Group Coaching Mastery

Platform and Stage Skills for the Group Coach

DeLoresPressley — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:16:06 +0000

In the wake of the economic challenge all businesses large or small are learning how to adapt to these constantly changing times. One awesome way to adapt is to use the power of your voice to grow your business. Your group coaching business is about engaging and connecting with your clients.

In the modeling world, one agency's slogan was, "you don't have to be a professional model to look like one".

Well, "you don't have to be a professional speaker to sound like one."

Having the proper tools of a professional speaker will help build credibility for your coaching. There are many facets to being an awesome group coach and having great platform and stage skills will contribute to your business success.

Here are a few stage and platform tips you want to consider:

Meet the Venue
Set up an early visit to the location of your presentation. Get familiar with the room’s set-up so that you can fine-tune your audio visual details to suit. This will also reduce speaking anxiety.
Pave your Introduction
Write an intro and provide it to your host in advance of the event. In this way you can control your lead-in and gain some credibility that appears to come from an outside source.
Wear Proper Stage Attire
Wear clothes that are one subtle notch above your audience. Human nature draws people to admire and emulate a person who appears successful. Boost your own confidence at the same time.
Mingle Early and Late
Make time for schmoozing before you present. Be sure to factor time spent on equipment set-up, and also leave time for more ‘meet and greets’ afterwards. Your listeners will want to get details or discuss questions.
Breathe
When you feel yourself getting nervous or anxious – stop, refocus and remember to breathe. Use controlled breathing to calm yourself and regain your composure.

These are a few ideas to get you started. I'll share more details about each tip over the next several blog posts. Share your comments and let me know your thoughts.

DeLores Pressley, Professional Speaking Expert

DeLores Pressley is an international keynote speaker, author, life coach and the Founder of the Born Successful Institute and DeLores Pressley Worldwide. DeLores has spoken to more than 107,000 people in over 65 major cities and countries. She has been interviewed on America’s top rated shows including, OPRAH and Entertainment Tonight. She produces Speak for Hire, an educational program teaching entrepreneurs, speakers and coaches how to speak and grow their business. More about DeLores

Being an expert ain't easy or is it?

Wendy Y. Bailey — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:32:20 +0000

Recently, my sister told me about a seminar she attended. The presenter helped participants understand the importance of keywords for getting found on the internet as the expert in your niche. She told them to know your niche then Google it followed by the word "expert" to see where you stand in the market.

I decided to try it and Google, "group coaching expert." Yes, I am a group coaching expert! I was pleasantly surprised to learn all of the intentional activity I've taken is paying off! How kewl is that?!

And, I'm in amazing company with these other Group Coaching Experts:

Ginger Cockerham Ginger is known as the mother of group coaching. She started it all and has carved out a significant space in the market via various vehicles and program offerings. I haven't met Ginger personally but I did have the opportunity to be "in her presence" many years ago when I first started learning about groups. She is truly the model for group coaching.

Jennifer Britton Jennifer has invested the past five years blogging about group coaching and offering fundamental insights about tried and tested group coaching strategies. Her style is very interactive which is a must for coaching in a group. Jennifer and I haven't met but we're both actively support the Group Coaching SIG so we're connected there for sure. Jennifer approaches group coaching from an academic perspective. Always informative!

Then, there's me - Group Coaching Diva, Wendy Y. Bailey, sharing group coaching using NLP as a way to create a whole new learning experience for your group members. NLP or neuro-linguistic programming offers a new way to communicate your content. Through my original method, I help coaches, speakers and trainers create, market, fill and deliver powerfully compelling group coaching programs. It's a challenge for most coaches to communicate the depth of what your program offers. I teach you how to become multi-lingual in your marketing and delivery to ensure lasting change for your group learners.

So, what's the point of this post? Being an expert ain't easy or is it?

Positioning yourself as the expert requires that you know your niche and intentionally carve out a space for your work in the market. It's all very strategic, heh? When you are strategic, it's easy to share the abundance of the space and let people who share the niche know you're always willing to support them too.

