There are certain drums we like to beat. One of which is the importance of having well-trained facilitators, who remember that their role is not to teach but to facilitate a Spirit-filled discussion. We offer the following advice to help you master the art of facilitating Spirit-filled discussion:
Gauging the Tenor of the Discussion
Good facilitators take care to determine when to allow a discussion to continue — even if it is off topic — and when to reign it in. The most important factor in making this determination is the sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the discussion. Is the discussion edifying or a showcase of knowledge? Is it causing strife or bringing peace? There are several gracious ways to reign in a conversation that you feel should end. One simple way is to tell the group that those interested in discussing the topic further can pick up on it during snack time, and that in the meantime, you are going to move on to the next question.
Best Types of Questions: Launching, Understanding and Application
The single greatest factor in facilitating such a good Spirit-filled discussion is the quality of the questions. A Launching question gets things rolling. For example, in a study on a book of the Gospel, someone might ask if anyone has a favorite story about Jesus. This is open-ended enough to draw people of many backgrounds, while close enough to the subject matter get people interested. An Understanding question focuses on comprehending a more specific idea or passage. An Understanding question about the Gospel of Luke might ask why Jesus was so concerned about the Kingdom of God. Finally, an Application question seeks to help people to live what they are experiencing. An application question about the Gospel of Luke might ask what one can do to pay more attention to the Kingdom of God in their own life this week.
Types of Questions to Avoid: Leading, Yes-No, Compound, and Overly Intellectual
A good question is open-ended. It trusts the audience to engage in an idea. It is not a leading question; “don’t you think we too should avoid being legalistic like the Pharisees?” This sort of question kills discussions and risks sounding moralizing. It also runs the great risk of insulting the intelligence and/or sincerity of the participants. A Yes-No question leaves no such room; “before he met Jesus, was Peter a fisherman?” cannot go beyond a Yes or a No. Compound questions tend to confuse people; “Do you think Jesus loved all sinners or just some, and when he did love them, how did he show it and why” is ungainly to reply to. Finally, we must diligently avoid Overly Intellectual questions. Good questions focus more on the heart than on the head, and more on application than on theory. Begin with stimulating that affect the intellect (theological concepts), then move to questions that move the affections (those that stir the heart) and conclude with questions that move one to resolution (those that move one to action). The faith is meant to be practiced, not simply thought. A good question also leaves room for dialogue.
A Variety of Techniques
In facilitating a good discussion, the facilitator serves to encourage participation through a variety of techniques. The primary role of a facilitator is to act as a catalyst for good discussion by encouraging the group to interact with each other. Everyone is not comfortable with speaking in group situations. Exercise sensitivity to this fact when calling on persons in the group that may prefer to just listen. Ask a volunteer to read the passage, taking care to split the reading up properly ahead of time. When answers are unclear, the facilitator should seek to clarify what was said through requesting that the speaker rephrase, or by rephrasing the response and asking if this was the intended meaning. Responses should be affirmed in order to encourage interaction. This is especially important at the beginning stages of the group, when participants are less comfortable with speaking.
A Relaxed and Open Attitude
Modeling a relaxed and open attitude will also help to set group members at ease. The facilitator will also help to make new members comfortable by modeling a welcoming attitude, and encouraging others to do the same. For groups that are familiar with each other, it is often especially important to explicitly dialogue about avoiding clique-like behavior; while the group may be warm, new members run the risk of feeling especially isolated if existing members fail to continually put effort into incorporating the new person in conversation, especially those that occur before or after the formal discussion.
Controversial Topics
Controversial topics that arise can be used to facilitate Holy Spirit-filled discussion. Difficult issues can be a helpful stimulus to humility and personal growth. It is important to avoid becoming or being the answer person. Keep putting the issue back to the group, perhaps even explicitly encouraging them to wrestle with the question charitably together. If it is becoming a discussion lacking in charity, help the group to move back into a spirit of generosity and kindness. This can be done either by relegating the discussion to the snack time after discussion, by modeling a charitably stated contribution, or by directly encouraging gentleness of speech with a warm tone. After sufficient discussion, have a volunteer look up the question in the Catechism or a theological dictionary, a great tool to always have at your group.
Conflicts
The facilitator will also need to handle conflict within the group. Conflict-averse facilitators will have to try especially hard to deal directly with issues that arise, and to seek accountability with facilitators of other groups to stick with it. It is important to learn and regularly review techniques for dealing with difficult behaviors such as people who dominate conversation, those who utilize the meetings for a therapy session, and other such behaviors. Sit next to people who speak a lot, not across from them. If the behaviors cannot be resolved through reorienting the discussion, the facilitator will need to speak gently and directly with people who habitually hamper discussion outside of the group.
Patient vs. an Authoritarian Approach
Specific behaviors to avoid as a facilitator include monopolizing the conversation, becoming the answer person, and having the last word. Practice patience and openness with different perspectives. Some facilitators have expressed concern with conveying Church teaching correctly. It is important to remember that while each response that members make will not always be in line with Church teaching, a Holy Spirit-filled discussion will have a positive effect on the group over a period of many meetings. Trust in the transformative power of the Spirit of Christ should overshadow temptations to hold an attitude of constant correction.
A relationship with Christ is the most helpful aid in understanding Church teaching; therefore, a relationship with Christ should generally be the first step and primary focus of a group. An examination of the Vatican II documents on ecumenical dialogue is revealing in this matter; Church teaching flows from and is understood in relation to the fundamental Christian faith, which is founded on the person of Christ. A continual pattern of correction will not, in the long run, help members to have a lasting conversion of heart to Christ, from which flows all Church teaching. People are transformed through the sense of love and freedom that a group possesses: “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father!” It has been our experience that people who struggle with specific concepts tend to grow in love and knowledge of the Church and her teachings over a long period of time.
Preparation
The role of preparation cannot be underestimated in the work of facilitating Spirit-filled discussion. Group facilitators who are creating their own lessons should count on at least four hours of preparation per hour of discussion. Read the passages far in advance and begin pondering them, looking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Write out your questions — perhaps those with over ten years of experience can curtail this routine, but no one with less experience should forgo writing down everything. If a chapter is loaded, you may decide ahead of time to spend more than one session on it.The questions composed should also be submitted for peer review if possible. When asking the questions, be flexible to changing them or skipping some depending on the flow of the discussion.
Those using a prepared set of questions should also spend time reviewing the questions for appropriateness, taking care to create new questions when the needs of the group or the quality (or lack thereof) of the materials dictate it. We have found few discussion guides that are truly up to the task of facilitating a Spirit-filled discussion, while even those that are adequate need adjustment to the needs of particular groups. However, if you are ever in a pinch and need to facilitate cold, you can use our General Bible Study Questions.