what you can be doing to incorporate these questions and/or work around vision in your programming. Micro-moments: Barbara Frederickson writes that change and connection occurs through what she calls “micro-moments”. Consider how you can be building this into your design, or getting your group to become more aware of their significant micro-moments. Positive Interactions – The highly disputed Losada Ratio found that in order to “thrive” we need three positive interactions to one. While the ratio is disputed mathematically, it is valuable to think about the ratio of positive to negative conversational elements. John Gottman found that this ratio is closer to 7 to 1 for teams that thrive. What can you do in your design to boost the habit of providing positive interactions with your group/team members? The Social Brain – The notion of the social brain is multi-fold and includes the notion that we learn through and in connection with others. What are you doing to boost peer connection? Oxytocin – also known as the bonding hormone, this hormone is important for teamwork and group cohesion. Be aware that this is activated through touch and togetherness. What can you do in your design to leverage this “feel good” neurochemical? Latency and Recency Effects – We remember the start and end of things but everything in the middle can get muddied, unless it is memorable. What can you do to create something novel mid way to loc k in learning? Consider visual anchors, polls etc.” End of Excerpt. Copyright 2017-2018, Jennifer Britton. All Rights Reserved To read more about program design the virtual space pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations. Resources to explore Chapter 5 – Effective Virtual Conversations, for more on these 8 elements Barbara Frederickson – PositivityRatio.com Richard Boyatzis NEA/PEA: The role of the positive emotional attractor in vision and shared vision: toward effective leadership, relationships, and engagement Richard E. Boyatzis,1,* Kylie Rochford,1 and Scott N. Taylor. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439543/ Mirror Neurons: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-athletes-way/201402/do-mirror-neurons-help-create-social-understanding AND https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/brain-myths/201212/mirror-neurons-the-most-hyped-concept-in-neuroscience What are your specific steps to incorporate neuroscience into your work? Enjoy the start to your week, Jennifer .Jennifer Britton
Author of Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Potentials Realized - Supporting Coaches, Businesses, Leaders and Teams Is 2019 your year to take it ahead? Join me for one of our two annual groups - The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on coaching business development) Phone: 416-996-8326 One of the topics we explore in the Coaching Business Builder is the topic of program design. As I wrote a few weeks ago, since I became more intentional around noticing where I was spending my time by using my monthly tracker in the Coaching Business Builder, I have been amazed at just how much time I spend every week in program design. Program design is a core focus in the Group Coaching Essentials program I run as well as the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program (link to both programs at the Group Coaching Essentials sites). I go into a little more depth in Coaching Business Builder (pages 71 – 73) but go into a huge amount of detail in my other books (see links below). You can also pick up with the on-demand program – Tips and Tools for your Group or Team Programs which I host over at Teachable. Here are 8 specific steps you can take in designing your next program:
There’s a lot on this list, however, think about chunking it down to focus on each one in a separate sitting. Program design is not a race to the finish, it’s a journey. Great program design is rarely completed in one sitting. It marinates and grows in creative spurts. What are the steps you want to take in moving your program ideas forward? Best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton
Author of Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Potentials Realized - Supporting Coaches, Businesses, Leaders and Teams Is 2019 your year to take it ahead? Join me for one of our two annual groups - The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on coaching business development) Phone: 416-996-8326 As we start rolling into the end of the year our work cycle can be filled with planning, and likely a number of celebrations, closures and connecting with clients. Over the last few months I have been enjoying facilitating the Plan.Do.Track™ series of virtual retreats. These four hour programs are aimed to support professionals in quick sound bytes around their own planning for projects (or year end), as well as getting into action and starting to get data around what’s working and what’s not. In that spirit, I wanted to plant two seeds. One, what upcoming opportunities do you have to say thanks? When was the last time you reached out to your community to thank them for their support, or to take the time to reminisce about a 2018 project?Taking time to pause is critical in today’ work space, and we don’t always do it. What is one meeting or celebration with a past client you’d like to add before the end of the year? Schedule that now! Second, I’d like to plant the seed around building in time to take stock before we get to year end. Perhaps you’ll join me for an upcoming Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreat Thursday November 28 - 1 - 5 pm ET, December 5 - 1 - 5 pm ET, December 20 (1-5 pm ET) OR simply, maybe you’ll use some of these questions to support you in reflecting and taking action:
