Group Coaching Benefits
Wondering about the benefits of Group Coaching? read our interview with Lucy!
Want to find out what our coaching courses are like from a participant’s perspective?
We had the pleasure of interviewing one of the women who is coming to the end of our 6 month group coaching course, which ran from March to August. Settling down for a chat over a cup of coffee, Lucy is brimming with confidence and is more than happy to talk about her coaching experience.
What does finding your voice mean to you?
Finding Your Voice is my kickstart – the catalyst to starting a business!
What was it about Finding Your Voice in particular that interested you?
I came across the Finding Your Voice leaflet and there were so many points on there that I could relate to, I thought ‘this is me’. I spoke to Fiona and we had a conversation about where I’ve been career-wise, how I have always wanted a business but never done anything about it and how I was feeling about it all. I knew it was time to make a change and FYV seemed to be a great place to start!
What do you want to achieve from coaching?
My end goal is to have a business at the point of launching, to include: a Business plan; website designed; marketing materials ready and social media accounts set up… FYV has definitely given me the motivation to do all of this!
As someone who is receiving group coaching, what do you think are the benefits of group coaching as opposed to 1 to 1?
You certainly get a great deal of support as part of a group, from the coaching from Fiona & Debbie to the support and encouragement the others in the group provide; I’ve definitely made friends for life! I have to say what a safe and confidential environment these workshops maintain; we all respect each other’s confidentiality and that is key.
How do you think you have benefited from coming on the programme?
What I’ve achieved in terms of starting a business in 5 months compared to what I have achieved in the last 5 years is incredible. The workshop gives you the tools to identify what is holding you back and how to utilise that knowledge to your advantage. Also the awareness of knowing you have another workshop coming up is certainly a motivator and ensures you progress with your goal(s). In addition, the workshop is such a positive environment and that has definitely resided in me. Knowing that I am now finally moving forward with a business is just amazing!
Would you recommend this programme to other women?
Definitely! I started this workshop predominantly for the business motivation but I have achieved so much more from it. FYV encourages you to step out of your comfort zone, for me I’ve always been very independent and I prefer to avoid asking for help but FYV encouraged me to actively discuss my business and ask for help which has been hugely beneficial!
Debbie and Fiona have been fantastic throughout the FYV workshops and I can only thank them for what has been such a positive experience!
Now that you feel that you’re on the right track, tell us about your business and how far you have come as a result of the FYV workshops?
Lunique Fleur is a Boutique Florist business, specialising in bespoke bouquets and wedding & event floral art! I believe it is important to ensure floral art is unique whether that be the flowers, the sundries or the design! For example I am sourcing a specific ribbon that will compliment a beautifully detailed Asian Bridal Outfit, giving the bride a very bespoke bridal bouquet!
Are you interested in gaining increased confidence like Lucy? Whether it be for a new business plan or a promotion in your current job, or even simply to change your thought process in regards to your career, our group coaching workshops may be just what you were looking for. If you would like more information or would like to receive a free 30 minute coaching session, then contact Fiona or Debbie on 01332 527144 or email hello@findingyourvoice.org.uk we would love to meet with you over a coffee.
FYV Women’s Breakfast Event
On Wednesday 19th July, we were very excited to host a breakfast morning for business (and aspiring business) women of the Derby and East Midlands area. As well as giving us a chance to talk about Finding Your Voice and demonstrate coaching in action, the morning was also a networking event allowing like-minded women to get together.
We wanted to make sure that the event was really informal and that everybody felt comfortable with each other, and we think that we definitely achieved this. We held a raffle with some of the most amazing prizes, kindly donated by many of the women in the room. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, and it was great to meet so many successful and inspiring women!
We talked about Finding Your Voice and how our coaching can be such a huge benefit to women in the workplace. We started off the session by asking for a show of hands on how many women feel satisfied with their life, and it was interesting to find that out of the whole room, only two ladies put up their hands! We then asked the room if they knew what they needed to do in order to get where they wanted to be, a few more hands went up- but almost half the room were still unsure. Fortunately the three women in the room, who are currently receiving coaching, all put their hands up – success!