What's one intentional way you use to stand out as an expert in your niche? Can't wait to see what you're doing!

Wendy Y. Bailey - Master Certified Group Coach

Wendy Y. Bailey is a Master Certified Group Coach, Certified Experienced Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practictioner. Affectionately called "WendyY" by her business associates, colleagues and friends, she's also the Creator and Founder of Group Coaching Mastery - Master Group Coaching with an NLP Twist. WendyY helps coaches, speakers and trainers learn to create, design, market, fill and deliver bestselling group coaching programs using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (persuasive marketing, language skills and influence strategies.) More about Group Coaching Mastery programs

Does Your Group Coaching Blog Have A Blue Plate Special?

LaurieFoley — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:51:40 +0000

Clients of group coaching love to learn extra, bite-size information about your specialty. Are you regularly crafting one of the easiest types of blog posts to provide them with an ample buffet of resources?

I call it the Blue Plate Special Blog Post. Like the diner version, it is accessible and reliable. It's a standard type of post that many pro bloggers use and here's how you can serve it, too.

In a restaurant the special is often a pre-selected set of items: an entree and sides. In the Blue Plate Special Blog Post, it's a set of delicious links that you have hand-selected for your ideal learner. By offering a short commentary, you can make the links even more appealing and relevant. It's especially powerful for learners if you choose related links so that the post has a theme. Many bloggers choose a particular day of the week to feature their round up, much like the diner might serve recurring entrees on certain days.

The Blue Plate Special Blog Post offers several benefits:

You establish more authority on your blog by showing that you are connecting with other relevant sources.
Your readers receive quality content.
You create frequent content for your blog with greater ease.
You get more mileage from research that you are doing for your own business by turning it into helpful resources for your readers.
You contribute links to other bloggers, increasing the likelihood that they will notice your blog and might link back to you at some point, improving your blog's performance with search engines.

Try branding your Blue Plate posts to make them recognizable for your readers. This technique will build your brand as well! For example, Chaos to Clarity, a technology coaching and training business, calls them "5 Lucky Links" and they post every Friday. Patti Digh, author and retreat leader, collects links for her audience on "thinking thursday."

Just like the diner uses specials to bring hungry customers back for more, the Blue Plate Special blog posts can do the same for your blog.

Was this post tasty for you? Do you have other techniques for conveniently creating frequent content for your ideal learners?

Laurie Foley, Blogging Expert

Is your online presence energizing you or overwhelming you? Laurie Foley is an online presence coach who helps people and organizations thrive online. With more than 25 years of technology experience and 15 years as an entrepreneur, she is a resourceful and intuitive guide for those who want to establish a strong personal brand and learn the vital social media skills to flourish in a rapidly changing environment. Besides writing as Group Coaching Mastery's Blogging Expert, you can find Laurie at http://lauriefoley.com and on Twitter as @lauriefoley.

WWWD? The Ideal Learner Whine Doesn't Come with Cheese

Wendy Y. Bailey — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:06:37 +0000

Why do I have to focus on one ideal learner for my group coaching program?

I sure do hear this question a lot from coaches. It's one of the few times I hear coaches whining and it's just not pretty!

It's your time to stop whining because that ideal learner whine doesn't come with cheese. LOL

Watch this video to learn the three reasons why having ONE ideal learner is so very important.

Next Question in What Would WendyY Do?: How to you write emotional promotional copy?

What burning questions do you have about group coaching? Maybe you want to know how to get more people enrolled in your program or how to create masterful content. Ask your question and I'll answer in an upcoming post.

Wendy Y. Bailey - Master Certified Group Coach

How DO You Manage ALL Those Connections?

caroldeckert — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:55:25 +0000

One of my newest connections on LinkedIn sent me an email, with a question as to how I manage my connections. For those of you who are building a network and are "afraid" of over-extending yourself, read on . . .

Here is my response:

Don't be overwhelmed, take it one step at a time and enjoy what you do! Most of all realize that not all connections will develop into strong business relationships, although our hope is that they will, reality is that they won't. Don't be disappointed. Do all you can to nurture your network in whatever time you have available to do it. Most of all, don't overextend yourself. Enjoy building these relationships - international, multi-cultural relationships really open your eyes to the possibilities! Do only what you can do - and you are the only person who knows what that answer is.

