Both coaches and their clients love group coaching programs. It infuses the experience with peer learning that you would otherwise not have access to in a one-on-one setting.

But how can you make sure that group coaching is as impactful as its individual counterpart?

In this guide, you’ll learn the following:

• What is group coaching?
• How can you create your own group coaching program?
• What are the benefits of group coaching for clients?
• What are the benefits of group coaching for coaches?
• How should you structure a group coaching program?
• How can you deliver group sessions online?

What is Group Coaching?

Group coaching means that the coach works with multiple clients simultaneously. It involves facilitating discussions and activities to achieve common goals while using the group’s collective wisdom and support.

This way, the coach can share their knowledge with multiple people simultaneously, and the group can challenge and hold each other accountable.

What is the Aim of Group Coaching Sessions?

The objective of group sessions is to:

• Identify each client’s personal goal and describe it in a clear, measurable, and attainable way.
• Provide clients with the support, encouragement, and motivation to achieve their goals.
• Use the group’s wisdom to lead each client to a solution and strategy to help them achieve their goal.
• Use the group support system to enforce accountability for each individual.

What’s the Difference Between Group Coaching and Team Coaching?

Group coaching typically involves individuals who share common goals but are not necessarily connected outside the coaching sessions. The focus is on personal development within a collective setting, where participants benefit from shared experiences and mutual support.

On the other hand, team coaching focuses on enhancing the performance and dynamics of an established team within an organization. The coach works to improve communication, collaboration, and overall effectiveness, addressing team-specific challenges and goals.

What’s the Difference Between Group Coaching and One-on-One Coaching?

With one-on-one coaching, clients receive the coach’s full and undivided attention. This way, the session can be personalized to the client’s unique needs. 

One-on-one coaching also offers greater flexibility. When it’s only you and your client, there’s less need for structure to keep the session on track.

There’s only so much wisdom coaches can impart to their clients. With group coaching, however, each client benefits from the perspective and expertise of a diverse group of people.

Ultimately, the coaching format you choose, whether one-on-one or group coaching, will depend on your needs.

The Benefits of Group Sessions for Coaches

When you run group sessions as a coach, you must accommodate multiple people simultaneously and ensure everyone’s needs are met. However, you also benefit from shared perspectives; you are no longer the sole voice offering your clients value.

Another significant benefit of group coaching is the cost and time efficiency. 

Think about it: The same time you would spend coaching one person can be used to work with three, five, or ten clients. That’s three, five, or ten times more coaching packages sold. It costs less for your clients while, all in all, you get paid more for a session.

The Benefits of Group Coaching for Clients

1. Team Building

Collaborating and resolving problems with others is crucial for success in all aspects of life. 

Group coaching clients will reap the rewards of forming relationships and discussing complex issues with others. They will carry that skill to their personal and professional lives.

Plus, working on a team can be more fun. Sharing a sense of community with like-minded souls with the same problems and goals is a fulfilling experience.

2. Solving Complex Problems

A group coaching program creates space for solving complex problems. Clients will have access to more diverse insights than they would in a one-on-one coaching session.

They reap the benefits of both the coach’s and the group’s wisdom.

3. Accountability

Sometimes, solutions to problems involve hard work and dedication, and it can be tempting to give up altogether. That’s when clients with challenging goals need accountability.

A coach can only do so much to hold their clients accountable. Sometimes, a little peer pressure can be a good thing. The more people root for the client’s success, the harder they will try to succeed.

4. Networking

Networking is helpful for those looking to enhance their personal and professional lives. If a client is pursuing coaching, they’re likely interested in leveling up in both areas. 

Group coaching gives clients the chance to meet like-minded individuals with similar goals. This creates the perfect environment for clients to make connections that will benefit them for a long time.

5. Ongoing Support

Support is vital when we face obstacles on the path to achieving our goals. Accountability is one thing, but to succeed, we need more than to be kept from giving up. We need repeated reassurance and celebration when we achieve our goals with hard work.

Thanks to everyone’s participation, group settings can amplify some of the benefits of a one-on-one coaching session.

How Do You Structure a Group Coaching Program?

