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church@home Internet magazine on the world of small groups http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/churchathome
Growing effective communications skills in your small group Jane Rennie First: a definition! Communication is the transmission of information and the exchange of meaning. For communication to take place, common meaning must be achieved between the parties involved.
participate. You can help them by breaking the group down into smaller groups, for discussion or prayer etc. Gradually, as they get to know the group members and feel comfortable, their threshold will increase.
Here are eight skills which can help to develop communication in small groups.
Talking to new Christians about ‘eschatological tension’ is not helpful! To achieve good communication you must use language and concepts that the group understands. Small group leaders need to be flexible, ready to adapt their language, their style of teaching and its content. To a certain extent you must mirror the language and style of communication used by the group.
Size also impacts the character of the group and you need to ensure that the communication used matches. A group with four to six people in it is like a family, very informal. Formal Bible studies and one person presentations will not work; you need to be relaxed and informal, ready to talk about whatever comes up. A group with eight to sixteen people is more formal but still everyone knows each other and the atmosphere is relaxed. A formal Bible study can work but it must allow for people to ask questions and be involved in discussion.
2 Listening
4 Get the right venue
You need to listen not just to the words spoken but to the meaning behind them. You need to listen with your eyes as well as your ears. I know it is tempting to glance through your notes for the next section of the Bible study while someone is speaking; after all, you are still listening! However, your listening will be seriously impaired. Believe me, you will be a better small group leader if you listen, than if your Bible studies are prepared to perfection. (Ed: Coming soon! … an article on how to be a better listener.)
A comfortable lounge where everyone can have a seat, see each other, which is well ventilated and private, is ideal. Some church lounges can almost equate to this, but many a draughty back hall has a long way to go. Equally unsuitable is a small lounge where the floor is the most commonly available seating and the temperature is tropical. People communicate effectively when they are comfortable.
1 Appropriate language
3 Be aware of size All people have what is called a ‘threshold of participation’. This is the number of people they feel happy talking in front of. For some it is three, for some eight, for others hundreds. If you have a group with eight people in it and someone’s threshold is around three they will find it hard to
5 Understand the difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous groups A homogeneous group is where all the members are similar. Groups of this nature are becoming very popular. People feel comfortable in them and therefore, they are able to communicate freely and easily. Misunderstandings are uncommon. A heterogeneous group is where all the members are different. Communication in this type of group
church@home Internet magazine on the world of small groups http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/churchathome
can be difficult but they should not be instantly rejected. When well led, being a member of a group like this can be a very enriching experience. If you as the leader can help to draw out the experiences of all the members, interpreting them so common meanings can be achieved, the variety of experiences and viewpoints can lead to understandings of situations that are far more enlightened than in homogeneous groups.
6 Use stories Stories are a great way to communicate. They allow people to learn from experience. Rather than presenting concepts and ideas directly, embed them in stories. Many people find this a much more effective way to learn and remember information. If we look at the way Jesus taught, we will see that the use of stories is by no means a new idea. (Ed: Coming soon! … an article on using stories in groups.)
7 Observation Watch your group. Are they listening? Are they concentrating? Are they bored? Watch your group so that you can respond to them. If they seem confused you can repeat what you are saying, using a different illustration. If they seem bored or disconnected you can ask them a question to draw them back in. If they are tired and losing concentration you can finish early! Good communicators are in touch with those they are communicating with
8 Involve the Holy Spirit Jesus has given us a helper, the Holy Spirit. He can help you discern what is happening spiritually within the group. He can give you the words to speak to the group. The Holy Spirit can help you understand God’s word, bringing it to life and pouring light onto it. The Holy Spirit can give you wisdom to deal with difficult group members and situations. ‘He will teach you all things.’
Jane Rennie, formerly Director of Training at London Bible College, is now part of the leadership team of a multicongregational church in Colchester, where she heads up the church’s year-out scheme and other training initiatives. Her experience of small groups spans 22 years, ranging from being in them, to running them, to training people to run them. Her master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour gave her the chance to study small groups in detail.
Feel free! As long as it’s for your own personal use within the context of your home group or the overall home group programme of your church, please feel free to print out and use the material in church@home as much as you’d like to, adapting where appropriate. (Don’t forget that we’d be interested to hear about any imaginative ways you come up with of using or improving the material.) However, if you would like to use any of the material in other contexts or as part of any publication, we’d appreciate you contacting us to ask permission to use first. © 2002, Scripture Union, 207-209 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2EB
