TeleClass October 24, 2001 This is the transcript of the How to Run a Successful Coaching Chapter with guest Ken Abrams.   (from which transcript was crafted) How to Run a Successful Coaching Chapter October 24, 2001 - 1:00 p.m. EDT Dave Buck, Session Leader DB: Welcome; who's on the call? (participants check in). Welcome to our call on how to successfully host a coaching chapter. I'm happy to have Ken Abrams with me who's an expert on this subject; he's most pertinently the founder of PACA - a Philadelphia area coaching chapter. We'll chat for a bit and then open it up to your questions. First, I want to introduce you to Ken. Ken: Hi everyone. If you didn't get the email I sent out prior to this call, send me a message at kabrams@pond.com. The first thing I wanted to talk about was the rules for chapters. Our group was founded about 3 years ago, and we used to hold meetings about 7 a.m. at a local diner. Our growth was evolutionary and it grew because there was a love of coaching. The rules for starting a chapter are: 1. Have a purpose for the endeavor - design a purpose for the chapter 2. Leave your egos at the door; there's a bigger game to play. 3. text 4. Setup up a board, even if there's minimal participants. You want to delegate responsibilities and work. 5. Scope out projects early that will forward coaching. We knew who we wanted to have come to Philadelphia early on and promote coaching. 6. Offer benefits for membership. We'll talk more about this later. 7. Remember all strata of coaches - new people, experienced coaches, people checking out coaching, people who want to write about coaching, and so on. 8. Please make money. Every chapter should be profitable. 9. Be a presence in the community - make sure they know you exist. It'll help promote coaching and its members. 10. Please be sure to have fun. DB: Okay, let's have fun and grill Ken on his 10 points. Tell us a bit about the purpose you created. Ken: (reads mission statement of PACA - found on their website; URL for this below). DB: What would you recommend for a chapter that's getting started? How did you come up with that? Ken: It's a little easier now, but when we got together we came back from an ICF conference, and that was what was fueling things. In the tri-county area, coaching was pretty new. We wanted to make sure people knew what was going on and build a presence in the community. DB: Does anyone have any questions so far? Ken: Let me jump down a bit - we're going to go over 8 areas. What I'd like to do is present each area, do a Q&A with Dave, a Q&A with those on the call and then open it up to general questions. There are stars in every area; when you're developing a chapter you can't have egos, or your participation will be short-lived. It's kind of like the attraction principle. When the chapter gets big enough, there'll be more than enough opportunities for you to attract clients. DB: That's a good point. Most people who are coaches want to get new clients, but that doesn't mean you want to get your clients from the coaching community. You just want to be known so you can get referrals. Ken: Yes. There's something we call the 'cool factor'. The fact that a chapter has power to draw authors or speakers to new opportunities is very cool. DB: I like that. Is that just because having a larger group makes it easier to attract a big name? Ken: It's location. They get to sell their tapes and books, and get to talk with coaches. It supports a coach's total picture of promotion and supports the chapter. DB: Very cool. It's the cool factor! What you're saying is one of the benefits is creating the 'cool factor', but that it needs to get to a certain size to attract those people. Ken: Yes, and also if you want to speak at the alliance in Philadelphia, you've got a 1 1/2 year wait. Also, sometimes people in other chapters trade speakers! I think that's how we got you, Dave. DB: Yes, and I had a great time speaking at your chapter! Does anyone have questions about the cool factor? Ken: I want to jump ahead to the 8 sections... the first theory I want to talk about is chapter affiliation, which is under the topic of format. I don't want to spend time talking about ICF format; I can tell you that a chapter can be profitable on its own. There's also talk about Coachville chapters, etc. There's a bigger game to play than just being affiliated with one organization. ICF and CoachU don't attract coaches to our chapter, but interested coaches can find our chapter by the chapter referral service. Also, CoachU has programs they put on the road for chapters. The affiliation of chapters will draw members to the chapter. Start off with a monthly phone call to get things going. Organize what you want to do and start small. A chapter can start with as few as 2 people. Secondly, use what works. If a coach is working in an industrial park and can use the conference room in the early morning, use it; don't spend money if you don't have to. Then, figure out what you want to do. Keep it focused to the formation of the chapter. DB: It's a good point too, that many of us coach on the phone, and just having a place to get together live and in person is a benefit too. Ken: Yes, exactly! In the notes I sent around, I've listed a couple things about starting a chapter. First, we're