The year 2020 brought with it some big changes in the coaching industry. If you weren’t looking closely, you can be forgiven for thinking the world hasn’t changed much – but it really has.
From our work with thousands of coaches, these are my top three predictions for 2021 and beyond.
1. Say goodbye to Zoom, but not for too long.
In the UK, we are in the midst of ‘the final countdown’ – a 3-month phased plan which will bring life back to normality. It’s very exciting and everyone is looking forward to meeting up again soon.
I believe summer 2021 will see a surge in physical events, meetups and people reconnecting with each other, but don’t be fooled. Zoom and ‘online experiences’ are here to stay.
The simple facts are; 1. People like the convenience and, 2. businesses like the scale and low costs of this new online world.
So while you might be planning a new and exciting phase of your coaching business, full of networking opportunities, meetups and more. Don’t forget: A big percentage of coaching will be done online once things return to normal, and those who adapt to this new world will benefit greatly.
2. Coaching peer groups will become the norm.
One of the biggest accelerators of coaching success is the quality of your peer group.
At SPEAKup, we think of peer groups in two ways:
Firstly, all of our coaches are a part of Coach Practice Club. Membership to the club involves committing to becoming a top 1% coach and attending monthly practice sessions to keep improving your skill-set.
Secondly, we encourage our coaches to join peer groups with other coaches. These are small, intimate groups, all focused on helping one another to grow.
It’s as clear as day to me, that without having these kinds of support structures in place, coaches are destined to wonder alone down many different paths in hope that they are getting things right.
In 2021 and beyond, we are going to see more and more coaches build successful peer groups to keep them moving in the right direction.
Do you have your peer group sorted? If not, get on it.
3. Goodbye Facebook. Hello _____?
This CEO thinks Facebook is on its way out.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great platform CURRENTLY. But I think it’s days are numbered, for a list of reasons, but chiefly it’s user experience.
Other platforms now exist with richer user experiences.
Linkedin is driving professional communities and networking.
Instagram is driving photo content.
TikTik is driving short video content.
YouTube is driving longer-form video content.
And even the recent success of Clubhouse (a live audio sharing platform) shows that consumers are craving a richer social experience than Facebook can provide.
So, what’s next? And where should you focus your efforts? That’s the subject for another post entirely.
But for now, my advice is to keep using Facebook if it’s working for you, but to also think about another platform where you can start to build your reputation and brand.
I hope these three predictions are helpful and give you something to think about over the coming months.