Enjoy moving these forward! Jennifer As part of my giving thanks for your support, I'm offering a number of specials this week, which will run up to CyberMonday - November 26 2018. It also includes 40% off my annual membership groups which run throughout the year - The Learning Lab and Design Studio (Fridays 845 - 930 am ET: 1st and 3rd weeks of the month), and The Coaching Biz Growth Lab (Fridays 3 -4 pm ET: 1st and 3rd weeks of the month). Savings end 11/26/18. Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author multiple books includingthe Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized Phone: 416-996-8326 Check out the November 2018 CBB Book Club Call entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". You can view it here. One area coaches may find themselves spending a lot of time around, especially if they work with groups or teams, is the area of program design. Whether it’s designing a webinar, delivering a workshop or facilitating a group coaching program, the elements of program design are all similar. Design is a critical skill set to have, and since I’ve stated tracking this as part of my own work cycle using the monthly tracker in the Coaching Business Builder, I’ve been surprised in noticing how many days of each month has some level of design effort. In the next month here at the blog, I’ll be looking at different layers of the program design process, given that this is one time of the year where many of us are looking to launch a new initiative for the 2019. For those interested in taking a deeper dive into these topics, I go more into it all of my books – refer to: Chapter 5 – Designing Your Group Coaching - in Effective Group Coaching (link on amazon) Chapter 4 – Design Principles and Practices - in From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching. Chapter 5: Creating the Container in Effective Virtual Conversations where I share the PEBBLLES model for considerations for virtual program design You will also want to check out the November 2018 article I wrote for the Coaching Tools Company on Signature Programs. You can read it here. Question to Consider: What are your 2019 program design plans? Use the trackers and monthly planners in the Coaching Business Builder to schedule in time to work on your designs. Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton
Author of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner Potentials Realized Phone: 416-996-8326 Check out the November 2018 CBB Book Club Call entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". You can view it here. The funnel is a marketing term which visually helps us consider what we are offering. It's also an important tool to see how we are engaging with our clients/customers in different ways and at different price points. Imagine an inverted funnel in which the top is wide, scaling down to the bottom. If you have a copy of the Coaching Business Builder you can work through your own funnel on page 8. I've also included one here at the blog. Let’s look at it first from the perspective of what you are offering in terms of your products or services. Then we’ll look at it in terms of how you are building relationships. At the top of the funnel we have those items which are free or no fee. This is the widest part of the funnel and it is geared to attract the most amount of people. At this level we might include things like
At the next level of the funnel, you will have low priced offerings. Again, the purpose may be to strengthen relationships and also generate money. These might include:
At the next layer, we have mid priced programming. This is perhaps where your live offerings of retreats or group coaching might reside. Finally, at the top end of the funnel (the smallest part) you may have individual one-on-one coaching, OR Intensive work with you through a Weekend Program OR a VIP Day. As you consider your programming for the next year, what would you put in each of these layers. Which programs could benefit from some attention and/or need to be developed? Over the next month we will be focusing on the topic of Program Development, one of my favorites, here at the Coaching Business Builder blog. I’ll be taking you through some posts which include a step by step look at program design, as well as what’s important to consider from science as you go to develop your own programming. Best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Coaching Business Builder (2018) as well as Effective Group Coaching (2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013) Connect on Instagram at CoachingBizBuilder Potentials Realized Phone: 416-996-8326 Don't forget to check out past Coaching Business Builder calls. The November 2018 CBB Book Club Call was entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". View