Terry Hildebrandt & Jeff Nally

In the last 10 years, many models have been developed to support coaches and coach supervisors. Probably the most popular model currently used in coaching supervision is the Seven-Eyed Model created by Peter Hawkins. We will also explore how the Seven-Eyed Model is equally powerful in coaching with clients. This model examines the client-coach-supervisor system from seven different perspectives. These include: (1) the client’s context, (2) the coach’s interventions, (3) the relationship between the coach and the client, (4) the coach’s self-awareness, (5) the relationship between the coach and supervisor including parallel processes, (6) supervisor’s reactions and reflections, and (7) the wider context and system. Using the Seven-Eyed Model, the supervisor and supervisee engage in rich dialogue and reflection resulting in insights that can expose blind spots, deepen self-awareness, and open possibilities for new client interventions. During this workshop, Jeff and Terry will demonstrate how the model works and give all the participants a chance to use the model during the workshop on a relevant client situation. Walk away with a new tool to take your coaching to a new level.

Harry Faddis

For the sake of discussion, let’s look at the combination of acknowledgments and appreciations. The former, for what you did;For the sake of discussion, let’s look at the combination of acknowledgments and appreciations. The former, for what you did;and the latter, for who you are.
There are good reasons why ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS are part of the Core Competencies in coach training programs, the main reason being that a lot of energy is transferred from the coach to the client.  In the case of APPRECIATIONS, the energy may be directed at one’s self, at another, or at the world we live in.

Let’s explore what are good acknowledgments and appreciations and what are misplaced ones. Here are some of the important questions that we ask:

• What is a good A A and what is a bad one?When to give an A A?
• What’s the difference between an A A and flattery?
• How do we learn to give an appropriate A A?
• As clients, how do we train our coach to give us a good one?
• As coaches, how do we intuit what would be a good A A?

Tom Keydel

Do you have difficulty working with a client who is presenting a specific money problem? How do you as a coach talk about money issues when the hard reality of money seems so limiting? This workshop addresses the primary fears that most people have about money and how your coaching can be used to help move your client to a greater state of awareness and action. Five guidelines will be covered that will help coaches reframe the "money problem" so their clients can be more productive. The hunger and fear that often shows up around "money issues" are simply invitations to rediscover reality without overlaying the urgency and doubt that so often cloud a client's thinking. This workshop is suitable for coach and does not presume any prior knowledge other than standard coaching models.

with Arnie Katz

All of us want to be touched.

Yet, sometimes asking for touch can be challenging. It can bring up fears of rejection, insecurities about our appearance, issues of worthiness, and even old wounds and memories. What if we created a space where we can bypass old stories and practice asking for touch in the moment, knowing that we will receive it in a SAFE and RESPECTFUL manner, and that we will support each other in the process in a caring way? In TOUCH ME!, each man will have multiple opportunities to ask for touch and to have the experience of receiving it. We will work both in pairings and in groups to help diversify and expand our experience. Participants can expect to gain an increased sense of connection, trust in themselves, and the ability and practicing of asking for what they want, and of course, to receive a lot of nurturing touch! There will not be oil used for this workshop, and the touch is always done with sensitivity and respect for boundaries.

with Mark Kennedy

Gay men in Corporate America have it made, right? Or do they? Gain an understanding of how corporate cultures, policies and strategies interconnect and play out in the life of gay men. Come find out what issues these men face in the workplace, how these issues may echo through their lives outside of work, and how the issues may appear in your coaching sessions. We’ll explore this topic through group exercises, presentations, and the sharing of personal experiences.

with Jeff Moore & Tim Kincaid

This workshop is for those who love networking. . . AND especially for those who don’t.

It’s no secret that networking for business development is important, and often very challenging. Building a successful coaching practice (or any business) isn’t a solo activity. We all need help – and we also all need to help others. During this highly interactive session, you’ll gain new perspectives on business development support through networking that align especially well for those of us who are in heart-centered helping professions. You’ll get clearer on how to succinctly state your mission, and articulate what support you want. You’ll also identify the support you can offer to others. Then we’ll do several rounds (think: “speed dating”) to interact and exchange with many other gay coaches. We’ll explore ways to tap the power of private group networking channels (e.g. Slack) to continue and expand your circle. You will end our time together with awesome new contacts and resources, and clear action steps – for the rest of the weekend, and to take home with you. GCA is a wonderful networking resource that is better when we all lean into it. After this session, you may never look at networking the same!

with Shane M. Scott

This workshop will discuss mental health and substance abuse conditions look like within the gay community. It will explore the warning signs, symptoms, and the impact of these conditions have on the gay community. Through exploratory activities, discussion, and critical thinking, participants will explore the impact that substance use has had on their lives. In addition, the impact of the sometimes-devastating consequences related to mental health and substance abuse will be discussed. This workshop will also explore some of the challenges that occur with these conditions, the socialization and normalization of alcohol in the gay community, and other consequences related to substance use and mental health. Participants will also be able to identify and understand the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse within this community. We will also discuss where to get further information and identify resources. Participants will also gain knowledge of the symptoms and diagnostic criteria for these conditions. The parallels and differences between coaching and therapy will also be discussed.

with Brian Gorman

If you are in business for yourself, marketing is critical to your success. Yet it is something that all too often we struggle with. In this workshop, you will be introduced to six key elements that form the foundation of marketing success. Some of these involve "who you are" when marketing, and others, "what you do." You will be asked to assess yourself on each of these elements, identifying both your strengths and areas for improvement. Based on this, you will develop a 90-day plan for strengthening your marketing performance.