This really highlights the benefits of our workshops. Coaching helps us to achieve so much more, from fulfilling our potential to making changes in our life and providing us with a different way of thinking. Here at Finding Your Voice, we can help you to get on the right track for your career through growth in confidence and self-esteem, as well as increasing self-awareness and allowing you to evaluate your strengths and values.
Following on from our questions, Lucy, Rosie and Wendy, who are coming to the end of their coaching workshops with us, stood up and gave their own personal view about the benefits of our course. Lucy told us all about her increased confidence, saying ‘The change in me from starting the workshop to now is incredible.’ ‘When I started the workshops, I realised that I’d lost my mojo over the last couple of years. Since then, I’ve definitely got it back.’ We feel incredibly proud of her achievements and of how far she’s come since the beginning.
Rosie, who is currently working in the same building as us, spoke about how she was often ‘coached’ by us over the boiling kettle in the communal kitchen (we can never resist a good coaching opportunity) and how this then encouraged her to join our structured coaching workshops. She joked, ‘I love working with men and I love men,’ and went on to say ‘but knowing that the sessions were for women only was a huge positive for me’.
Wendy, shared her own personal experience. She told us how she works in a well-paid job and is happy with her life, however she always had the feeling that she wanted something more, and would sometimes compare herself to others who are higher up in the business and think ‘why not me?’ She also mentioned that she’s a bit of a people-pleaser at work (something a lot of us are guilty of being!) and she was often left to do the jobs that others didn’t want to do. She told us that the structured programme FYV provided helped her to figure out her personal strengths, as well as giving her the push to get to the next step in her career.
It has been amazing and humbling to watch these three women grow in confidence, and the change in each of them from the beginning of the course to now is incredible. We fully believe that all of them are on the path to success and we will stay in touch to see what the future brings for everybody!
We then introduced the room to a very special lady called Caroline Baker, a representative of an award-winning Derby based Charity called Women’s Work. We were so happy that Caroline could attend the event, as we believe that the charity is making such a positive change to women in the local area. We feel that the work that the charity do is very similar to ours, in that we are both encouraging women to make significant changes in their lives.
To end the morning, everybody took part in a fun coaching activity to give a taster of what to expect in our coaching 
workshops. Around the room, we had placed questions which encouraged everybody to think more deeply and talk to each other about how the questions resonate with them.
The event was a big success! We received a great deal of positive feedback and left feeling motivated and inspired.
If any of this resonates with you and you would like to find out more about our coaching workshops and receive a free 30 minute coaching session, then contact Fiona or Debbie on 01332 527144 or email hello@findingyourvoice.org.uk we would love to meet with you over a coffee.
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Changes that coaching can bring about for women in the workplace
Did you know that 47% of women make up the UK workforce? Yet for every £1 earned by a man a woman earns only 81p. That’s almost 20p less!
As women, we all know how frustrating it can be facing challenges around gender inequality in employment. What with Britain being ranked 11th out of 18 countries for factors such as pay and board level representation, it’s important that us women stand an equal chance of being given a job, receiving the same payment and progressing to higher levels of work such as management levels.
Here at Finding Your Voice, we decided that it’s time that something was done to help us women thrive not just in the workplace but in society in general. With this in mind, we created Coaching Sessions designed specifically for women to allow us to reach the potential that we all have within.
Benefits of our Coaching Sessions
Throughout our coaching sessions, there are lots of benefits you will receive whilst on the course. Some of these include:
-Learning a whole variety of workplace skills ranging from communication ability, problem solving, teamwork and improved attitude.
-A chance to discover your strengths.
-Learn what makes you tick
-Higher confidence levels and increased self-esteem.
-Get your mojo back
How our Coaching Sessions can help us women make changes in our personal lives.