it here. ![]() Be In my planning virtual retreats over the years, as well as at the Coaching Business Growth Lab, I speak regularly about the importance of taking regular action on our businesses. Whether we focus full time on coaching, or have it as a side gig, spending time to Plan, Get Things Done, and Track is critical. This has led me this fall to launch the Plan.Do.Track(TM) series of programming (next Virtual Retreat coming up today at 1 pm ET!), and also to be releasing an adaptation of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner as the Plan.Do.Track Workbook and Planner for Remote and Virtual Professionals (coming out in December). Taking consistent action is key, and allows us to manageably, and sustainably, build business. As we step into the month of November, what are your top 3-5 goals? What are the regular steps that will take you towards achieving these goals? For the last six months I've been walking around with a hand-written note in my planning journal. I finally was able to get it professionally laid out a few weeks ago but a trusted designer I use regularly. Even with all the design work I do as an author and instructional designer, I LOVE seeing my scrawls come to life. A big thank you to Jennifer of SecretaryZone in bringing this to life for me! I'm pleased to offer up a free resource you can use to support you in your work - The Weekly Booster For Your Business. You can download it here and try it out. I'd love to see how you use it in action, so take a photo and tag it with #90DaysPlanDoTrack, the current Instagram series I have running over at my CoachingBizBuilder feed. If you enjoy this resource, perhaps you'll join me for an upcoming Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreat. These are 4 hour virtual planning sessions to support you in taking action on your business. For the next 2 months I'll also be offering a special year-end planning focus during these blocks. Reserve your spot now in one of the upcoming Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreats: Today - November 1 - 1-5 pm ET Saturday November 17 - 10 - 2 pm ET (yes - that's right - a Saturday program!) Thursday November 28 - 1 - 5 pm ET Wednesday December 5 - 1-5 pm ET Thursday December 20 - 1- 5 pm ET Learn more and sign up now Download a brochure on the Plan.Do.Track VRs. Best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton Author of Coaching Business Builder Potentials Realized Phone: 416-996-8326 Don't forget the November 2018 CBB Book Club Call is on Monday November 5 from 11 -11:30 am ET entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". Hope you'll join me in my main zoom room (zoom room #270-302-0415 - no that is not a phone # but a zoom room #). ![]() Hello October! It's the start of a new month and a new quarter. With this new month comes the start of the 4th quarter of the year. Have you taken a few minutes today to reflect and capture your goals for the month and the quarter? This week's blog post includes questions for you to consider as you step into October, Q 4 and the fall/spring: What are your top 3- 5 goals this month? This quarter? What will "wild success" look like at the end of the month? The year? What's the ONE THING you really want to accomplish this month? What are the key metrics you want to track (note: be sure to use the Monthly Daily Tracker AND/OR the One Line a Day in the Coaching Business Builder) What's going to help you be successful? What daily steps will create the momentum you are looking for? As you consider the end of the year, what is important to put a focus on? Who will be able to support you around your goals? What key learning from Q 3, and September, can you carry into Q 4 and October? What's the one thing you need to say NO to in order to focus? On Friday I hosted my monthly "Month End Reflection and Monthly Planning Session". This is a one-hour program I run each month (usually the last Friday of the month). It's geared to provide you with time and a structured live process to reflect on, and capture. your achievements and learning for the month, while also leaving space to set your goals for the next month. I'll be hosting 2 of these reviews in October. I hope you can join me. Mark the October month end sessions now - Friday October 26th from 3 - 4 pm ET OR Wednesday October 31st from 8-9 am ET. Cost: $39 US. Reserve your spot here. Another project which is underway that you might enjoy following along this fall is the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series of daily questions I am posting on Instagram at the CoachingBizBuilder page. Every day until the end of fall I will be offering a different prompt. We're just at day 10 today, so grab a pen and your journal, and join us! As we step into shorter days of October in the Northern hemisphere, but also brilliant fall colors, I hope that you will enjoy the month! Best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC Phone: 416-996-8326 Coach and Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching Interested in more on this topic? Join me for one of the complimentary Virtual Book Club Calls to go inside the book! Next call is scheduled for this morning - Monday October 1st - 11 - 11:30 am ET - 9 Promotional Vehicles for Your Coaching