Enjoy and most of all - let me know how I can be of help to you!

Networking is all about personal interactions . . . pass it on! Take whatever time is necessary to build some strong connections and don't be concerned with having a large number of them. It doesn't really matter how high your numbers are - it's what you do with those numbers that is important!

There are so many social networks available today. Don't feel like you "have" to belong to all of them. Be selective and look at the people who are participating. Do they fit into your target market or do they share a special hobby with you? Do what fits best into your life - don't be bullied into joining up with everyone, everywhere. After all, how many places do you have to be seen in order to network with the same people all the time? All it takes is one network!

Tell me what you think - how many networks are YOU involved in . . . how do YOU handle YOUR connections?

As a final reminder, contacts are those you just met, connections are the next step in the relationship building process (the interactions) , relationship is the level you want to achieve. Work hard, help others and keep those contacts moving in the right direction. Decide what is best for YOU, whether it's 15 minutes a day or 5 hours a day - choose your networks wisely.

Carol Deckert, Netweaving Coach

Carol Deckert is a Networking Coach and the Netweaving Expert for Group Coaching Mastery. She's the founder of Referrals Unlimited Network, has more than 8,500 first-level connections in LinkedIn and approximately 1,000 "friends" on FaceBoo k and more than 4,000 followers on Twitter! Carol knows you do need the numbers before you can accumulate quality connections, because not every connection will be a good one for you. Through her netweaving work, she helps others learn to do what she did, save them lots of time and heartache, by teaching them how to network efficiently and effectively. Contact Carol on Skype: Deckert1116

Think beyond traditional media for publicity

ShannonCherry — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:59:57 +0000

If you want to build a powerful presence to increase your visibility and your credibility for your group coaching program, you need to look beyond traditional media and add blogs to the list.

There are thousands of bloggers out there who already have access to the target market you want to reach. So you really need to connect with them.

Yet, few group coaches know how to pitch a blogger in a way to help ensure a connection is made. Some consistently break the first rule, wasting their time, as well as the blogger they are targeting.

So what is the first rule you need to know?

TRADITIONAL PRESS RELEASES ARE A WASTE OF TIME; THEY HATE IT!

Even though a press release is out, there are some basics that both the traditional and online media want. Here's a quick list:

Is it newsworthy? Bloggers are just as picky as journalists. They're going to disregard your pitch if it isn't relevant, interesting or worth telling their readers about.
Leave the jargon for your peers. Just like in traditional media, the blogger is speaking to the general public to some extent. Most will not understand jargon, and the blogger might not either. Keep it uncomplicated, as always.

But there are some differences you need to know when pitching bloggers. Here are some things that should be done differently for the blogosphere:

Keep it personal. It is useful to follow and be actively participating by leaving comments on their blog. This way when you pitch to them, you already know them. Get to know the blogger. Dig a little deeper showing them you've done your homework.
Don't be pushy. Bloggers can do what they want with their blog, so don't tell them what they should do (like talk about your story) or that you can't believe they didn't cover something you pitched to them. Sure, they may give you some publicity for this, but in a negative way.
It's about having a conversation. Blogging is a mainly personal activity. Most bloggers write as they chat more or less. Do the same. Make it short, sweet, to the point and more casual than a traditional pitch. You will be rewarded.
Stop asking for a link or a link trade. Instead, ask them to take a look at your material, blog or product. If they like it, you will know about it if you are actively following the blog anyway, so there is no need to chase them.

Shannon Cherry, Publicity Expert

Shannon Cherry is the publicity/media expert for Group Coaching Mastery, and the founder of Be Heard Solutions. Known as The Power Publicist, she helps coaches, entrepreneurs, consultants and solo professionals attract more clients and customers through the power of publicity. For a free publicity power pack, visit Be Heard Solutions.