Start with defining the specific goals your target audience wants to achieve. Then, plan a series of themed sessions aligned with those goals. Here are some examples:

• Interactive activities like discussions, role-play, and hands-on exercises
• Progress check-ins that regularly assess progress and provide feedback
• Review and reflection to celebrate achievements
• Defining next steps or continuous learning opportunities

Here are some guidelines to consider when creating your group coaching model and structure:

1. Set a Common Goal

The most important part of structuring your group coaching sessions is defining a shared goal or focus.

If your group meets multiple times, create an overarching goal for all meetings and a specific goal for each.

Ask yourself the following:

• What does every group member have in common?
• What brought them to this session?
• What do they want to focus on?

Then, communicate your plan to them. Create an agenda for each session and share it with the group.

Establish an agreement with your clients at the onset of the program. What is expected of group members? What will not be tolerated? What is the endgame for this program?

2. Let Every Voice Be Heard

A potential drawback of group coaching is that there can be too many voices. Reserved clients may find themselves talked over by others. As a coach, it’s your responsibility to prevent that. Do all you can to let every voice be equally heard.

If only one or two people dominate the session, its value diminishes. However, if everyone has a chance to offer their insights, its value multiplies. 

3. Hold One Another Accountable

Accountability is one of the top perks of group sessions. 

Let it be known that the progress achieved in each session does not end when clients walk out the door. Be specific about action items clients need to work on after each meeting.

Online community platforms are a great way to help group members stay in touch and hold each other accountable.

Mistakes to Avoid With Group Coaching

When designing your group coaching program, consider the following to ensure you deliver your best work:

1. Don’t Accept Everyone on the Program

As much as you want to say yes to everyone applying to your group coaching program, you must be selective about who you accept. Your clients need to get as much out of the program as possible, which means having something in common with the rest of the cohort.

Don’t say yes to someone just to get more sign-ups. Vetting applicants before they are admitted is crucial to creating the best experience for everyone.

2. Remember That You’re Leading the Session

While letting the group lead the session may be convenient, you must ensure that you stay in charge of facilitating it.

You don’t necessarily have to speak much, but you must set clear participation rules, keep the conversation on track, and balance face time between people.

This step will help keep the sessions focused on the group’s goal and prevent them from going off on a tangent. You want your clients to leave your sessions feeling like they got the most out of it.

3. Don’t Forget the Theme

If you want your group program to succeed, you’ll need some structure. Plan a key theme or talking point for each session and stick to it.

In a one-to-one setting, it’s much easier to go with the flow and see where a session takes you, but this doesn’t work when multiple people participate.

Tell your group the session goals, let them share their insights at designated times, and give everyone the floor to talk about their experiences.

That way, everyone will feel they have received value from your session and were listened to. The last thing you want is someone leaving the session feeling ignored in favor of a louder group member.

How to Find Clients for Your Group Coaching Program

As a coach, group sessions will save you time and help you earn more while offering your clients a ton of value. 

However, it’s harder to find a group of ideal clients than it is to find one at a time. That means you need a smart marketing strategy for your services. 

From email marketing campaigns to advertising, here’s our complete guide for selling your online group coaching program.

Deliver Your Online Group Coaching Program With Paperbell

Once your program is launched, you need to manage your new clients. That means recording sign-ups, accepting payments, sending reminders, keeping track of who’s paid you, and so on.

This can be overwhelming to do manually. However, we have a much better solution for you.

With Paperbell, you can set up custom group coaching packages and client memberships. Clients sign up on your page and are led through a simple onboarding process, so you can forget sending individual payment requests and reminders altogether.

Here are some of its best features:

• Online checkout for group coaching programs: Allow clients to pay you online using their credit cards in full or in installments.
• Automatically generated landing pages: No more struggling with site builders and trying to link up a payment system; Paperbell automatically turns your packages into landing pages.
• Option to limit participants: With Paperbell, you won’t need to frantically check your email to know when to shut down your landing page. Set your packages to automatically close when you reach a set number of participants.
• Automatic session invites: Every participant will automatically receive calendar invites to sessions with all important details.
• Automated messaging: Paperbell allows you to automate email communication with each participant upon purchase and before or after every call.
• Custom client questionnaires: Everything you need to know about each client will be stored and organized in your Paperbell system.

Try Paperbell for free with your first client.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2023 and has since been updated for accuracy.