Communication Techniques and How They Are Used Within Groups
Communication Techniques and How They Are Used Within Groups
Active Listening and Questioning
A practical way that we can show love to other people in our lives, as well as our Discipleship Group, is to truly listen to each other. It sounds obvious but unless we are intentional about it, it may not happen!
Watch: One of these clips
Big Bang Theory:
Everybody loves Raymond:
Active listening involves two things:
1. Focusing on what the other person is saying- How often do we miss what another person says because we are thinking about last night’s party, our next assignment, or a message that has just appeared on our phone? So, the first step is to stop thinking about the next thing that we want to say and to actually focus on the person in front of us.
It is also helpful to look at the person we’re listening to and make sure that our body language expresses genuine interest (e.g., leaning in, facing the person, eye contact).
2. Giving feedback- This means letting the speaker know that you
are hearing what they are saying by:
- Sounds – ‘Okay’, ‘yep’, ‘uh huh’, ‘that makes sense’
- Expressions – Appropriate nod, smile, etc.
- Clarifying Questions – ‘Are you saying …’, ‘I’m hearing you say …’, ‘What I’m understanding is …’, ‘Am I right in saying …’
- Paraphrasing – Repeating back to the speaker what you have just heard them say, but in your own words.
- HOWEVER, be careful not to overdo it!!!
DISCUSS
- What are some practical ways that you could use active listening to promote better communication in this Discipleship Group?
Non-verbal Communication
It’s important to understand that you can communicate a lot without saying a word. You may have experienced this when someone rolls their eyes, walks away saying nothing is wrong, or say they are interested but are looking at their phone.
Watch: Nonverbal Communication as told by “Friends”
DISCUSS
- How do you think non-verbal communication might negatively impact our Discipleship Group?
Rapport Building
Rapport is basically an emotional connection with other people. Therefore, building rapport is the process of establishing that connection. When we first meet someone new, we start to try to build rapport. Like it or not, this is why small talk exists: it is a way to try to find things in common with other people and build that shared bond. This bond is important because we all have a tendency to want to be with ‘people like us’.
Watch: How Do You Build Rapport with Youth?
It is much easier to build rapport with someone who is very like you, or who shares a lot of your interests. You have shared ground, and things to talk about. You also have a shared frame of reference. This makes both building a relationship, and communicating generally, much easier. However, we have probably all found ourselves thinking: “He/she is lovely, I’m sure, but we really have nothing in common.” Under those circumstances, working together is likely to be harder, and communication more difficult, because you lack a shared frame of reference. You will need to work harder to build rapport and develop your relationship – but this is still possible.
DISCUSS
What do you think might help you to be able to build rapport with those in your Discipleship Group or Ministry Placements? What might hold you back from doing this?
Vulnerability
Another practical way that we can show love to other people in our lives, as well as our Discipleship Group, is by making ourselves vulnerable. Vulnerability is that unstable feeling we get when we step out of our comfort zone and expose ourselves emotionally to uncertainty, risk, and emotions.
When we recall the times that we have felt vulnerable or emotionally exposed, they tend to be times of great courage. These may have been major events in our lives, but it can also exist equally in those smaller moments when feelings of fear creep in when we share our feelings with another person or when we are called to do something that is outside of our comfort zone.
Watch: DARE TO BE VULNERABLE (How To Deal with Your Critics) | Brené Brown
DISCUSS
- How might the practice of ‘being vulnerable’ help you and the members of your Discipleship Group mature in the Christian life as described in Ephesians 4:11-29?