9 Elements to Help Your Copy Connect With Your Ideal Learners

Lisa Manyon — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:09:53 +0000

When writing marketing, advertising and promotional copy, there are specific formulas to increase response and effectiveness. Since your copy truly is the secret to sales success it’s important to familiarize yourself with the formula even if you aren’t writing long copy. Here’s why: There is a psychological process that readers go through regardless of copy length and regardless of reading preference ie: analytical reader who dives into all the copy or scanner who glances at the key points and quickly makes a buying decisions.

Knowing the formula for creating a sales letter will help you connect with your ideal learner. Regardless of the length of your copy you can incorporate the basic formula to ensure you’re providing all the information your customers need to make a sound decision about investing in your products and services.

The reason understanding sales letter copy is extremely important is not only because it follows a specific formula for success – it also allows you to infuse your own voice into a proven method for authentically connecting with consumers.

The formula gives you a solid roadmap to success once you dig in and pay attention.

The basic elements follow:

Attention grabbing headline that is customer centered
An opening that includes interesting facts and stories to further connect you with your ideal customers/learners
Features to explain what your product is all about
Benefits to demonstrate how life will be better with your product or service
Testimonials to provide social proof of your claims
An offer that showcases everything your customer receives for their investment.
A call to action so your ideal customer takes the next step towards doing business with you or investing in your product or service.
Add a P.S. to pull it all together and reiterate your offer
Include captions under your pictures when applicable

It’s a little more complicated than it sounds, especially if you’re not wild about writing copy in the first place, but you get the idea. And, when you wrap your mind around this formula it’s much easier to create copy that works.

There are also specific sections of copy that are the most read. The first thing the majority of readers absorb is your headline. So, you’ll want to make that punchy and customer-centric. The second most read portion of copy is your P.S. So, make sure you include the details of your offer to capture the scanners. Finally, the third most read portion of copy is the captions under pictures.

Now that you have the formula, this information allows you to craft compelling copy to truly connect with your ideal market.

Take a moment to review your marketing materials today.

Does your copy incorporate the formula for sales success?

What can you do to make your message more authentic?

P.S. Still not interested in writing your own copy? Post your questions and let me know what you need.

Copywriting Expert

Lisa Manyon is the President of Write On ~ Creative Writing Services, LLC. and a Professional Copywriter and Marketing Strategist specializing in POWERFULLY communicating your marketing message to increase results. She’s a published author and is a featured in the International Association of Web Entrepreneurs Official AWE Guide to Emerging Trends Every Online Entrepreneur Must Know and has written promotional, advertising and marketing copy for internet gurus and a wide variety of brick and mortar businesses. She's completed Glazer Kennedy’s Creating Copy that Sells certification and is a Copy Coach for Lorrie Morgan Ferrero’s She Factor Copywriting Bootcamp. Manyon offers a free Copywriting Action Plan with 7 Power-packed Insider Tricks of the Copywriting Trade to Dramatically Increase Sales of your Products & Services on her website

Leap Your List with List Attraction Week

Wendy Y. Bailey — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:29:36 +0000

Building your list is at the heart of creating a bestselling group coaching program. Unfortunately, that's where most coaches struggle because they often don't quite know what to do to grow a great list.

List building was challenging for me, too…until I learned how to make the marketing conversation attractive for my ideal learner. Today I know how to turn Twitter followers and Facebook friends into loyal learners in my group coaching programs. How kewl is that?!

I'm really excited to share my strategies with you next week during List Attraction Week - March 8-12, 2010.

Gina Bell has assembled an amazing group of expert mentors, including Andrea J. Lee, Lisa Angelettie, Katrina Sawa, Michele PW, Mary Kay Morgan and me, to share top list building strategies.

We will share our secrets to EVERY aspect of effective list building:

autoresponders
double opt-ins
squeeze pages
ethical bribes/freebies/pink spoons (oh my!)
ezines/newsletters
virtual events
joint ventures
speaking
writing (i.e. article marketing)
blogging
social media
follow up strategies
how to monetize your list
and much, much more.

