How to lead
A Discussion
Group Leader Tips: How to Lead a Group Discussion?
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hey everybody hope you're doing well I'm
sure you're sitting there right now
thinking why am i watching Joe Gallagher
on a video well let me explain I was
speaking to a couple of our staff and
leaders and I got some feedback from you
guys and we thought it'd be really
helpful if we start developing group
leader tip videos and so really the
heart behind this is just to help you
guys along the way grow as group leaders
and shepherding and leading your groups
as well and so along with that I'm going
to need your help too if you guys have
any ideas for how it would help all of
our groups please email me and talk with
me and we'll try to get videos out to
you either weekly or every other week
just with some tips for how to grow as a
group leader
so the first group leader tip that I
want to send you guys comes from Nick
Massa and me and him were talking last
week and we were talking through group
discussions and group leader discussions
and he had some really good points and I
thought it'd be really good to share
with you guys about how to grow as a
group leader in leading discussion I
remember a few years back when I first
started leading in group when I was a
senior in college that was one of the
first fears that I began to feel I was
like man how do I lead a group of twenty
people through a discussion on a passage
or a topic that's a lot of work and
there's a lot of maintenance with that
but but what's cool is what I learned
along the way is there's some really
helpful tips we can all learn to help
grow as group leaders leading
discussions and so here are some things
that I've learned along the way and I
hope it's a help to you as well and so
with that start with number one a first
tip that I've learned as a group leader
in leading discussions is this
facilitate don't dominate and so
basically what that means is this um the
group discussion leader is somebody who
facilitates the conversation they're not
leading it they're not taking control of
it they're not throwing out a question
and saying oh well here's the answer to
it no no the group leader is
facilitating the conversation throughout
the whole group and hopefully getting
everybody in the group to communicate
somehow or talk about what the scripture
is speaking in to them in some way and a
common lie that I think we've learned as
group leaders and what I've constantly
dealt with is this feeling that I have
all the answers a feeling that you have
to have all the answers if you're
leading a discussion and the truth is
that is not true that's a lot you know
have to know all the answers I remember
when I was first on a leadership core
team pastor Robb was our group leader at
the time and I remember every time Robb
had a question and it came right to him
someone would say Rob why does the Bible
say this why does this happen why does
why is this true he would never answer
the question right away he would always
throw it back to the group and say
that's a great question you know what do
you guys think about that and it was so
cool because through that people felt
like Robb trusted them and that the
discussion wasn't just based on him and
his knowledge but actually the group and
then along with that what does the Bible
say about that to do as a group leader
the idea is to facilitate the
conversation you're not going to
dominate the conversation and so that's
number one number two is this let there
be silence let there be silence silence
is a great tool and me as an introvert I
love silence silence is one of the ways
I recharge and I love just to sit back
and think and relax now for some of you
extra hurts silence is like the worst
thing in the world right I'm sure some
of you set in your groups or you've been
in a room and you felt awkward silence
and there's like a pressure where you
feel like oh man
I have to say something now because I
have to fill the room everyone's quiet
everybody
no silence is a great tool and when I
was a teaching I learned this - it was
silence is a great way for people to
process and stoke so what we need to do
is we need to start thinking it's not an
awkward silence it's a process time and
so silence is a great tool to help
people process through what you're
asking them and many times - people
don't respond right away when we ask a
question because they just need time to
process it and so many times what I'll
do is I'll have a little clock in my
head I'll say okay I'm going to wait
five to 10 seconds before I say anything
at all made a problem work like ten
seconds and if people don't say anything
I don't jump right in say well here's
the answer
know what what you need to do is you
need to just restate the question very
simple just restate the exact question
you asked and then that gives people
more time to process and eventually
people will answer so that's two so
number one number one tip facilitate
don't dominate number two let there be
silence in the number three and is this
tangents are okay tangents are okay and
so just let me explain tangents tangents
are if you're in a group discussion it
goes off course and so sometimes in that
situation I don't know if you've been in
that place where you're having a
conversation
leading it things are going well but
then all a sudden it just goes off
course and I'm telling you that tangents
are okay don't worry about it tangents
are a great tool to help get more people
in the room talking and I think what's
cool too is tangents are a great great
way to show people that you don't have
to be so serious you this is a loose
room this is a fun room our groups are a
fun place that people can come to and
learn about Jesus and have a great
community and a lot of times even when
you're with your friends you go on
random tangents and you have fun and you
goof around and I think what's cool too
is I've seen sometimes people won't talk
when you're having the actual serious
discussion and then when you go on a
random tangent all of a sudden people
start talking and and that's a big key
is when you're leading discussion you
want people talking and and it's a great
way to get people in the room
communicating and then bringing people
back as well you'd obviously don't want
the tangent to go too far off course you
want to and you want to bring people
back at some point
I remember an example of this though was
when I was a freshman I was in a Bible
study with Roth and I used to get
frustrated because we would be talking
about a topic and it would be going a
certain direction I'm like
like we're really communicating this is
great and then all of a sudden he would
make a joke and he would intentionally
take the group off-course a little bit
and I used to get frustrated I'm like
man why are you doing that doesn't make
any sense and he would say to me he's
like no I do that intentionally because
I want people to feel like this is a
comfortable environment that we have fun
here that we don't always have to be
serious and then along with that bring
people back into the conversation
so that's a great way like I said to
pick up people and along with that you
don't want to lose control you want to
bring people back and so usually what I
say to bring people back from tangents
is just like hey that's a great point
guys hey here's let's to get back on
track or hey you know here's what I kind
of picked up based on that person's
comment in the Bible or here's the
question again and it's just a great way
to just ease people back into it without
being so serious
alright group leaders that's all I have
for you this week hopefully this video
was helpful for you and we're learning
how to do it better as well and so if
you guys have any questions feedback
possible future topic ideas just email
me back and I would love your help and
feedback along the way so thanks guys
love you so much so proud of you and
excited to see how your groups continue
to grow as the Lord leads you and
directs you
you
