5 Tools to Balance Voices in Group Coaching

Posted by Julia Davis | April 25, 2024 | Comments (0)

Have you ever left a group coaching session with the feeling that a couple of voices dominated? Is it a challenge to bring out quieter people who may feel intimidated by the group setting?

Strategies for Group Coaching Dynamics

There are tried and tested tools you can use to ensure that every voice is heard in a group coaching session.

Meet in a Circle

Sitting so each person can clearly see one another fosters a feeling of equality. If the group session is online, ensure everyone has their camera on so all faces can be seen. This creates a visually inclusive environment and helps remove any feeling of being “invisible” to others.

Optimize Group Size and Session Length

In a 60-minute group session with 12 participants, the maximum amount someone could speak, if everyone is allocated equal time, is less than five minutes. If there are too many people in the group for the allocated time, then certain voices won’t be heard. Be aware of timing and how it will affect opportunities for everyone to speak.

Facilitate Short Introductions and Ice-Breakers

If someone feels at ease in a group situation, they are more likely to share. A simple way to bring about that feeling is to encourage each person to speak at or near the beginning of a group session. Ask each person to share who they are, where they came from that day, and what brought them to the group using “lean speech.” Just a couple of sentences will give each person a chance to speak. Once the ice is broken, they will feel more confident if invited to share later.

Introduce Listening Partnerships

If your group coaching session involves too many participants for each person to speak equally, it is helpful for participants to break into smaller groups to share ideas. Talking in pairs is less intimidating and allows participants the opportunity to share more deeply and give more time to their thought processes.

One way to invite people to share in pairs is by introducing listening partnerships. In a listening partnership, the group coach introduces a theme, allowing each person to speak without interruption for five minutes while the other person listens attentively, offering visual cues of encouragement like nodding their heads. They are not to interject or reflect the words that they hear, and silence is allowed if the speaker becomes lost for words. After five minutes — timed by the listener — the listener uses clearing questions unrelated to the topic to help the speaker clear their mind. Examples of a clearing question could be, “What did you eat for breakfast this morning?” or “When you look around this room, name three things you can see?” Once two or three clearing questions have been asked, it is the turn of the second speaker to begin. Once both have had their turn, the participants return to the group.

Upon returning to the group, if this is the first time you have shared this process, it is helpful for participants to share their experiences afterward. The listening partnership is confidential so participants can only share their own words and experiences, not those of their partner. If you are inviting people to continue a process outside of your coaching session, the connection created in a listening partnership can foster collaboration between sessions.

Use Notes for Sensitive Subjects

When addressing challenging topics in group work, providing participants the opportunity to write down their hopes and fears through written notes can be beneficial. This can be done anonymously, with participants placing their comments in the center of the circle. After the notes are mixed up, individuals can select and share a hope or fear. There will likely be significant duplication, which will foster a sense of comfort and enable more open discussion about the topic at hand.

Giving space for the voices of everyone in a group coaching session is essential for enhancing the richness of the experience for all involved. Employing techniques such as circle meetings, optimizing group size and duration, facilitating introductions and ice breakers, introducing listening partners, and using notes to address sensitive topics can foster an environment where every participant feels valued and heard. These tools not only enhance the effectiveness of coaching sessions, but also contribute to the growth and development of all involved.

Julia Davis

Julia Davis is co-author of “Circle Holding: A Practical Guide to Facilitating Talking Circles” and co-founder of Circle Holding. She has facilitated group processes for over 20 years. Leveraging her background in yoga, Julia founded the training organization Yoga Teachers Forum, where she integrates the skills of mindful meditation and embodiment into the group process. She regularly contributes articles and speaks at conferences and on podcasts, including The Embodiment Podcast and OM Magazine. 

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