Tune in on Thursday, March 11th at 3 pm ET for my topic, "Build a Loyal Following of Ideal Learners for Your Groups (and Grow Your List, too!)"

It's a very kewl event and you don't want to miss this opportunity to discover how to truly leap your list into high gear. Get all the details and enroll in this FREE event NOW

That is all.

WendyY

MiPhone Weathers the Storm!

LouBortone — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:07:01 +0000

Who says you can’t run a business from a mobile phone? When a major winter storm knocked out power to me and a few hundred thousand neighbors, I was left with no technology except my trusty iPhone – the modern day “Swiss Army Knife” for solopreneurs.

Even though I had no electricity, phone or Internet, I stayed connected to the outside world and – more important – my clients, solely via my iPhone. In fact, using my iPhone web access and various apps, I barely missed a business beat!

I was not only able to check email and surf the net, but my Facebook app and TweetDeck for iPhone kept me connected to and communicating with colleagues throughout the 5 day power outage. I could “tweet out” my tale of woe and, better yet, shoot video with my iPhone of the damage and destruction, then upload the video directly to YouTube – no computer required!

I could also check my projects in my “Highrise” project management software using my “Bungalow” iPhone app, and even track an order that came in via my PayPal app. (How cool that I could still earn some passive revenue online, even though I was in the dark at home!)

What about rescheduling that conference call? There’s an app for that! I used my “Tungle” for iPhone to reschedule meetings that had to be postponed due to the power failure. I could still make my travel arrangements for an upcoming trip with my “Kayak” app on the iPhone, and then use my handly Flashlight app to find my way around my darkened house.

These smart phones may be smart, but they don’t run forever. I had to venture out by car once a day just so I could charge the iPhone and maintain some battery power. All in all, it’s probably not the best way to run a business, but it’s nice to know you can keep your company going in a jam just by using one tiny, but powerful, gadget.

Which just proves that given today’s technology, you don’t have to be powerless just because you lose power!

Lou Bortone is a long-time marketing consultant and branding coach who helps entrepreneurs build breakthrough brands on the Internet. As an online video branding specialist and award-winning marketer, Lou provides services such as video production, brand development coaching, creative support and video coaching.

Lou is a former television executive who worked for E! Entertainment Television and later served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Advertising for Fox Family Worldwide, a division of Fox in Los Angeles. Lou is an author and ghostwriter of six business books, a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and a Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach. His website is at: http://www.OnlineVideoBranding.com.

This Is It: Take Your Group Coaching Learners to New Places

Wendy Y. Bailey — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:44:26 +0000

As I watched the special features on the DVD for Michael Jackson's This Is It, it struck me what an amazing experience he designed for what would've been his last tour. By all indication, he created a masterpiece of excitement, high energy, pure entertainment and high emotion. I believe it would've been totally transformational for fans!

Similarly, your goal in creating a group coaching program is to generate a transformational experience for your group learners.

Here are a few ideas to help you take your group coaching learners to new places:

Build rapport with your learners.
Rapport is the key to EVERYTHING in your coaching not just in groups. This statement bears repeating: Rapport is the key to EVERYTHING in your coaching!! No kidding. It's just that important. Get to know, like and trust your learners to create an experience for in your group coaching programs where your learners know like and trust you, too!
Tap into opportunities to be REALLY creative and engaging to create compelling content for your learners.
Powerful questions, magical metaphors and lots of relevance to your ideal learners unique challenges are all very profound ways to make things happen. Get your learners thinking more deeply about what's really going on in their world so they can make lasting change. Masterful content is relevant, attractive, compelling and engaging. That is all.
Challenge yourself to greater heights for the sake of the learners.
The truth is: it all begins with you. Imagine you're in the eye of a tornado, building momentum and force with every action, response and reaction. In this case, the tornado is immensely transformational and because you're in the eye, you hold the key to the transformation. How kewl is that?

Michael Jackson told his producer, "Let's put together the greatest group of artists on the planet then let's inspire them to go to places they've never been before."

What will you do to take your group learners to new places? Share your thoughts freely

Wendy Y. Bailey - Master Certified Group Coach