mostly email and web-based and it's great to get together with live coaches. Second, learn from other experts and coaches. Third, networking with other coaches. Chapters are an excellent way to do that. Next, you can support coaching's validity by being a presence, and you can support new coaches in the area. New coaches want to talk to somebody one-on-one that's doping it. Also, you'll get some business out of it. Finally, create some stability out of it. Our member coaches know that, for example, on the 3rd Thursday of the month, they'll come to the monthly meeting and get some adrenaline. XXX: I have a question. We've talked about the benefits and about coaches needing to meet with other coaches, but if you have an ICF and CoachU chapter, is there a need for another chapter? Ken: It's really up to the demographics. What's the city? XXX: Minneapolis. ICF isn't very active, but CoachU is active. I'm with both of them, but I'd like to consider a Coachville chapter if there's a need for it. DB: We're also talking at Coachville about a study group, which is a bit different - we'll talk more about that later. Ken: My only advice is to wait and see what happens with the chapters. I dont see a problem with multiple chapters if an area can support them. Any questions? XXX: When you said, set up a phone call, do you mean a teleconference? Ken: Yes. when you start off, it's easier to get together; then you can find a location to meet at. Any more questions on set up? Okay, let's move on to a board. It's highly recommended you start a board immediately. DB: What does that mean? A steering committee? Ken: We set up a President, President-elect, Treasurer, and Secretary. When you start off, somebody's going to have to front the money on their credit card, and you want to make sure nobody gets stuck with money. The president and president-elect model follows the ICF format. You want a president in training that works with the current president so the transition is flowing. The Secretary takes minutes and keeps track of everything - upcoming events, meetings, etc, and handles all the paper. You want somebody to take notes when the brainstorming is going on. Then, committess. I'll just read what we have now in our chapter: (1) Education - books, speakers, etc. (2) Publicity- handles promoting the chapter, etc. (3) Special events - we also do have a special committee for Coaching Week that's coming up. DB: What's coaching week? Ken: It was started by the ICF; it's the first week in February every year. We also have a (4) Schools committee - we work to remain fair and unbiased towards all schools. Then, we have a (5) person who handles the Web, and you do everything through the web, such as registering and paying for meetings, special events, and so on; there's no money taken at the meeting. Next, there's (6) Hospitality - this committee takes care of the room, including requesting a projector or other equipment a speaker might need, ordering the dinners, etc. DB: That's a lot of committees! (laugh) Ken: Yes, but we're a big group. I would start off with just a couple for a new chapter, though. DB: What would you start off with? Ken: Publicity and hospitality. When you're going to start a chapter, start off with a static page, and by a domain name as fast as possible. Just include basic things, like give directions/dates for meetings, etc. Not a lot of bells and whistles. The easiest way to set up a chapter is to fork over the money to start a non-profit organization. In our area it's about $200. If you set this up right away, you can then open up an organizational bank account, and that allows you to take credit cards. ICF has all the structure; we just said we were a non-profit and had a Tax ID number in 2 weeks. The next piece of boring business is getting liability insurance for the board members - $500. That also covers live events. Those 2 are the biggest start-up expenses you have. That means nobody can sue the entity for whatever, or people falling at your meeting place and wanting to sue the group. If you charter through the ICF, you get the insurance free. Any questions on board and committees? DB: Everyone wants to be on one of your boards! Ken: Next, about meetings. I recommend holding 2 per month - a board meeting and a regular meeting. DB: So the board should get together independent of the rest of the group. Ken: Yes, definitely. A personal tip, meet Thursday nights at a hotel. It's their deadest night, and they'll usually give you the room for free if you spend a certain amount of money. The other thing about meeting regularly is that people don't miss too many meetings because they set aside that day every month. Next - how to get people to your meetings. Now I get to truth tell. You spam people! When I started, I got on AOL, searched on the various types of coaches, and got a list of people in my area; I also checked with ICF and CoachU. Then, I sent them a letter about the new group, telling them it was the only letter they would receive, along with some basic information about the new chapter and the meeting time, location, etc.. Out of about 150 names, we had 30 show up for that first meeting. DB: That's a lot of work - so the initial time investment is pretty substantial. Ken: Yes, but there were 3 of us working on it, so