"Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives." – Brené Brown
Topic:
Whether you’re coaching a new group of professionals or a long-standing intact team, creating connection is essential to the success of group coaching. From trust and openness to deeper learning and collaboration, connection forms the foundation of everything we do as group and team coaches.
In Effective Group Coaching, I write about the importance of creating a safe, inviting space that enables group members to bring their whole selves. Safety doesn’t happen by chance. It’s deliberately cultivated, session after session—and often begins in the first few minutes of a call or meeting.
Yet for many coaches, that opening moment can feel challenging. Icebreakers can feel awkward, overdone, or worse—irrelevant. But when used with intention, a well-designed warm-up can quickly shift a group from “I don’t know anyone” to “I belong here.”
This post offers seven meaningful, flexible, and fun ways to open your group sessions and deepen connection—without forcing it.
Top Tips for Creating Connection in Group Calls or Sessions
1. Choose Depth Over Dazzle.
Keep icebreakers simple and connected to the purpose of the session. A well-placed question that links to a theme of trust, learning, or creativity can be more powerful than an elaborate activity.
2. Offer Options for Participation.
Not everyone will want to speak up immediately. Provide choices—respond via chat, share with a partner, or use a poll or reaction. This respects different comfort levels while fostering inclusion.
3. Use Visual Prompts.
Photos, icons, or even objects can spark engagement. In From One to Many, I talk about using visuals as “conversation starters” to unlock metaphor and insight. Consider tools like photo cards or our Conversation Sparker deck to create an entry point for dialogue.
4. Acknowledge the Virtual Space.
Online sessions require extra intention. Turn cameras on early, welcome participants by name, and create an arrival ritual. A simple “Where are you logging in from today?” in the chat helps people connect geographically and personally.
5. Make it Thematic.
Align your opening question with the topic of the day. If you’re focusing on change, ask “What’s one change you’ve successfully navigated this year?” If you’re exploring vision, ask “What’s one thing you’d love to create in the next quarter?”
6. Invite Story, Not Status.
Avoid intros that focus on title or job role. Instead, invite stories. “What’s one project that’s lit you up recently?” or “What’s your favorite way to recharge?” These reveal more than job descriptions ever could.
7. Build Connection Across the Group.
Encourage peer-to-peer interaction. Breakout rooms, small group conversations, or chat-based sharing promote relational trust beyond the coach-client connection.
Try This
Here are two opening activities that are both fun and purposeful:
The Object Story: Ask participants to bring an object that represents how they’re showing up today. Have each person share its meaning. It creates instant insight and allows for metaphor to enter the room.
Map Your Moment: Share a blank map or visual background and ask: “If you could be anywhere in the world today coaching or leading from, where would you be?” Let people annotate, chat, or voice their answer. This playful activity quickly reveals values, aspirations, and geography.
Inquiry
What helps you feel safe, seen, or included in a group setting? How can you design that experience intentionally for others?
If you think about your best group coaching experience—what was it that helped you feel like you belonged?
Wrap Up
Creating connection doesn’t require grand gestures. It’s built moment by moment, with curiosity, care, and clarity of purpose.
As coaches, our role is to create the container—not to force connection, but to enable it. Whether it’s through a thoughtful prompt, a playful image, or a shared silence, the way we begin sets the tone for everything that follows.
Start strong. Connect with purpose. And remember—every spark of connection is an invitation to go deeper.
Check out these recent Coaching Many Podcast episodes to go deeper around the topic of Connection:
Episode 13 - Connection
Topic:
Whether you’re coaching a new group of professionals or a long-standing intact team, creating connection is essential to the success of group coaching. From trust and openness to deeper learning and collaboration, connection forms the foundation of everything we do as group and team coaches.
In Effective Group Coaching, I write about the importance of creating a safe, inviting space that enables group members to bring their whole selves. Safety doesn’t happen by chance. It’s deliberately cultivated, session after session—and often begins in the first few minutes of a call or meeting.
Yet for many coaches, that opening moment can feel challenging. Icebreakers can feel awkward, overdone, or worse—irrelevant. But when used with intention, a well-designed warm-up can quickly shift a group from “I don’t know anyone” to “I belong here.”
