This morning, in a gathering of one of the small "supervision" groups I run (I prefer to call them professional and personal development groups), one of the participants wanted to talk about Endings. He was completing a course of coaching with a client next week and so the concept of endings, and how to make good ones, was very much on his mind. It just so happened (and maybe this was why it was particularly in the forefront of his thinking) that this was the last gathering of this particular group, after about 18 months, and eight sessions, together. So the rest of us gave him uninterrupted attention, while he thought about Endings and what would make good ones. Then (after a good chunk of time to think for himself) he asked us for our input and we added in a few thoughts of our own, before he then returned to his own thinking and a plan of action. What was particularly lovely for me was that the plan of action (two steps: Acknowledging where you've got to, and Appreciation of the other person's qualities) that he outlined are essentially a description of how we typically end any kind of meeting/course/gathering held in a Thinking Environment. He'd experienced me ending our sessions this way seven times already, and somehow it had seeped into his consciousness without him realising... To mark the ending of our time together today we had two Closing Rounds. For the first one I asked: "What are you most taking away from our time together over the past 18 months?" (Acknowledging where you've got to) and for the second "What qualities do you most admire or value in each of the other participants"? (Appreciation). Listening to each other as we shared our learnings and experiences, and then each hearing how we were valued by our fellow group members, was, as usual, a lovely way to end. And of course... It does also mean that I now have space in my diary for another group! If you are a coach, OD consultant or facilitator and would like the opportunity to reflect on your practice, share experience and ideas with a group of fellow professionals, do get in touch. (All of my groups are run using the principles of a Thinking Environment, so it's useful if you have read one of Nancy Kline's books or been on Time to Think course, but it's not essential.) For more details and an initial conversation, email me: anne@annehathaway.co.uk #coaching #thinkingenvironment #CPD #supervision