Description:

Group coaching is a small group process whose main objective is to create a community of individuals whose shared energy and experience is leveraged to help individual group members achieve their goals (adapted definitions from Jennifer Britton and Ginger Cockerham). For career services professionals, group coaching is a scalable strategy designed to create community within the student populations we serve, and support the career development goal achievement of our students. Students can benefit from group coaching in the following ways: • Creating a shared focus and expectations • Supporting shared accountability • Working toward a common goal • Developing effective conflict resolution techniques • Enhancing communication skills The presenters will share the latest research on group coaching so participants will discover: • The definition, purpose, and benefits of group coaching. • Two models of coaching (the GROW model – Goals, Reality, Options, Way Forward*); and the GROUP model – Goal, Reality, Options, Understanding Others, and Perform**), and discern which model would work best for their student population. • The barriers to success in group coaching, and how to overcome them. • Ways to measure success in group coaching. *GROW creators – Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore (1980s) **GROUP creators – Saul W. Brown, Anthony Grant (2010) As group coaching can present challenges, the presenters will discuss useful tools to help structure the group process. Consideration will be given to the formation of the group, e.g., cohort-based, topic-based, etc.; the make-up of the group, e.g., how do they define themselves as individuals and as a group; and the issues surrounding group dynamics that should be studied before the group begins. By the end of this presentation and discussion, participants will acquire theoretical and practical knowledge they can use to initiate and evaluate group coaching of their students. The focus of our presentation and the conversations in the session will be on how to scale group coaching that creates supportive communities of students focused on helping each other achieve their career development goals.

Audience:

Career Services

Level:

Intermediate

Track:

Coaching & Advising

Type:

Traditional

Main Speaker:

Ann Garner, George Mason University

Additional Speakers:

Susan Gordon, Stevenson University