Thinking of becoming a group coach? Ready to start but don’t even know where to begin? We can help you with the lesson plan process so you can ease into coaching. Let’s get to making a lesson plan!
Adding structure to your lessons can improve the flow. It doesn’t mean there isn’t room for change if there is a need as live sessions are different from what you preplan and you have to be flexible. This is just the guideline so you have some basis.
This lesson plan can be used for any teacher or coach!
Break down of Lesson Plan
The Warm-up/Ice Breaker
You want your participants to feel comfortable with each other and you. The warm-up helps them get started. Choose something that gets people talking to each other but also in the right frame of mind. It can be anything from making them do jumping jacks and then talk about it. Ask them questions like if they were an animal what animal would it be. Just anything that can open their minds up and get into the topic.
Warm-ups don’t have to be related to your topic it can be entirely different. However, if you want you can ask your clients their views on the topic and at the end see how their views have changed.
Don’t ask things that people won’t feel comfortable talking about in the warm-up. You are trying to ease into things and this is just the beginning.
Unfinished business
Use the first 5 minutes after the warm-up to talk about any client concerns from the previous session. People are always confused about something or the other or have some burning questions let them ask these at this time.
You can even send them into groups and have them discuss it within themselves. If they still have questions then let them ask you. This makes them build a connection with each other and helps get different perspectives on the answers.
You can use this time to discuss community guidelines as well. Coaching is a safe space, confidential and respectful make that clear in your community guidelines. Ask your participants if they want to add any community guidelines this can be a process formed together.
Goals
You want it clear what your lesson outcomes will be. Clients will be able to describe something? Clients will be able to define something. Use Bloom’s Taxonmy action words to help you out here. Have around 3 that is the perfect number you don’t want less because that is too much and more than 5 could get into the territory of too much information for the class.
- Clients will be able to explain what self compassion means to them
- Participants will develop tools to be able to be self compassionate
- Clients will understand the benefits of being self compassionate
Stimulus
For the Stimulus, you want anything that inspires you that will stimulate the participants and get them thinking and participating. Choose a quote, youtube video, or song. It can be a picture even!
Then ask them questions about what they think people can learn from the videos.
Evocation
You can use the same stimulus but ask deeper questions related to themselves. What did they feel? How did the video help them? How can they use it in their life? Break down the questions so you can get the clients thinking. You can have a preplanned set of questions but in the moment you might have to break them down further. If with the stimulus you are breaking the ice a little evocation is the deep dive!
During evocation and stimulus, there will be moments of silence. It takes time for people to think so keep that space to allow people to form ideas.
If in a minute or two there is no answer repeat the question. Still, no answer ask the question in a different form.
Now with virtual classes, you can use different forms for interaction. There is the blackboard, chat, and speaking. Different people feel comfortable communicating in different ways.
Share your own journey to make it more comfortable for other people and relatable. If you are vulnerable it will inspire other people to interact.
Objective Inquiry
This is the juicy theory that your clients have come to learn. This can be your presentation, a handout, or some readings. You want to after the theory part ask whether anyone has any questions or anything to add. People will add their own pieces and share and you want to create a space from them. In a life coaching session, all participants are coaches who have valuable life experiences to add. You might not agree with everything but give people space to share their thoughts. There is learning in that.
Skills practice
You don’t want all theory and videos you need some opportunity for the clients to practice. Put them into groups and make them do an activity so they can practice what they have learned. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated just something simple.
If your topic is gratitude skills practice be discussing with the group 5 things they are grateful about and why
Application
Let them apply it to their own goals. This can be done on their own or can be left for homework as well.
Application instead would be on their own writing those 5 things they are grateful about.
Evocation
Leave some room in the end for people to discuss light bulb moments and give feedback. Evocation is for you as well you can think about what you can improve in the coaching session. There is always room for improvement. So think about what worked and what didn’t.
That brings us to the end! You can switch up the steps according to your class or session requirements.
Interested in learning more about what a life coach is? We have a blog!
