Hi Reader

Welcome to the March edition of the Coach Lead Collective, your go-to resource for coaching leaders like you, dedicated to supporting and developing our coaching community.

In this edition, we explore how to streamline workshop planning and take a look at NZ Cricket’s coach development strategy, which is building great momentum. And remember if you find value in this monthly newsletter, please share it with your colleagues!

A Workshop Planning Hack

It’s likely workshop season for you, and time can quickly get sapped trying to plan fresh, impactful sessions. Here’s a way to cut your planning time while making your workshops more engaging and effective.

I picked up this hack from former world champion public speaker David Nottage. Among the many gems he shared, this is one that stood out—a simple yet powerful framework for planning workshops efficiently. I’ve used this approach for years and have shared it often in coach developer training.

A great workshop follows three key steps:

1. Capture Attention – The best way to do this is through a story. A well-chosen story should connect to the content and objective of the session, setting the tone and engaging participants from the start.
2. Three Key Points – Focus on three main ideas, facts, or concepts. This is the heart of your session and should directly lead participants toward the workshop’s objective / call to action.
3. Call to Action – What do you want participants to take away and act on? This is the outcome that makes the session worthwhile.

Now, here’s the trick: Plan In Reverse.

Start with the call to action—be super clear on what you want participants to achieve. Then, identify the three key points that will get them there. Finally, work out your attention-grabbing hook—usually a compelling story that ties everything together. More often than not, as you're planning the key points, a great, relevant story will naturally come to mind. If you start by trying to come up with a high-impact story or hook first, you’ll likely double your planning time.

Planning this way ensures your workshop is purposeful, engaging, and impactful—without wasting time! Give it a go - it works!

Here is a video I put together framed around a real life context.

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NZ Cricket’s On The Front Foot

I recently facilitated an online workshop for NZ Cricket’s coach development network on building and maintaining relationships with coaches. The first thing I focused on was the who—understanding the coaches we’re working with shapes how we connect with them. When I worked with Bay of Plenty Rugby, we had 800 registered coaches, making it impossible to form close relationships with each one. I worked more closely with Level 2 and 3 coaches and rep coaches—about 40 in total—while the other 700 were reached through email updates (which ultimately led to The Coaching Gig app concept).

What stands out about NZ Cricket is their deliberate strategy of building a larger, more active coach development workforce. Most developers work with just 30-50 coaches each, typically within a smaller number of clubs and schools. And here’s the kicker—the majority are in paid positions, with KPIs linked to coach development. That’s a real game-changer.

Toby Doyle from NZ Cricket explains how the KPI system comes to life through development and action plans: "Through the KPI system, we co-design an annual coach development plan with each region’s coach developer. This is where the real ‘gold’ is—valuable, contextualized conversations that focus on the biggest opportunities for impact, followed by initiatives to make them happen." He adds, "We also keep a season-to-season record of our Coach Developer-to-coach ratio, which opens up valuable local conversations about the size and effectiveness of our workforce."

It makes me wonder—what would this look like in other sports? Cricket’s approach allows for deeper, hands-on support and stronger relationships. It’s a blinkin’ awesome way to keep coaches in form, boost the coaching experience, and ultimately raise the standard across the game. Nice work!

The Coaching Gig App is Live!

The new and improved TCG app is now live and ready to be downloaded! Check it out here: www.thecoachinggig.com ​

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• Netball
• Primary PE