But what about life outside of work? We hear you ask. Will coaching help me to manage situations better in my day to day life?
The answer is yes. As mature women who are both experienced with life’s ups and downs, we believe that the benefits from our coaching outside of our working lives are huge.
As a lot of our coaching focuses on thought processes, being able to change the way you think about one small thing may have a big impact on the rest of our lives. Whether that be through how we discipline our children or our diet and lifestyle choices, coaching can have a positive effect on a number of different elements.
The Benefits of Coaching
The Benefits of Coaching
A problem shared is a problem halved, so they say, and we would say that when that problem is shared with a fully trained coach, with a wealth of experience in trouble shooting and conflict resolution, the problem is considerably more than halved. More often than not, it is resolved. Here at Finding Your Voice our aim is specifically to help professional women fulfil their potential by offering monthly coaching sessions. Each on specific themes, our sessions create a safe environment where ideas can be sparked off each other and participants are given a chance to reflect on their lives, their careers, and what’s important.
Why Coaching?
Put simply, coaching gives people the chance to be listened to about the things that matter. But further than that, a properly trained coach doesn’t just listen, they will give advice and suggest techniques for helping people change the course of their lives, for good. By providing assistance with mindfulness, plus mentoring individuals, coaching is particularly valuable for people who feel unfulfilled and as though their lives are in a rut. What the sessions provide is a new way of looking at things, giving people the courage to question and alter the limiting patterns of their lives created by assumptions that we can all make about ourselves. We enable women to stop saying, “I can’t” and instead start saying “I can”!
Women Only Groups
Research shows that women can do so much more when they are supported by other women. A study by the Women’s Business Council found that the UK economy was missing out on more than 1.2million new enterprises due to the untapped business potential of women. Yet with now nearly 1.5million self-employed women – an increase of around 300,000 since before the economic downturn – and nearly 70 per cent of women seeking business advice compared with less than half of men, it is clear that women in business are a force to be reckoned with. When it comes to the smaller things, like simply being listened to, we have found that many women are still struggling. We want to give them the confidence to make career changes and strive for promotion by enabling them to talk freely amongst their peers.
6 Benefits of Women’s Group Coaching
6 Benefits of Women’s Group Coaching
Women coming together to be coached in a group has many benefits, group coaching not only reduces cost as opposed to individual coaching but also provides a support network for women.
- Collective wisdom: Group coaching provides an opportunity to discuss with like-minded people your goals and dreams and bounce ideas and thoughts off others. It also provides an opportunity to explore feelings that others may have experienced. The group process provides an environment where you learn from the insights and contributions of others. The learning that occurs in a group from listening to other members’ stories, ideas and concerns is a powerful mirror for an individual’s growth.
- Accountability to each other: Group coaching brings an element of accountability to others, it can be a great motivator when you come to each session and discuss your progress and achievement of goals and the barriers to achievement with others who are empathetic and supportive. Participants also receive constructive feedback from multiple sources, which enriches the development process. Group coaching holds you accountable while still giving you time and space to reflect.
- Opportunity to build networks and friendships: Group coaching allows you to make new connections and form real friendships with others. It also gives you freedom, opportunity, and confidence to explore ways to enrich personal connections. It enhances your own compassion, empathy and emotional intelligence. Listening to others’ stories helps you understand your own life story.
- Increases motivation and energy: Group coaching is a great motivator. Women often feel exhausted, overwhelmed and are self-critical, knowing you have the support from other participants as well as from the coaches encourages you, boosts energy levels, builds confidence, and motivates you to keep going!
- Developing your Tribe: You get to know other group members well and develop trust with them leading to an extended network of relationships that enrich your life. Bonding amongst group members who offer mutual support and encouragement can act as a powerful catalyst for change.
- It’s cheaper! This is an obvious benefit, the lower cost for group coaching may be a contributing factor for coaching clients to say yes.