Small Group Sharing

Small Group is inherently an environment where members should feel at ease sharing deeply personal things in their life and utilizing
the forum time to navigate these issues.

In a strong environment of sharing and authenticity, everyone can come to the table with their own experiences and offer support and understanding to their forum mates. 
If everyone feels free and open to share, it solidifies the atmosphere of trust in the Small Group.

If you find that your Small Group members 
are restrained, you may need to encourage them to participate in the discussion. This can happen if you are using an exercise in your Small Group that encourages deeper thought and reflection. Try to encourage sharing by using open-ended questions such as these:

• What did this mean to you?

• What did you appreciate about the openness that was shared?

• How does this relate to something in your life?

• What emotions did this bring up in you?

Create an open and safe space

Empowering your Small Group members to come with an open mind and from an authentic place helps to set the tone of your Small Group meetings. An open space fosters trust and encourages all members to be present and have a vested interest in the Small Group’s success. During the Small Group meeting, it is important to reiterate the rule of confidentiality as discussed in the section on Small Group principles.

Ensure an active listening space

A key element to an open and safe space is attentive listening. All members of the Small Group should listen actively — listening and making the effort to really understand what is being said. Here is how to be an effective active listener:

Make eye contact with the speaker. Resist the urge to train your eyes on objects such as your notepad, electronic device or other items in the room.

Use your whole body to engage the speaker. This can mean positioning your body toward the speaker by simply leaning toward him or her.

When appropriate, you can use nonverbal cues such as a head nod or “hmm-mmm” to show you are listening, but be careful not to overuse these cues; you may come across as disingenuous or be distracting to the group.

You can repeat or paraphrase something you heard from the speaker as a way to convey understanding. 

 

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