Business. . Download the upcoming book club call list here. If you are interested in growing your coaching business this fall, join me for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab, a coaching group for coaches. We meet the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 3 - 4 pm ET, providing you the space to focus and accelerate your business actions. Our October focus will be on Accelerators and Beliefs and Relationships and Networks, in your business. Come and have a focused Friday afternoon with a great group of coaches! More information and registration here. ![]() As busines owners there can be a lot of shiny "red objects" that show up, that seem to be important but really become a bit of a distraction. We are less than 100 days to the end of the year - 96 to be exact as of today - which is long enough to make some really significant progress on some of the 2018 goals you may not have yet checked off your list. What's the most important goal you want to make sure you have achieved by the end of the year? If you haven't pulled out your vision and annual plan for a while, here's an encouragement to do so - what's still left on the list? Last Thursday I posted for the first time, in a long time, over at the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog (one of my original blogs focusing on group and team coaching issues). In it I shared a dozen questions to consider as you step into fall (or spring if you are in the Southern Hemisphere). Read that post here. That post also inspired me to start a new series over at the CoachingBizBuilder Instagram feed (check it out and follow if you are on Instagram) which I am terming #90DaysPlanDoTrack. Each day for the fall I'll be posting a new photo and question to get you into some daily action and momentum around your business. I hope that you will join in with the momentum! The notion of PLAN.DO.TRACK frames the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and planner, and really stemmed out of the years of coaching work I did through the 90 Day BizSuccess program, starting back in 2006. This program is one that I now license to other coaches and do not run myself. As many of your know earlier this year I launched the Coaching Biz Growth LAb(TM) program which is a rolling enrollment open group coaching program for coaches looking to build their business. We've had a ton of fun exploring topics like Business Habits and Mindsets, Instagram hacks, Coaching Business Systems, and your internal Business Ecosystem. This summer we did the first of several 31 day challenges planned - that one around Instagram. More coming this fall, along with some afternoon Get It Done sessions where we come together for some virtual co-working and encouragement to get things done and off our list. A new month is just about to begin -- will you join us at the CGBL for the rest of the year? (Note a special 3 hour monthly payment rate). Accountability can support enhanced business results, so what are you doing to build in regular community practices for support and encouragement. Whatever your goal is for focus for the next 96 days of the year, I hope that you will reflect regularly on some of these questions: 1. What's important about achieving or completing this goal? (Coaching Note: As we know as coaches, it can be useful to reconnect with the 30,000 foot view and WHY of the issues that are important. As you step back - or step up - to look at this, what new energy and ideas are generated)? 2. What is the quickest way to achieve it? What's another way? And another way? (Coaching note: as we often see, generating alternative solutions can be invaluable and spur us on to more complete solutions) 3. What shiny, red objects have shown up, which are causing a distraction? 4. What's most important to you in your business right now? 5. Who can provide the support and resources you need to be successful? 6. What do you need to say NO TO in order to focus on your goal? 7. When did you last pause to take stock (and TRACK) where things were at? 8. What's going to create some momentum for you? 9. What are you doing to note, and celebrate milestones (and learning) along the way? I hope that you find these questions useful. I am incorporating them in a new series of virtual business planning retreats I am hosting this fall called the Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreats. These 4 hour retreats consist of a mini-booster shot and space around planning, getting things done and tracking. Dates are posted here - I hope that you'll join me for an upcoming session! Best Jennifer Jennifer Britton Email: info@potentialsrealized.com Phone: 416-996-8326 Coach and Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching Follow along on Instagram Connect over at the EffectiveGroupCoaching Facebook page If you are interested in growing your coaching business this fall, join me and the group for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab, a coaching group for coaches. We meet the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 3 - 4 pm ET, providing you the space to focus and accelerate your business actions. More information and registration here. With the last full weekend of summer officially behind us, many coaches are starting to kick it into high gear with clients, as clients start looking to "year end" already. Today's post gets you thinking about three productivity hacks YOU can implement for yourself. These can help to boost focus and get things done, without necessarily spending more time in the office. 