This post offers seven meaningful, flexible, and fun ways to open your group sessions and deepen connection—without forcing it.
Top Tips for Creating Connection in Group Calls or Sessions
1. Choose Depth Over Dazzle.
Keep icebreakers simple and connected to the purpose of the session. A well-placed question that links to a theme of trust, learning, or creativity can be more powerful than an elaborate activity.
2. Offer Options for Participation.
Not everyone will want to speak up immediately. Provide choices—respond via chat, share with a partner, or use a poll or reaction. This respects different comfort levels while fostering inclusion.
3. Use Visual Prompts.
Photos, icons, or even objects can spark engagement. In From One to Many, I talk about using visuals as “conversation starters” to unlock metaphor and insight. Consider tools like photo cards or our Conversation Sparker deck to create an entry point for dialogue.
4. Acknowledge the Virtual Space.
Online sessions require extra intention. Turn cameras on early, welcome participants by name, and create an arrival ritual. A simple “Where are you logging in from today?” in the chat helps people connect geographically and personally.
5. Make it Thematic.
Align your opening question with the topic of the day. If you’re focusing on change, ask “What’s one change you’ve successfully navigated this year?” If you’re exploring vision, ask “What’s one thing you’d love to create in the next quarter?”
6. Invite Story, Not Status.
Avoid intros that focus on title or job role. Instead, invite stories. “What’s one project that’s lit you up recently?” or “What’s your favorite way to recharge?” These reveal more than job descriptions ever could.
7. Build Connection Across the Group.
Encourage peer-to-peer interaction. Breakout rooms, small group conversations, or chat-based sharing promote relational trust beyond the coach-client connection.
Try This
Here are two opening activities that are both fun and purposeful:
The Object Story: Ask participants to bring an object that represents how they’re showing up today. Have each person share its meaning. It creates instant insight and allows for metaphor to enter the room.
Map Your Moment: Share a blank map or visual background and ask: “If you could be anywhere in the world today coaching or leading from, where would you be?” Let people annotate, chat, or voice their answer. This playful activity quickly reveals values, aspirations, and geography.
Inquiry
What helps you feel safe, seen, or included in a group setting? How can you design that experience intentionally for others?
If you think about your best group coaching experience—what was it that helped you feel like you belonged?
Wrap Up
Creating connection doesn’t require grand gestures. It’s built moment by moment, with curiosity, care, and clarity of purpose.
As coaches, our role is to create the container—not to force connection, but to enable it. Whether it’s through a thoughtful prompt, a playful image, or a shared silence, the way we begin sets the tone for everything that follows.
Start strong. Connect with purpose. And remember—every spark of connection is an invitation to go deeper.
Check out these recent Coaching Many Podcast episodes to go deeper around the topic of Connection:
Episode 13 - Connection
Jennifer Britton
CEO and Founder, Potentials Realized
Author of Effective Group Coaching, From One To Many: Best Practices for Group and Team Coaching, Coaching Business Builder and the Reconnecting Worksapces Seres
Creator of the GroupCoachingEssentials series of programming
Learn more about our ICF-CCE pathway to the ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)
Looking for training as a group or team coach? Join us this spring for an ICF CCE approved program including Group Coaching Essentials (Fridays at 12 - 130pm ET), Team Coaching Essentials (Mondays at 9 am ET starting June). Grow your businesses with us on Fridays at the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (1135 - 1220 pm ET) or the Coaching Biz Mastermind (Fridays 1230 - 2 pm ET).
CEO and Founder, Potentials Realized
Author of Effective Group Coaching, From One To Many: Best Practices for Group and Team Coaching, Coaching Business Builder and the Reconnecting Worksapces Seres
Creator of the GroupCoachingEssentials series of programming
Learn more about our ICF-CCE pathway to the ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)
Looking for training as a group or team coach? Join us this spring for an ICF CCE approved program including Group Coaching Essentials (Fridays at 12 - 130pm ET), Team Coaching Essentials (Mondays at 9 am ET starting June). Grow your businesses with us on Fridays at the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (1135 - 1220 pm ET) or the Coaching Biz Mastermind (Fridays 1230 - 2 pm ET).
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