London Coaching Community
In just six years, the London Coaching Community has grown from an idea to an active group with over 1,000 members. Its founder, coach and business consultant Philip Gimmack reveals the benefits and demands of running a successful coaching community. By Marie-Louise Cook
Six years ago, as a Coaching Academy student, Philip Gimmack had to join a coaching circle as part of his coaching accreditation and ended up setting one up after discovering there was no such group in his area.
‘I was a wee bit miffed about having to set one up at the time but as soon as I had the experience of organising it, I realised it had amazing value. Coaching can be a lonely job and the circle is a great antidote to that. I soon realised the power of the circle was not only as an invaluable support network but a way of promoting coaching more widely into all areas of society.’
As he continued to organise monthly meetings, Gimmack found the personal benefits grew.
‘Being focussed on monthly basis – it encouraged me to continue researching and learning, which meant I was regularly immersed in coaching issues. I would then introduce topics which I thought coaches would really value based on my own experience. I was getting tremendous feedback and the circle grew rapidly by word of mouth.’
Managing the demands of his coaching and consultancy business and the coaching circle has sometimes been challenging, he admits.
‘As my business started to move and get busier, it was harder to put time into the circle. A larger group takes more time to manage and
communicate with, especially on a personal level. It has definitely been an issue over the six years. There have been months when I haven’t
had circles because I simply haven’t had time... and I missed them when we didn’t meet.’
While he is quick to point out the benefits of the circle, Gimmack says ‘the circle has never been a financial thing for me. But if you want to attract good speakers they deserve to be paid. We at least cover expenses now and get to pay some presenters pretty well. There has to be a balance between making them accessible and viable and in fact some workshops work really well with smaller numbers.
‘One of the biggest challenges has been finding other people to help out: few people have time to spare.’
He says he has become ‘increasingly selective’ about who is invited to present to the circle. ‘After years of studying, reading, attending courses and working with many clients, you come across similar
things over and over. I love finding new and innovative techniques or tools for coaching, new ways to stimulate or motivate and support coaches. I am approached by many who simply want to present their businesses to the circle but it has to be something of real value in the areas of support, skill set, marketing, or building a business or something inspirational. I want everyone who comes along to think, “Wow, those two or three hours were absolutely worth it.” I’m happy to say that recent reviews on the website are reflecting just that, which makes it so worthwhile.
‘The feedback received really reflects the high quality of what we’re doing at the circle – maintaining this is certainly a challenge. If I can’t find a really good speaker for a circle, I would rather miss a month.
‘It’s really the time that I value – not only that of the people coming along but my own time – if I’m going to organise it and perhaps help the speaker with their talk or marketing material, I want to make sure the talk will be worthwhile.’
He says he asks potential presenters what would make the event worthwhile for them and tries to make it as much of a win-win collaboration as possible.
Speakers in the past couple of
years have included Sir John Whitmore, Myles Downey, Alexander Caillet, George Metcalfe, Anne Thomas, Soleira Green, Wendy Sullivan, Hannah McNamara and Bernadette Doyle and recent events were on subjects like ‘Therapy versus Coaching’, ‘Creating Coaching Cultures’, ‘How to Network,’ ‘Transformative Coaching’, ‘Coaching Supervision’, ‘Marketing for Coaches’, and ‘Using Thought Field Therapy’.
The number of people who attend coaching circle events varies, says Gimmack. ‘As you’d imagine, well-known people like Sir John Whitmore and Myles Downey can attract well over 100. A while ago we ran a rare whole day event with similar numbers.
‘Circle events tend to attract between 30 and 40 people. Mainly these are interactive workshops with exercises and not simply presentations. There are usually set learning objectives and people come away with new techniques for client and personal use and sometimes with much more than can be written down on paper. It’s these ‘Transformative evenings’ I enjoy most because we are privileged to witness people experience positive changes.
‘Most importantly, the circle has to engage and be really worthwhile attending. I try and do this by making events that are informal, relaxed and, importantly, fun.’
Workshops on business building are very popular, he says. ‘I don’t think most new coaches realise initially that the success of their coaching business is less down to coaching ability than their ability to create a business. I think this was an area that was once missing from many coaching courses but seems to be addressed more recently. I believe it still remains the key issue facing coaches. We can really help coaches through our workshops and networking with experienced coaches, giving them business support and information.’
And his advice for those considering setting up their own coaching circles?
‘Network widely. Involve other people. Ask them what they need and what would make it worthwhile for them. People help best when they see the benefits of being involved. Ask people to recommend the group to their friends and contacts. Interest yourself in how coaching is developing as a whole.
‘Coaching can be a lonely job, so involvement in a group can make all the difference. Simply by regularly attending a circle and so staying informed and sharing experiences can be invaluable. Experienced coaches are often surprised to gain far more than they might at first have thought because staying motivated and focussed in this job is so important.
‘My vision for the circle is shaped by our coaching needs.
1) To clarify our coaching message.
‘I see a key role of the circle as helping coaches to clarify their services and their understanding of them. The public are gradually learning the wide range of coaching benefits but coaches need to stand back and understand that it is these benefits and their clear communication that will drive the much needed increased demand for their services. It’s important to know what exactly you are offering as a coach. For example, if you have a leaky pipe you think ‘plumber’. But few daily issues naturally trigger a demand for coaching in the same way because our message needs to be stronger and clearer.
2) To create a coaching industry of real value. ‘I’d love to see coaching not only universally valued both personally and professionally, but influencing the way teaching and learning is facilitated by all educators. The circle has a part to play in establishing our coaching values and what we stand for. It helps us understand ourselves and our rapidly growing industry through our constant questioning and communicating of our experiences in coaching. This in turn helps us to fully understand our own potential as change-makers.
‘So it’s not simply about helping people with skills and marketing themselves but creating a community for positive change within society. I want people to step up and say, “Hey I can contribute and I want to make a difference and support my peers and my industry.”
Further Information
You can visit www.life-coach.net/ for information about London Coaching Circle events or email Philip Gimmack at info@life-coach.net. The circle meets at All Souls Club House, Cleveland St, London, on a regular basis. To find out your nearest Coaching Community visit www.coaching-communities.com.
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