Team Coaching: Engaging Everyone In Your Sessions

When engaging in team coaching activities, it is crucial to get off to a solid start. This involves setting the scene well, preparing thoroughly, being specific in your comments and feedback,? and recognizing the value of 1:1 conversations that may occur.

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Once preparations are underway, what happens in the coaching sessions themselves? How do you ensure focus and engagement? Let’s dig in.

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Remaining flexible is key

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While it’s useful to go into such a session with a plan and an idea for how a coaching session may run, there’s value in realizing how important it is to remain flexible.

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Prepare for your session beforehand and develop a timeline.? Communicate these details to the team leader so that everyone is on board with this plan and the right expectations are set for the initial session.

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But - and this is a big but - as the session begins, you will likely notice the team reveal its unique dynamic and needs. Pay attention to this so that any planned interventions can still facilitate required shifts.

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As coaches, we call this “meeting them wherever they are”.

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Meeting the client where they are is a foundational aspect of successful team interventions. It means being fully present and attuned to the current state, to the needs of the team and to the unfolding dynamics of the situation, rather than rigidly adhering to a pre-set agenda.

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How might this play out? Let’s take a deeper look at the following scenario.

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Meeting them wherever they are

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Let’s say that you have planned a session to help a team clarify their vision.

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However, during the session, you may sense that there is an underlying issue causing some tension or misalignment within the team. Rather than pushing forward with the planned visioning exercises, being present in the moment allows you to acknowledge and address the emerging issue.

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How might you address this?

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You could shift the focus to facilitate a conversation that surfaces and resolves the underlying tension, thereby creating a stronger foundation for the team to later engage in the visioning process more effectively.

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Being present with the team means several things. It means listening deeply, observing non-verbal cues, and being sensitive to the energy in the room. It also requires a flexible mindset and a willingness to pivot based on what is unfolding.

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By meeting the team where they are, you create a space where authentic dialogue can occur, trust can be built, and real issues can be addressed, leading to more meaningful and lasting transformation.

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As a coach, you’re leading the team on a journey, after all. To do so, you have to meet the team wherever they may be and then, take them to a different place or state of being.

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By remaining adaptable and agile, you can respond effectively to a team’s immediate needs, utilizing the tool in your coaching toolbox to drive meaningful change and progress. In this example, instead of clarifying the vision, you may choose to address toxic communication.

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When coaching with several facilitators

?Where your teams comprise more than ten members, it may be advisable to bring in a second coach for co-facilitation. This setup can mirror the team’s dynamic. In fact, it can demonstrate how two systems (the facilitator’s system and the team’s) can interact seamlessly.

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When coaching alone

?If you are coaching a small team (less than seven members), a single facilitator is effective. You can showcase to others how a coach engages with others and remains in several? relationships.

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Remember, you are always in a relationship:

●????? with yourself

●????? with yourself and your co-facilitator

●????? with yourself, your co-facilitator and the team you are coaching

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It is important that, as a coach, you show an awareness of how you are in your various relationships.

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For example, if your co-facilitator and you have a difference of opinion about the issue to address, the way in which you communicate your differences and how you choose to resolve any conflict is being observed by the team present.

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As facilitators, we need to model teamwork, demonstrate real-time collaboration, conflict resolution and good decision-making. When we do so, we provide a live example to the team, a powerful illustration of effective team dynamics. The team now has a practical framework to emulate and be guided by.

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What to do: be present to what is emerging In a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world, flexibility is paramount in any team coaching session.

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How do you show this flexibility? Be ready to set aside everything you've prepared to truly engage with the core team.

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Teams may have shared priorities and agendas in prior one-to-one sessions. However, once the real team coaching session begins, priorities can shift unexpectedly.

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Your ability to adapt and bring new, relevant interventions to address emerging challenges is crucial. This is where your flexibility allows you to meet the team's immediate needs and provide the most impactful support as required in that moment.

What not to do: download information A common pitfall for team coaches is to fall into the role of merely facilitating team-building activities and downloading information.

As a team coach, your goal is not to simply provide tools or teach them about team dynamics.

?Instead, use these tools to help the team reveal and understand their own system.

Self-discovery will enable the team to correct themselves and learn from their own dynamics, thereby supporting long-term growth and resilience. Avoid the mistake of overwhelming the team with information and instead, focus on facilitating their journey to self-awareness and improvement.

?Remaining mindful, present and flexible to adapt to the situation unfolding are key aspects of a good coach. The good news is that these aspects can be learned.