Orientation Call
January 16, 2002 - 4:00 p.m. EST
Susan Austin, Session Leader

This is the transcript of the CoachVille Study Group Host Orientation hosted by Susan T. Austin.


SA:  Welcome!  What we're going to be discussing today is information around becoming a study group host. My name is Susan Austin, and I was one of the original participants in the beta group Thomas ran last fall. I think it's a really powerful avenue for getting information about coaching out, and what we can offer in a nice, packaged program.

We're going to be talking for the next 45 minutes or so about what you need to do to get started. First, I'll be running through several administrative things to get them out of the way. Real quickly, my email is seniorhost@coachville.com.

I'd like to next ask a question to get our discussion started; what led you to want to become a host?

Annabelle:
    We don't have any other group here for coaches at all, and there are a lot of coaches here. There is no ICF chapter anymore, and there is no Coach U chapter, so I thought it would be great

Ken:    I like doing group work, I'm an enthusiast of CoachVille, and I like the fact that you're giving us the curriculum for each meeting, so we

Kerry:    I was part of an ICF group last year, and their restrictions were a bit much for me, including the pricing restrictions to keep attending the meetings. I'm interested in opening up the access to many new coaches as well.

Gloria:    I like that this isn't just one school - it's open to anyone, so there's a real mingling of coaching training, ideas, and experiences. I also like the fact that the meetings are live. The ICF chapter meetings here are via telephone; I do a lot by telephone and I'd like to meet people too!

Dan:    I like the idea of having a network of people helping to support each other.

SA:    Myself, I was attracted to the community that I thought I could form. I'm in front of the computer and phone all day, and the idea of getting together is great. Okay, what benefits do you see to being a host?

Gloria:    Becoming known in the coach community.

Kerry:    Just connecting with other coaches; I get that whole thing about being in front of a computer.

Warren:   
Just the learning aspect of it.

SA:    Yes, there's just so much material out there it's overwhelming, and this will give us the impetus to learn things we might not otherwise have time to do.

Debbie:    For me, it's just one of the ways of being involved with people. Even if I'm not that knowledgeable about all of it, there's just such synergy in getting together.

SA:    I agree, Debbie. What kind of benefit do you think it is for CoachVille?

Gloria:    It fills the brand.

XXX:    It'll expose people who aren't necessarily involved with coaching to CoachVille.

Kerry:    My sense is that it'll give us some greater credibility in the coaching community.

XXX:    Good point.

SA:    Yes, it's kind of a grassroots thing, but as the CoachVille name becomes more and more known, they could evolve into something else - I don't even know quite what.

Gloria:    I think it will give a group of coaches the ability to go to the higher level.

XXX:    We all have our lives on a local level, and by putting CoachVille at the local level, it becomes much more personal.

SA:    Yes, it's not just a website where you can download information, is it? Okay, I'm going to go through some ground rules, just to get them out of the way. There are 3 ways you can lose your group host status.

1. Thomas wants to make sure people understand that the CoachVille study group material is the only thing that's offered at the study groups. In other words, you don't use the CoachVille name and do a 'bait and switch' when the participants come in.
2. We frown on marketing to your group because of your position.
3. Study groups are not meant to be a revenue stream for you or CoachVille, so most of the groups won't be charging. This won't be a profit center for you.

Are there any questions around the ground rules? Okay. I want to talk about the material. The material Thomas and Dave Buck are packaging is what I call 'universally appealing material', meaning - there are about 20 or so modules to choose from, and each module will be set up in such a way that you can bring in a group of people and whether or not they're coaches, this will be appealing to them. Does that make sense?

XXX:    Yes.

SA:    Basically, it's not going to be only attractive to coaches; it'll be packaged in a way that will provide value to people who may not have heard what coaching is. For example, the first module was on how to articulate what you do. I know that coaches often have this trouble, but so do accountants and other professionals. So, you can run your study groups and invite different individuals.

You'll find the materials for the topics on the leader only area; you'll see both a Real Audio area and handouts for your group. The audio portion will either be Dave or Thomas discussing the framework, which you'll play and then break the group into pairs.

XXX:    How long is the audio portion?

SA:    Between 20 and 40 minutes. They'll basically give some basic information, some examples, and do a bit of role playing.

XXX:    I thought I'd remembered hearing they were going to be about 45 minutes, and I was thinking that's a bit long just to be sitting there.

SA:    Yes; they're working to keep it closer to 20 minutes, and then people can begin moving around. Do you have suggestions for topics you'd like to see? We're still taking suggestions, so just shoot me an email if you do, and I'll make sure Thomas gets it. I know one of the modules is "What is coaching?"

XXX:    So, this is basically for the general public?

SA:    Well, they were written for coaches in mind, but they're also shifted to be interesting to non-coaches as well.

XXX:    So, basically as a host, we'd present these modules to the people that attend?

SA:    Yes, and you can pick the order. There'll be modules for corporate coaches, life coaches, and so on, so you can pick what you think your group is most interested in.

XXX:    What happens once we've gone through all 21 of these?

SA:    I don't know.

XXX:    I'm assuming that most people won't be doing these weekly, so they'd last a while.

XXX:    Do you have a core group of people that attend every time?

SA:    I have a core group that I invite every time, but based on peoples' schedules, a slightly different mix of people attend each time.

XXX:    So I could turn to the general community and not just the coaching community?

SA:    Yes, that's correct.

XXX:    Would you advertise the topic perhaps, because people would want to learn about that?