Brian Gorman

Anchors. We all have them. They are the things in our lives that help hold us in place, provide stability, and keep facing into the turbulence that life throws at us. Anchors are extremely personal in nature, and incredibly strong. All too often when we - and our clients - are faced with change, we fail to pay attention to our anchors. As a result, the change becomes more difficult than it might otherwise be; there are unintended outcomes; or the objectives of the change are never met. This workshop will provide participants with new insights into the role anchors play, and how to work with anchors as we coach our clients and as we undertake change in our own lives and relationships.

with Tim Kincaid

Return on Investment (ROI) is a common analytical approach used to determine if value received is worth a cost. But the usefulness of ROI analysis isn’t just limited to hard numbers for financial decisions. Equally important to traditional quantitative costs/benefits (i.e. time, money) are qualitative costs/benefits (i.e. psychic, well-being, health). During this interactive workshop, we will play with an ROI Matrix worksheet to explore ways in which coaches can help our clients to methodically evaluate the full costs/benefits of their current state and compare with anticipated costs/benefits of an alternative choice. Breakthroughs are possible, as this simple ROI comparison brings clarity to clients on just how much something costs them (e.g. a job, a relationship, an obligation), to make better-informed decisions. They may discover a tipping point, where what may have served them at one time (good ROI) may no longer serve them. You’ll leave this workshop with an ROI worksheet as a new analytical tool to use with your clients, and in your own life, too!

with Craig Howe

Tired of struggling to find enough clients? Frustrated that your prospecting is only virtual? Uncertain of social media and don’t know where to start? Finding clients to fill your practice can be a struggle. Remote prospecting can feel distant and impersonal. So why not overcome your fear of social media and see how Meetup can help? In this workshop, you’ll learn a new perspective on where Meetup fits in the social media landscape. You’ll see how to take advantage of this expanding platform. The upside is building your list and face-to-face connection. You’ll get help you shortcut to success by learning from Craig’s experiences. Together, we’ll take time to think what would work for you, and share ideas in a dynamic group setting. You will leave with an Action Plan of your next steps - all in just 75 minutes. Come along and see what Meetup can offer you!

with Terry Hildebrandt

Points of You is a powerful coaching game that allows you and your clients to tap into your intuition and creativity in a fun and new way. Using photography and words, we demonstrate one of the signature workshops called, “Zooming in.” The three objectives for this workshop include: (1) giving every single one of us the opportunity to let loose; (2) meet yourselves and the people around you; and, (3) as coaches, experience how you can use an innovative coaching tool with your own clients. Points of You is available to all coaches to use with their clients.

with Tom Keydel

This workshop uses a series of role-plays to highlight “coachable” opportunities for personal growth. The workshop is built around two exercise sets: 1. Developing Awareness: True satisfaction and contentment have more to do with actualizing yourself that with actualizing your concept of who you imagine you are supposed to be. The security of one’s self-concept is that it creates artificial security. The first set of role plays looks at how easily client’s “act into” their self-concepts. The soul cannot rest so long as identity denies it. How does the coach find the right openings to let the client engage with a greater range of awareness? What are the cues and signals coaches should be looking for? 2. Re-visit and Re-decide: The openings that coaches get are the one’s which their clients choose. Can the client be at choice and play with options? To transform future self-projections, a client needs some clear tools to reinforce a variety of potential new approaches. In this second series of role-plays, the coaching demonstrates coachable openings by drawing attention to Comfort Zone awareness, and eliciting some client “hunger” for what is missing, by helping the client make a future action assessment of potential opportunity.

with Jeff Nally

“Hey, can I give you some feedback?” Those words strike fear in the hearts and minds of our coaching clients. Coaches fear giving and receiving feedback, too. Why do we respond this way? Blame it on your brain. Feedback triggers a threat response that’s as primal as a caveman running from a hungry lion. But there’s good news! We can say “Bye Felicia!” to the fear of feedback, and help our clients receive feedback from others as gift. And we can take the fear out of giving challenging feedback to our clients, too. In this session, you will learn and practice brain-based methods to: 

•  “gift” feedback to your clients without triggering threat responses in the brain
• teach clients how to ask for the gift of useful, meaningful feedback
• incorporate the gift of feedback in clients’ everyday interactions
• help clients review any 360-degree feedback report with ease
• manage and monitor clients’ emotional journey through the fearful phases of feedback during coaching sessions 

It’s time to tell fearful feedback, “Bye Felicia!”, and unwrap the present that you and your clients really want - the gift of feedback.

with Jeff Moore

When a prospective coaching client raises an objection, how do you handle it? It may be “I don’t have the time?”, “You are too expensive”, or “How do I know this will work?” Those questions and others like them are buying signals. Your prospect is asking for your help overcoming his internal resistance to trading something concrete and specific—his money—for something vague and uncertain: the experience of working with you. That’s great news. If you are prepared to help overcome that resistance, closing the sale gets much easier. This workshop gives you a specific way to prepare and practice. Here’s how: The best response to most objections is a story starring someone just like your prospect who has same concerns, the same resistance, and who overcomes the resistance, leading to a happy result. I call that story a terrific testimonial. At the workshop, you will learn to create and use terrific testimonials to close sales.