Coach in groups… How to

What happens if you place 12 strangers in a room, unleash some inspiration and coach them together? Hopefully, a coaching programme that can enrich their learning process and maintain course attendance.

This is the aim of New-U Coaching's Business Exchange programme.

Launched last November, it seeks to enable senior employees and managers from different organisations to collaborate and learn together as a team through monthly workshops. These include 'Leadership from within', 'Your personal best' and 'Communicating with confidence'.

Enhancing skills

The programme, which costs 115 a month, is for people wanting to move up an organisation through succession planning, to those who want to enhance their leadership skills.

These could include a solicitor, a media guru and a recruitment consultant. Placing them in the same room might seem like a daring social experiment. However, the chemistry, rapport and interaction between the various employees does help the learning process, says New-U director Gillian Brown.

"Coaching 12 people from contrasting organisations actually boosts their learning outcomes. Individuals combine their personalities, skills and ideas taken from their own organisations," she says. "We're not trying to create a 'Big Brother' environment, but one where staff develop their leadership, confidence and people skills by learning together as a team."

Before each half-day workshop, em-ployees are set assignments relating to the theme. At the start of each session, they discuss the outcomes of each assignment with the group - such as demonstrating confidence at work or reading a mentoring book.

A key advantage of the programme is that individuals have the opportunity to network with each other - hence the name Business Exchange - which is an incentive for participants to maintain attendance and learning enthusiasm.

Also, each person is assigned their own personal coach who helps them achieve set goals within their career path. This can include skills required for presentation, communication and confidence, together with skills for people and stress management.

From its base in Edinburgh, New-U Coaching has coached employees from more than 32 organisations across Scotland to develop their motivation, promotion prospects and performance. Participating organisations range from law firms and utility companies to those in the public sector.

In the classroom, the delegates work as a team and are divided into sub groups. The workshops involve open discussion, based on lectures, followed by work in groups in which delegates brainstorm ideas on a flip chart.

But the key to any workshop's success is the banter and shared learning between the individuals, says Brown. Delegates may, for example, have to brainstorm what inspiration means on a large piece of paper, before it is pinned up on the wall. Here, stronger leaders emerge to explain why their group chose their definition. "We encourage participants to earn respect from each other at an early stage in the programme," she explains.

"They learn more about themselves and each other, which achieves a new dynamic. They might not all be close friends, but the key is that they share respect for one another."

Sustaining change

The workshops also include a relaxation exercise. This involves people closing their eyes, taking deep breaths and picturing an inspiring scene.

The employees are asked to describe the scene in detail then Brown writes associated key words on a flip chart. They are then asked to make the picture bigger in their minds. The participants open their eyes, collect their thoughts and describe to the group what their vision means.

Brown believes this exercise and others in the workshops enables individuals to sustain change and development in their organisation.

New-U Coaching claims it's too early to measure a return on investment, but believes employees can justify the course fees by generating new business through the networking.

"Our programme delivers a strong sense of teamworking, where individuals learn from others and themselves," says Brown. "This achieves collaboration and shared learning. The Business Exchange helps individuals develop key leadership and management skills, which benefits their workforce."

Case study

Helen Dobson, manager of Thistle Events, based near Edinburgh, joined the Business Exchange to learn more about herself so she could develop leadership skills for her new business. She started on the programme in January and will attend monthly workshops for more than a year.

"I needed a coaching programme to get me out of my comfort zone so I could overcome the fear of running my own business," says Dobson. "My objective is to establish my company as a leading events organiser and double my client base over a given period."

Since January, she has received one-to-one coaching from Gillian Brown, who mapped out career development goals that had to be achieved. These include developing strong organisational, leadership and motivational skills.

"I get a great deal from the one-to-one coaching as there is someone there to give me a gentle kick where it's needed. Gillian has worked closely with me to ensure I have achieved goals needed to develop my business."