14 December 2023

Penny Aspden, an EMCC UK Governor, and co-ordinator of the our northwest region, gives an update on a recent review we undertook of our regional networks.

EMCC UK’s regional network groups are an important and much valued part of our membership offer. Across the UK, we have a vibrant range of regional activities. If you are not familiar with these or would like to find out more about what is on offer, you can find information about the networks, and detailed events listings across the UK here.

Given the post-covid context of a new emerging balance between in-person and online events, we know that members’ needs and wishes have been evolving.  So we recently carried out a light touch review of our regional networks, taking account of new ways of working, and how they fit in alongside the recent expansion in the different EMCC UK special interest groups. The aims of the review were to:

• Identify and celebrate good practice
• Identify and recommend any changes to the number, structure, and organisation of networks
• Make proposals for improvements on setting and running regional network groups

We gathered feedback from the regional network co-ordinators, taking account of members’ views and experiences in their networks. We were keen to make this exercise as inclusive, consultative and transparent as possible so that each region had a voice. Members who attend regional network events were able to feed in their views through their network coordinators.

The recommendations and outcomes of the review, which were approved by the EMCC UK Board, are to:

• Continue the regional network structure, which is highly valued by members as a place to build local relationships, be part of a coaching community, share ideas and access CPD
• Provide further communications and clarify the purpose and key objectives of the network, special interest groups and other fora, to assist members in deciding which events will best suit their needs
• Further support regional network co-ordinators and clarify their role and how they link with other parts of EMCC UK
• Encourage and develop stronger liaison between regional network co-ordinators
• Conduct periodic checks to make sure that networks are being supported and are sustainable, and to give regional co-ordinators the opportunity to merge with another network if desired, or to seek volunteer support via the EMCC UK newsletter or Linkedin group
• Identify and celebrate success, acknowledging a fantastic number and range of quality events delivered by networks
• Encourage members to watch out for social media coverage of events, and feel free to post and be part of the conversation
• Identify ways to attract attendance of new and existing members, particularly under-represented groups. More work on this will commence in 2024
• Provide timely updates to regional network co-ordinators about relevant issues, for example, IT updates and general EMCC developments

The regional networks exist for EMCC UK members. So we are keen to continue to receive feedback from you about what you might like in your region. Please feel free to share any feedback with your regional network co-ordinator, via the EMCC UK Operations team, or one of the Governor members, as detailed on the website.

If you haven’t until now been aware of our regional network offer, I hope this post has inspired you to check out what is on offer in your area.

The review was led by Penny Aspden, the Northwest Regional Co-ordinator and Governor. Other members of the review team were: Paul Heardman, EMCC UK Board member and Director for Supervision Practice; Robin Paisley, Scottish Regional Co-Ordinator; and Sarah Loud, Business Relations and Events Manager on the Operations Team.

Photo by Gabe Fender