Group coaching is one of the most effective ways to make money as an in-person coach. Reason being, that you’re getting paid by multiple people while only spending enough time to complete a singular session.

Because group coaching can be so lucrative, it’s a great idea for coaches to increase their income if finances are tight. But it may be easier said than done for some people. For instance, if you’re an introvert, then interacting with a group might seem intimidating. Especially since all eyes will be on you.

If this sounds like a problem you may have, then this post is for you. Because I’ll be sharing some tips to feel more confident when you’re coaching a group.

Start Off Small

There are some things in life and business that we simply need to work ourselves into. And for an introvert, conducting a group coaching session might be one of those things. So avoid throwing yourself straight into the fire, or in this case, hosting a large group coaching session at first.

Instead, start off with coaching two or three of your clients at once. Then gradually increase the number as you begin to feel more comfortable, until you reach your desired class size. But it’s important to remember that you may not ever feel confident in too large of a group setting, which brings me to my next tip…

Set realistic boundaries

It’s important to know your boundaries, both in career related and non-career related pursuits. And it’s quite possible that your boundary as an introvert hoping to coach groups, might be more limited than you like. 

For instance, you might know that with time and practice that you could coach a group of give at once. But when you envision group coaching ten clients at once, you can’t see yourself ever doing so. And that’s perfectly valid! It might not be a boundary forever, but it can be a boundary for now.

If you’re looking to increase confidence as an introvert so that you can look into group coaching, then that’s great. But make sure to know your limits, and not push yourself too hard. Because if you do, it could lead you into a situation that you’re not ready for and that could cause you to lose confidence you have built up.

get to know each client first

Now you may think this won’t be as easy with an online program, you’d be absolutely right… BUT! Technology can help us out a bit here. Especially if you are sending out newsletters. You need to understand consumer research. Another way to do this is to see client user journeys on the. You’ll need to know their struggles. Maybe you could send out a quiz or survey to see exactly what each person on your course is struggling with the most so you can help provide a solution for them.

Many introverts find it easier to interact with people that they know well. Which is why, although an introverted person may not like crowds, they can successfully hang out with a group of friends and still have a good time. Even thought it might result in draining their “batteries” so to speak (but more on that later).

So one suggestion that you could take into consideration, if this sounds like you, is to never coach a group of people you’ve never met before. For example; perhaps make it a rule that you need to have a one-on-one coaching session with each client first, before they’re invited to a group coaching session.

What this will accomplish is allowing you to form a connection with each person in the room before the first group coaching session, therefore removing a layer of unnecessary stress that may be present and making you feel more confident.

Host an online version

You may have been planning to do this anyway, depending on what type of coaching you do, but some people might find it easier to coach a group of it’s on the internet rather than in person. So if this is possible for you, it might be a good way to begin group coaching and you could branch out to in-person settings in the future.

There are a few reasons why this may be effective for you. Firstly, some introverts find it less stressful to interact with people online than in person. 

And secondly, you can be in an environment that you’re comfortable in; in your home, surrounded by your things, and potentially even in a sneaky pair of sweatpants that the webcam won’t pick up on. It’s a lot easier to feel confident in a space that you know!

And lastly, unlike with an in-person session, if you find yourself overwhelmed by the group then it’ can be a lot easier to excuse yourself in certain scenarios.

So the knowledge of all of these things combined, might make you feel a bit more confident going into a group coaching session. Obviously this won’t work for everyone, but it might be worth a try.

Allow extra time to recharge

Remember how earlier, I mentioned that introverts sometimes feel like they have a “social battery” and that that battery can be drained. Well that’s what this section is about! Introverts often have a limit of how much social interaction they can handle before they start to feel tired out by it.

And group coaching might take a lot of that energy, especially when you’re first getting started.

For this reason, you need to make sure to take care of yourself during the process. Maybe schedule some extra down time after a big group coaching session, or make sure that you don’t have any other social plans directly afterward, etc. Just keep in mind that you may need some extra time to recharge those batteries.

Remember you have value to share

Above all, in order to feel confident while group coaching, you need to keep in mind that you have valuable insights to teach people. This is something that can help everyone feel more confident when coaching, but it’s especially applicable when you may be struggling with an aspect of your coaching career.

By reminding yourself that you have unique value to share with people, you’re also reminding yourself of why you’re doing this in the first place. And it can be just the boost you need!

I hope that these tips were helpful for you. Just remember to respect your own boundaries, start small, ease into it, and even as an introvert, you can make group coaching work!