1. Build in regular planning time. As I have written in the past, ten minutes of planning can save 2 hours of unfocused effort, according to old project management adages. When are you building in time to plan daily? Is this something you want to do at the start of the day, or the end of the day? Would it be useful to build in a quick end of week review (either Friday afternoon or over the weekend)? This is what the Month In Focus tool is geared for - taking time each week to pause and note your key priorities, successes, enablers, derailer, lessons learned and commitments for the next week. There are 12 months of Month in Focus tools included in the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner. Already many coaches are making it a regular end of week activity! 2. Tap into a community for support and regular action - As coaches our work can be very solitary, especially if we work virtually. Connecting with a community of others can be really powerful in terms of getting things done, sharing resources and gaining inspiration. Last week I jumped into an Instagram Video 5 Day Challenge with the wonderful Denise Wakeman, and was reminded of how motivating it can be to be in a group! I've seen this in my own programming, where last month at the Coaching Biz Growth Lab we did a 31 Day Challenge to take regular action on social media. The traction, and habits created, have carried forward as well. I also saw this play out on Friday with the launch of two different fall programs - the Mentor Coaching Group (for ACC renewals, and PCC) and my Virtual Facilitation Essentials programming. What communities would you like to join this fall? 3. Notice where your time is really spent and track where your results are coming from. As solopreneurs our time is limited. It's useful to regularly take stock of where your time is really going. How much time are you spending on client support? Proposals? Preparation or Design work? Marketing? Social Media? Learning? Connecting? Revenue Generating Activities? If you don't know how much time you really spend, or haven't really seen this in a while, you may want to use the Monthly Daily Tracker to capture these numbers. As coaches our work can be very seasonal, with ups and downs throughout the year. If you have been in business for a few years now, notice where your ebbs and flows are. And as a BONUS - Does everything have a place in your office? Having moved between two different offices for the better part of the last 6 months I have come to realize how streamlining items, and dedicating a home to each, is important for me to focus on work when I am there. The movement between locations has also helped me tackle some of the paper items which can get really overwhelming if you liaise with a variety of clients and partners. While my northern office is now closed for the year, integrating the resources from both happened quite seamlessly this past weekend. Carving out regular 10-15 minute blocks to tackle a set of files, or drawer or area, can put things back into order. Doing this regularly starts to have an impact. What's the part of your office which could use some organizing? As you put these quick hacks into practice, what do you notice? Enjoy your week, Jennifer Jennifer Britton Email: info@potentialsrealized.com Phone: 416-996-8326 Coach and Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching Interested in more on this topic? Join me for the fall Virtual Business Planning Retreat - this Thursday from 1 - 5 pm ET. Over the course of 4 hours you'll be able to do some planning AND take some action on key activities (perhaps getting started on your tracking, or clearing, or systems, OR....?). Reserve your spot in Thursday's 4 hour Business Planning Retreat below. If you are interested in growing your coaching business this fall, join me for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab, a coaching group for coaches. We meet the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 3 - 4 pm ET, providing you the space to focus and accelerate your business actions. More information and registration here. Reserve your spot in Thursday's Virtual Business Planning Retreat - Fall 2018 (Thursday September 20 - 1 - 5 pm Eastern/10 - 2 pm PT)- $97 US: |
AuthorCoach Jennifer Britton has worked with entrepreneurs across a variety of sectors since the late 1990s, even before she was in business herself. From supporting micro-entreprise and eco-tourism businesses to working with service based entrepreneurs and coaches, her PRACTICAL and TACTICAL approach to business coaching is ACTION focused, with emphasis on AWARENESS as well. Jenn is the author of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and planner, and 3 others books related to group and team coaching and virtual conversations. She also hosts the Coaching BIzGrowth Lab, an open-enrollment group coaching program for coaches. Jenn founded her business - Potentials Realized - in April 2004. Archives
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