Hey friends,

You know that moment…

You ask a question in small group and get nothing but blank stares. Like… not even a head nod. Just silence.

I’ve been there more times than I can count in 20+ years of leading small groups.

If you’ve got volunteers leading students, here are 3 simple shifts you can pass on to them this week to help get conversations going:

1. Ask specific questions.

Instead of “What did you think?” try something like:

  • “What do you think this says about God?”
  • “What part of this is hard to understand or believe?”
  • “Have you ever experienced something like this?”
2. Let them talk to one person first.

Students are way more likely to talk to one person than a whole group.

Try this:“Turn to the person next to you and share your answer.”

Then come back and ask:“Alright, what did you guys talk about?”

This lowers the pressure and gets everyone involved!

3. Affirm every response.

If students aren’t talking, it might be because they don’t feel safe yet.

When someone shares, respond with:

  • “That’s really good”
  • “I’m glad you said that”
  • “Thanks for being honest”
When students feel safe, they talk more.

Small shifts like these can completely change the tone of a group.

And if you want to equip your volunteers with more practical tools like this, that’s exactly why we created the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training.

It’s a training you can just press play on and use with your whole team.

If you’d like to learn more about it, you can check it out here.

Thanks for serving your students and volunteers so faithfully. I’m taking a moment to pray for you as you head into the stretch toward Easter, you’ve got this!