5 Best Practices for Running Effective and Lucrative Group Coaching Programs

Group coaching programs are very lucrative, and when done right, can pave the way to abundance and freedom, and the ability to impact more lives without burning out. So if you’re wondering how to run a group coaching program successfully, then you’re in the right place.

In this article, we will look at the 5 best practices for running effective and lucrative group coaching programs and how you can easily build them into your own program.

You will learn:

• Why group coaching programs are very lucrative
• Whether clients can get results in a group format
• The first thing you need to establish when the program starts
• The classroom method that creates a lot of freedom and leverage for you as a coach
• How to ensure clients stay connected and committed to your program
• How to increase your clients’ level of implementation
• How to ensure you don’t lose the intimacy and connection with clients in a group setting

 

Why group coaching programs are very profitable

Running a group coaching program is one of the most effective ways to scale a coaching business fast.

There’s a lot of benefits to offering your coaching programs in a group format since it allows you to:

• Help more clients and make more money in less time
• Stand out in your niche with your own coaching programs
• Make your coaching more accessible
• Have more fun and inspire more people in your business
• Create an easy-to-scale business model

What I’m finding over the course of 20 years of delivering group coaching programs is that these programs attract people who want to grow in the area you are offering.

And so what happens is the next thing you know, they buy more of your programs. They want to work with you as a coach or as an expert.

Success breeds success when it comes to group coaching programs.

 

Can clients get results in a group?

Now one of the biggest questions I get from people is, “Can clients get results in a group?”

Another question is, “Is it really that effective when clients do not get a dedicated one-on-one coach in a client relationship?”

The answer is “Absolutely yes!”

The goal is to create a great group coaching experience so that clients stay in the program, so that they do the work, they feel inspired and motivated, and get results.

If you’re thinking of different ways on how to run a group coaching program that gets results, then you need to make sure that these key elements are present in your program:

• Attention – attention from you
• Feedback – feedback from you and other group members
• Support – clients feel supported and encouraged
• Connection – group members feel connected to you and to each other

Support and connection don’t always have to come from you. They can come from other group members which lifts the pressure off of you to deliver all the value in the program.

As somebody who likes to train and teach, to me the idea of having other people in the group to offer feedback and suggestions and coach each other, I find it priceless because I don’t always know the answers.

Maybe I’m not able to think on my feet fast enough for a particular challenge and what happens is other people in the group are able to support whoever is struggling.

Now that you know these 4 key elements, it will come in handy when you start planning how to structure your coaching program.

 

How to Run a Group Coaching Program: 5 Best Practices

Here are the 5 best practices for running effective and lucrative group coaching programs and how you can easily build them into your coaching program.

Best Practice #1: Set Boundaries and Expectations

Depending on the size of your group and the nature of your topic, your clients might be expecting certain things from you that you may or may not be willing to offer.

Some people will come into your program with certain assumptions of what they’ll be getting. So it’s really important to create expectations early on.

• How much individual feedback will you be giving? How often? How will they receive this feedback? On the live calls only? Or between the sessions? Is it okay to contact you personally?
• How will group members interact and support each other? How will they contribute to each other’s journey? Is it okay to share their ideas for each other? And when and how can they do it so that it doesn’t disrupt your coaching calls and doesn’t interfere with your ideas and the process you designed in your program?
• What’s expected of the clients so they get results?

 

All of this can be established during your first live call and on your welcome page.

When clients understand how to behave and what they can expect, they’re much more likely to have a great experience and get results. Which, of course, means they’ll stay in the program and enroll in your next one.

Setting boundaries and expectations is one of the most important first steps when you’re planning how to run a group coaching program successfully.

 

Best Practice #2: Encourage Live Attendance

Group coaching calls are an important element when planning how to structure your coaching program.

This makes getting your clients to attend group coaching calls live even more crucial.

When they attend these calls, it helps to:

• Build trust and rapport
• Create connection and community
• Increase motivation and implementation

You can send out replays after the call so clients don’t feel anxious about missing a call, and they are more likely to sign up.

But once the program starts, do your best to make sure that people attend the coaching calls live.

 

Best Practice #3: Focus on Accountability

Clients hire coaches and join programs to get results.

As coaches and people who’ve coached others before, we know that when there is no accountability, there are no results.

It’s just too easy to stop doing the work and stop showing up on the calls if there’s no accountability in place.

Here are some ideas to keep your clients accountable:

• Send multiple call reminders
• Assign homework
• Invite group members to find accountability partners
• Give them a way to share their successes, challenges, and insights
• Encourage group members to stay connected between the calls

All of these are ways to keep your clients connected to the program and committed to the process, so they actually get results.

Clients need to feel seen and heard in order to succeed in the program. Without the accountability, they’re more likely to disconnect and disengage from the program.

As you’re planning on how to structure your coaching program, try to implement these ideas as much as possible to ensure there’s accountability in place.

 

Best Practice #4: Use a Reverse Classroom Method

The traditional delivery

Many coaching programs are delivered as live calls. Each call starts with some training and then followed by coaching and Q&A.

You can certainly do it this way, but then you’ll have to deliver your training over and over again, every time you offer your program.

Reverse Classroom

What I use is a Reverse Classroom method. In a reverse classroom, instead of teaching on the live calls, you send your training modules before each call.

Your clients watch the video or listen to the audio, they begin implementing or thinking about what they learn, then they bring their questions and insights to the live coaching calls.

Your clients come to the calls prepared, which makes it a lot easier for you to lead those calls. So instead of spending time teaching or training, you spend your live calls supporting your clients as they apply your information to their individual situations.

It frees up the time on your calls to do more coaching and implementation. The reverse classroom method makes the learning deeper and your clients get better results.

And my favorite reason to use Reverse Classroom is that you don’t have to keep training people live every time you offer your program!

You create your training modules just one time. Then you simply send out the modules and show up on the coaching calls. This means you can easily deliver your program over and over again, any time you want.

Implementing this strategy allows you to create highly leveraged programs. This method truly is one of the best ways on how to scale your coaching business.

 

Best Practice #5: Create One Easy Client Access Area

Giving your clients an easy way to access the exact information they need will not only save them time but also will increase their level of implementation.

How many hours do people waste searching for stuff they bought?

That’s why your clients need to have easy access to everything your program has to offer, such as:

• Training modules
• Call schedule
• Conference links
• Homework assignments
• Live call replays
• Tools and resources
• Access to group members

Everything they need to easily consume what you created for them, to connect with other group members, and to implement what they’re learning.

 

How to Run a Group Coaching Program Without Losing Intimacy and Connection with Clients

Many coaches worry that they will lose the intimacy and connection with their clients when they start working with groups.

Well, with Coaching Genie this is not an issue because of the unique features it has that allows your clients to always feel seen, heard, and nurtured.

Watch the free demo and discover how Coaching Genie can help you get your clients results faster, easier, and more efficiently than ever before.