SA:    Yes! If you said that you were having a CoachVille study group, coaches would get that, while others wouldn't.

XXX:    Okay, so you could repeat the modules too, for those who might've missed it the first time?

SA:    Yes.

XXX:    Okay, I get it. The modules will really last a long time that way.

SA:    I'm starting off doing once a month, and am just inviting coaches. Now that I've seen the power of these meetings, I'm thinking of having a 2nd meeting and opening it up to non-coaches and have the same meeting, but with a different group of people.

XXX:    It sounds that you're doing this through personal invitation - what other ways are there to get the word out?

SA:    That's a good question. CoachVille will be marketing these to their membership, however, they will never allow us to have access to the database where we could send email to everyone in our city. Pretty much, the hosts are having to find people to come to the groups themselves, although CoachVille will help with some of the marketing.

Gloria:    If you went to the CoachVille referral section and went by zip code, could you just call them directly?

SA:    Yes; I think that would be fine - when you put your name on the section, you're basically opening yourself to the universe anyway. Also, if you go to the referral.com website, if you go to add/update your listing, all the way at the bottom, there's a new check box that says "I am a study group host" so if someone searches for that, your name will come up. Also, there will be a special logo by your name in the referral section.

XXX:    Will there be a way for people to find study group hosts in their region?

SA:    Yes, you can already do that. Also, in the "Today's Coach", they will be advertising to find a study group host in your area. They'll also be highlighting your group in a special section - it'll list the meeting info and topic for the meeting, and that'll be broadcast out to everyone. It'll also include your email so they can contact you directly.

Kerry:    It just occurred to me if this host opportunity is portable. I'm going to move in the next few months, and I'd like to move that with me. Does it matter if there's already a study group where I'm moving?

SA:    Here in Phoenix, there will be multiple study groups, with each group finding its own participants. The study groups right now are live only, but Thomas is thinking about having non-personal opportunities - something like "CoachVille Community" available, but farther down the road. Does anybody have ideas on how to get the word out they'd like to share with the group?

Gloria:    Chamber of Commerce.

SA:    And what does that look like? I don't deal with the Chamber of Commerce.

Gloria:    In my area, it looks like 2 things. One is informing the person who handles get the word out to all chamber members, and the other way is going to the meeting and passing out your cards.

XXX:    You could list them in some of the alternative and weekly newspaper calendars. Usually, if it's a free event, they'll list it for free.

SA:    Good; those are 2 I hadn't thought of. Anything else?

XXX:    Putting flyers on bulletin boards.

SA:    Good; I also make an announcement at our local ICF meeting. I usually bring flyers with me and hand them out to anyone who is interested.

XXX:    Our own email newsletters.

SA:    That was how I filled my study group for my first session - I sent emails to coaches in my area and it worked out great.

Gloria:    Could we have the study group logo on our webpages?

SA:    Yes, but it's not formalized yet.

Warner:
    I'm a teen soccer coach also, so I can start advertising that way, too - putting up flyers in teen areas and advertising that way.

SA:    Would you actually have the kids come to the meetings?

Warner:
    Yes.

SA:    Would you adapt the materials? I'm just curious, although some topics would be great for teenagers…..

Warner:
    Yes, when I needed to.

SA:    Just to give you an overview of meeting structure, they generally last about 2 hours, and I had 8 one meeting and 9 the other. I don't have a big living room, so that was about all I could handle; if I start to get much more, I might have someone else host it or find a room somewhere. It's been very learning driven as well.

XXX:    Is there any way to download Real Audio to tape so you'd have a good version of it?

SA:    I'm not sure; I'll make note of that and ask - we talked about making the material available on CD, but that would have to be purchased. I don't know.

XXX:    Could you download it on your hard drive?

SA:    I don't know; I'm not really familiar with the technology.

Warner:
You could, if they converted it to MP3; it would be CD quality then. That would be a good idea because the Real Audio quality isn't always the best.

SA:    That's a good thought; I'll try to find out. I also know that the calls are transcribed, so if the Real Audio fails, you could just read through it. It wouldn't be as interesting, but you could get through the material.

Are there any other questions about what we've talked about?

XXX:    When will the modules going to be available for download?

SA:    That's a good question; I haven't been able to get confirmation, but I believe they're shooting for this Friday. I know the transcription for the first module - Defining Success- is already there, so if you wanted to get a jump start, you could start reading through it.

I think one of the benefits of becoming a host is that - I didn't realize coaches were so disconnected here, and it's been great to get them together. I'm kind of stepping up my role as a 'center of influence' and I didn't even realize it!

Well, I think we've covered just about everything.

Gloria:    If we have other questions, can we email you?

SA:    Sure. I've led 2 of these so I'm just half a step ahead of you, so if I don't have the answer I'll find out.

Well, I want to thank everyone for joining. You're really a pioneer, so if you have questions, it's understandable. I think if I had to look back at my first meeting, I was a mess and didn't do any learning, but by the 2nd session, I just let the material present itself.

Gloria:    If I decided to do this today, what kind of lead time do you think?

SA:    I would think mid-March would be perfect. It would give us a chance to get more materials ready for you, give you time to get a flyer together, and so on. I will email this group some marketing material I used just to give you the flavor of how I worded things, and I'll put it on the website as well. I did 2 emails - one to my core coaching group, and then the 2nd it wasn't coaching specific. Feel free to do whatever you want to do with it.

XXX:    This has been really helpful.

SA:    I'm glad! Okay, if there are no other questions, I'll let you go. If you have any questions, just email me. I'm happy to help.