APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021 , Vol . 7 people used to the format and start to grow their confidence to take part in this way .
Allow time for the CoP to grow
It takes time for relationships to form and to establish social dynamics , creating a space where everyone feels confident to speak , ask questions and challenge each other appropriately . Breaking such barriers can be even more delicate in an online environment , so give it time ! If you are the CoP organiser , try not to jump in too much if there are silences and it ’ s not a problem if meetups are quite short in the beginning . From our experience , people are getting more from CoP learning than is observable and remember , much of the most valuable learning takes place away from the CoP itself .
Encourage and support leaders
To get a CoP to be organised and led from within , the members of the CoP need to take ownership and develop the skills required to lead it . Encourage this leadership from the start but provide support to those leading a topic discussion for example . Over time , as members become more used to social learning , and develop listening , facilitation and questioning skills , they will be ready to take it on without guidance .
If you have resource available , also provide support to the CoP organiser . This could be , as in this project , in the form of a critical friend , to act as a soundboard , challenge ideas and offer insights .
References Bertam , R ., Culver , D . M . and Gilbert , W . ( 2016 ) Creating value in a sport coach community of practice : A collaborative enquiry . International Sport Coaching Journal , 3 : 2-16 .
Walker , L . F ., Thomas , R . and Driska , A . P . ( 2018 ) Informal and nonformal learning for sport coaches : A systematic review . International Journal of Sport Science & Coaching , 103 ( 5 ): 694-707 .
Wenger , E ., McDermott , R . and Snyder , W . M . ( 2002 ) Cultivating Communities of Practice : A Guide to Managing Knowledge . Boston : Harvard Business School .
Whitaker , L . and Scott , M . ( 2019 ) Setting up and evaluating a community of practice for sport coaches . Applied Coaching Research Journal , 3 : 24- 33 .
Contact Mark Scott MScott @ ukcoaching . org
Galley , R ., Conole , G . and Alevizou , P . ( 2012 ) Community indicators : A framework for observing and supporting community activity on Cloudworks . Interactive Learning Environments , 22 ( 3 ): 373 – 395 .
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