each individual's effort wasn't so large. Then, dinners - they'll run at least $20-$30, so make sure you tack on 10%. We charge $35 for non-members, and members pay $10 less. DB: Whenever you have an event, you have a member and non-member price? Does that extra money go into chapter funds? Ken: Yes, exactly! DB: So it's a money making deal? Ken: You got it. On a location for the meeting - be conscious of highways; make it easy to get to the meeting. Sometimes it's worth it to pay a little more and have it at a convenient hotel. DB: How did you sort that out? Ken: We had a nice accident. We picked a hotel beyond our means, and they said if we would book every meeting there for the next year, we'd only have to guarantee 5 dinners at each meeting. We've been there over 2 years. You also want to do a brochure for each meeting. DB: Wow; like a physical brochure? Ken: Yes, it'll have the agenda for the meeting, list of members, a preview of next month's meeting. Also, it's good to try for CE credit - all our meetings qualify for CE credit. DB: Did you have to work something out with ICF? Ken: Yes, we did. We submit a proposal for every meeting about the speakers, etc. and get approval. DB: Does that help people? Ken: Yes, especially people coming up for certification renewal; you can get CE credit for your calls. Other logistics - have greeters for your meeting around. Have a special area for brand new coaches or coach "wannabes". DB: Like what? Ken: An area with a sign over it, and someone physically there to greet them. The new people want to get into the fold and integrate into the meeting. That person will make it warmer, and will help orient them how the evening will go. DB: That's a nice idea. Did your meeting grow via an evolutionary progression? Ken: Yes. DB: That warm feeling gives folks the idea that they want to be a part of it. Ken: Exactly. Next, you want 2 tables where members can put their cards out. Don't put stuff on the dinner tables - it just makes the table a mass of paper! DB: Do the folks in the chapter bring things for the chapter? Ken: Yes, lots of business cards and brochures, and some people sell tapes. The second table is for the library. Local members can borrow things from meeting to meeting. DB: That would make sense for Coachville! Ken: Where do you get the library? The money you make from events, you go out and buy stuff. For every conference, we buy 2 sets of tapes. Anybody who speaks at our meeting and has a tape set, we usually ask them to donate a tape set. Any questions up to this point? DB: That's a good idea. I want to find out if anyone has questions about meetings, etc. if you're thinking about hosting a chapter, what would you want to know about? Any questions at all? XXX: I have a question. I heard you talk about coach "wannabes" - so the general public can come? Ken: Yes, anyone can come to a meeting. When I say "wannabes", it's someone who's interested in becoming a coach, has heard about the chapter and wants to get their strategy together. We have a big binder that outlines information about all the coaching schools, and "wannabes" are welcome to look through it. DB: That's cool. Any other questions about the meetings? We usually have a planning/design team, and go through a lot of details, etc. There are all kinds of things you can do to create a lively event. What makes a really good event? You can share either something you've organized or something you liked. XXX: I think that greeter part is especially important. DB: I think so too; I hadn't thought about it, and it's a great idea. XXX: A meeting I attended had a panel of coaches talking about assessment tools. DB: That was the meeting? XXX: Yes; people talked about which ones they used, etc. XXX: I go to our local ICF meeting - we have about 150 people and get about 70-80 people at each meeting, and the Round Table discussion format has been successful for us. A speaker briefly speaks at the beginning of the meeting, then we break into roundtable discussions for about 45 minutes, take a break, then switch to a new roundtable for a 2nd session. Each table has a different topic - anything ranging from websites, assessments, business development strategies, to coaching styles, etc. DB: Wow; that sounds fun! XXX: I'm Pres of ICF Las Vegas - what we did is have our meeting at a variety of places, ranging from someone's home to a corporate office, to find what best fit the members of our chapter. We've now settled at a clubhouse at a public golf course. What helped us was the location, as Ken said, and that people can either choose to have something to eat or drink or not. That's really worked well - everyone wants to do different things, and they can do those, if they want. DB: So you don't have a meal? XXX: Not a "scheduled" mea, but they can get a meal if they want to or have a drink if they want to, or not. DB: That would work differently depending on the location. XXX: Yes, and we found that waitress service was important - people didn't want to have to keep leaving the meeting to get a fresh drink, etc. XXX: Our group meets at a library, and there's no charge for the meetings. DB: Can you bring food or water? XXX: You can bring water, but I don't know about food. DB: How big a meeting do you have? XXX: Our typical meeting is 