Tips for Facilitating a Discussion
mp3 file of workshop from East Coast Camp Meeting on "Tips for Facilitating a Discussion" coming soon
“Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow me.’” Ministry of Healing, p. 143
1. Preparation:
- Take good notes during the sermon/workshop/SS/reading of the passage.
- Figure out the key point that you want the group to understand & use that as your main topic of discussion
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Try to think of good discussion Qs you can ask:
- avoid ?s that are ambiguous,
- avoid ?s that have one-word answers
- avoid ?s that have yes/no answers
- avoid ?s that have obvious answers
- aim for thought-provoking, open-ended questions (“How…Why…”)
- Prepare a structure that will transition smoothly from one idea to the next - take the participants from:
- their needs (what stuck out to them from the sermon – this shows their needs)
- to the Bible (the principles gained)
- back to their lives (personal application of the Biblical principles)
- Pray for God to work out that lesson in YOU so that you can incarnate the message to others and have a personal testimony to share
2. How to Encourage Better Participation:
- After asking a question, WAIT…. Give ppl time to think/respond – don’t be afraid of silence! Someone will speak.
- “Play dumb” – the leader shouldn’t respond to every question – give others a chance – don’t talk too much.
- Call on ppl by name if no one says anything or if only a few ppl are dominating the discussion
- Ask a question that allows everyone to say ONE word/short answer (then call on specific ppl to elaborate)
- Break ppl into partners and have them share w/ the group what they discovered
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If one person dominates the conversation –
- Break eye contact w/ the talker to discourage that person from continuing
- Have the talker sit next to you, not across from you
- Use kind tone/words to bring the discussion back into the group
3. How to Avoid/Stop Awkward Silences:
- Pay attention to ppl - look at their facial expressions & observe if they're confused, thinking, listening, etc.
- Reword the question if they look confused
- Give an example so they know how to respond
- Call on someone to start the discussion
- If all this fails, just answer it yourself & move on (if the question is bad, that's your fault)
4. Miscellaneous:
- Remember that the energy of the group can only go as high as YOUR energy - so be rested, focused and interested in the study yourself (the passion comes from having learned something from God yourself)
- Be engaging – enunciate, speak with appropriate level of volume
- Make good eye contact when ppl are talking; transition from one person's comments to another so that each person's point is affirmed (Ex: Joe said faithfulness requires patience; how are they related? Have you also experienced what Mary said? Or was it different for you?)
- Your job is NOT to teach, but to create an atmosphere of open, respectful, and thoughtful dialogue & study of the Word to learn how to apply the Biblical principles into our lives
- Make sure you’re seated in a circle, where everyone can see each other
- General structure: PRAYER first, then ice breaker/question that everyone can answer; then go to the Bible; share; have clear application; PRAYER.