Troubleshooting Your Learning Group

Troubleshooting

How can I deal with a person who talks too much?

People who talk too much generally fall into a couple of categories.

  • If he is uncomfortable with silence, explain the importance of silence in your group and ask him to play along.
  • If she is overly enthusiastic or impatient, ask her to help you involve other people in the group by leaving room for them to respond.

Before the next session (it’s better to do this in private) try to find out where an individual is coming from and respond accordingly.

How can I encourage a person who doesn’t talk at all?

Like people who talk too much, those who hardly talk at all have their reasons. The best way to find out why a person is mostly silent is to ask what her silence means.

  • If she is shy, let her know you’re glad she’s in the group and you’ll welcome her insights when she’s ready to offer them.
  • If he feels out of place or overwhelmed or confused, see what you can do to help him resolve that.

In either event, ask if he would mind if you direct a question to him from time to time when you believe his insight would be particularly useful to the group.

I have a Catholic, a Baptist, two Presbyterians and a Pentecostal. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry about it. Some of our best friends are Presbyterians—they mean you no harm. The core content of this process is not theology, it’s the biblical text. Keep pointing your group to the text and let it speak.

If you think there’s an internal dialogue about theological differences in the group, acknowledge the tension. Then declare your conviction that this group is focused on finding out what the God of scripture says about commerce, which has almost nothing to do with whether we call our leaders Priests, Ministers, Pastors, Preachers or Ted.

There are a lot of questions here; where are the answers?

This is a learner-centered process. The questions are framed around discovery, analysis and application, based on a firsthand encounter with the biblical text. Your job is guiding people in the learning process (not teaching them a body of information). “What do you think?” “What did you see?” “Why do you think it’s important?” “What do you think you should do?” If the room is half-way safe, when people process these questions out loud, what the group is capable of learning far exceeds what you are capable of teaching.

How can I deal with a Know-It-All?

Outside the group, tell Mr. Know-It-All you could really use his help to involve other, quieter, people in the discussion. Chances are, that’ll do the trick.

If it doesn’t, remind him the Bible text carries the most weight in this particular conversation and ask him to help you focus attention on the text.

If Mr. Know-It-All is feeling under-challenged in the group, and if you’re up to it, offer to discuss things at a deeper or broader level over lunch.

What if people don’t prepare in advance?

The best preparation is using the D.I.Y. Questions. If you see people are coming unprepared, the P2P Questions are structured to include real time personal reflection as well as group interaction. Count on extra time.

What can I do if it seems people want me to do their thinking for them?

Refuse. This is not about teaching; it’s about learning. When a question is addressed to you, without being rude, redirect it to someone else or to the group at large. There’s nothing much smoother than: “That’s really interesting; I’m curious to know what you think about that.”

That said, redirecting is not the same as deflecting. Part of not being rude is being a genuine participant in the group. Use your judgment and avoid giving easy answers. Beyond that, it’s share and share alike.

What should I do if there’s too much material?

This is not a race. So take the time you need—meaning, take the time your group needs. If the group goes deeper than you expected (or if the process is more difficult than you anticipated) you may have to re-negotiate the number of times you’ll meet. If the process is valuable, that won’t be a deal breaker.

Of course there could be another reason you have too much material and that’s if your group is quick on the uptake and gets the point before you’ve exhausted all the resources in a section. For heaven’s sake, don’t bore people—if you’re convinced they’ve got it, move on.

How can I keep the group from wandering off-topic?

Well you can’t; not really. You’re guiding a group of adults who don’t exactly need your permission to leave the path and go sit on a rock. When that happens, bring them back with a question that swings the momentum in the direction you mean to go. If they wander off repeatedly, ask if there’s something that demands your attention more than the subject of record. There may be. If the stock market crashes or a community leader commits suicide, people could be the least bit distracted.

What should I do if my small group gets really small?

If by really small you mean it’s down to you and one other person; shift to the P2P Questions and enjoy yourselves. If by small you mean it’s down to you; make some phone calls the next day and see if you need to let everybody off the hook.

Reality Check: Some groups, like some business deals, just don’t work out. In the end, the relationships matter. Learn what you can and move on.

What’s the best way to handle disagreements?

With civility, kindness, patience and genuine affection. You will have noticed by now that two smart people can see things differently. Sometimes it’s as simple as the view from different hills.

Sometimes it’s more substantive than that, in which case it’s worth asking, Can we help each other understand of what God says about life and work even if we wouldn’t particularly want to be in business together?

Chances are, the answer is, Yes; we don’t have to agree at every point. Our goal has more to do with helping people take the next step according to their level of readiness than to create a uniform outcome for everyone in the group. Sometimes success is measured in tiny movements, other times in great leaps. Which is which is God’s business more than ours.

What if someone asks a question I can’t answer?

You won’t be able to answer every question. And that’s not a bad thing. If your group turns into a debate or a lecture or a Q&A session, it will be hard to keep pointing people to the kingdom of God. Don’t hijack your group process by trying to answer every question.

When a question arises about the specific passage you’re looking at, redirect it to the group: “What do you think it means?” or “What do you think he’s is getting at?” If there’s no satisfactory answer, move on. Maybe the next passage will clarify things.

When a question arises about things outside the text, remind the group that the purpose is to go straight to the source to see what the Bible says about commerce. It’s not that there’s no value in other pursuits; that’s just not what this group is about. If it seems appropriate, offer to talk about someone’s burning issue over lunch.

What do I do when the silence is deafening?

Prolonged silence usually means one of two things:

  • It may mean people are thinking. Whatever you do, please don’t interrupt that! They’ll answer when they’re ready.
  • It may mean they didn’t understand the question.

If the silence goes on too long, ask: “Was that question clear?” If the question was clear, someone will say, “Yes; we’re thinking; give us a minute.” If the question was unclear, they’ll tell you and you can take another stab at it. Either way, you win.

What do I do if I have to miss a session?

Make your excuses and miss the meeting. This is the real world. Things happen. As long as you don’t cast doubt on your commitment to the group; you’ll survive a missed meeting.

That said, consider forming a partnership with someone who can share leadership with you. He or she would also be someone with whom you can pray and plan; possibly someone you can mentor (or someone who can mentor you); someone who can step in if you get the flu; someone who can encourage you and give you the prearranged signal to get back on track if you’re the one who’s wandering. On balance, if you can find a partner to share the load, why not?

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