65-70 people. DB: Wow; that's a good size. Do you have a big meeting space? When do you meet? XXX: Yes, it's in a big conference room and is from 6:30 - 8:30 in the evening. DB: What do you do - people eat before they go? XXX: Yes, and it keeps the meeting cost down for our members. DB: That's good. I appreciate you sharing what your chapters do. Let's move ahead on your agenda, Ken. Ken: Our meeting starts at 6:30 with dinner and networking. There's a board member at each table, who handles the introductions for each table - we don't have "main" introductions. Then we have announcements, and upcoming events. That takes about 5-10 minutes, then there's a speaker with Q&A afterwards. We usually try to end that about 8:30 p.m. Then, when the speaker's done, we have "tips and tricks". It might be a marketing idea, launching of a website, or whatever; it's usually something that new coaches find really useful and "older" coaches have forgotten! DB: I thought it was fun at the meeting I attended. I liked the woman who talked about approaching technical people with the idea of coaching. I think it's fun you bring a learning element in. Ken: Then, from 8:35 - 9:00, we do live coaching. We have 5 volunteers up front, each in a chair, with someone else bringing a scenario to the "line". Each coach has 2 minutes, and you can't just coach the way you want to, but have to pick up on the method of the previous coach in the line. It's probably the fastest part of the meeting. We break at 9, but people usually hang out until 10 talking. DB: That sounds like a great idea! Ken: We have a lot of fun. We also have a 3rd meeting each month - a lunch meeting. There's no agenda, and we meet at a restaurant that we pick each month, and just announce it. Just within 1 year, we've grown to 7 lunches going on at some point during the month. DB: So different people host a lunch? Ken: Yes, and those interested attend the lunch that's most convenient for them. I'd like to jump to money. First, make money on every event. We pay about $18 per dinner, and we charge $25 and $35. If you don't pay within 48 hours prior to the meeting, dinner is $40. The only exception is if you're not a member and know nothing about it, and just want to check out coaching - you don't have to pay. DB: Can someone show up and not eat? Ken: We don't encourage it, but it does happen. We also charge a 'participation fee" - $100 a year. It also entitles you to put your material on the promotion table, get your practice listed on our website, and entitles you to use the library, and gets your name listed on the program. DB: So this really creates value added. Ken: Yes, and it's a real benefit. Also, for every event, we have 2 sections - coaches only and full participation. We charge $25 for just the public portion, and $40 for the coach and public combo ticket. DB: That's a great idea. Ken: Yes, and the coach gets a chance to sell their books; that extra session also helps us cover the room, meals, etc. for the speaker. We never make less than $1,000 per event. Next, nametags - we manufacture nametags for our member coaches. If people want a nametag - it's good quality plastic, and has the name of your business on it - you can order them from us, and we make $2 on each one. DB: Interesting; another little money-maker there. Okay; let's do a debrief. Let's hear from you all. Someone has to have a thought! (laugh) Rob: Where I am, we don't have any of this, but we do have a mentor group, with both males and females - we have people who are coming for the first time and have one of our mentors sit with them to help them feel comfortable. They have that for the first 3 months of their membership. DB: That's a great idea. Is there anything you picked up for the ideas? XXX: I've gotten a lot of good ideas! XXX: Great call, Ken. Thanks! I've gotten a bunch of tips and new stuff to try for our chapter! DB: Who else? any comments, questions? XXX: I really liked the 2 of you working together and having Dave ask questions of Ken. He came up with some good questions, and asked things I hadn't thought of, but was glad to learn. XXX: Ken did an excellent job of going over it - he made the meetings sound like fun. DB: Yes, they are fun and all the documents he put together are a really good resource. XXX: Any thoughts about coaching week? Ken: Yes, this is a good way to get some publicity. Get the mayor to decree it Coaching Week in your community or city. Also, do coaching and donate all the proceeds to charity. Also, I would contact all the nonprofits in the area, and let coaches do it for free with the organizations. You'll get some good press, but it's also good for new coaches to watch the more experienced ones in action; you might even get some new clients. We just make it an open house and a big, fun time! DB: We just have a minute left; anything anyone would like to share? XXX: What's your website? Ken: Our chapter website is: www.philadelphiacoaches.com. DB: Yes, and that'll give you a good idea for website for your coaching chapter, if you don't have one, or ideas for things to list on your site that you might not currently have. Ken, thanks very much. You did an excellent job. We appreciate your knowledge and expertise, and got a lot of good information. Thanks everyone for participating!