John H. Chapman

One of the primary goals of any G4 group should be to progress through the curriculum on a weekly basis. Moving through the curriculum keeps everyone in group oriented and moving in the right direction towards accomplishing their individualized goals regardless of the size of the steps they each take.

Each facilitator will have their own style of leadership and the flexibility of G4 celebrates the uniques of each facilitators own story and style while still being able to effectively facilitate good discussion around a topic specific curriculum. The curriculum often does a lot of the work of providing the participants with the overall raw material for the discussion. The true benefit of the group comes from the ability of the group facilitator to be able draw out deeper conversations that will move in tandem with the curriculum rather than sticking to a strict reading of the curriculum in group. To better understand how to do this there are four simple ways that a facilitator can do to be prepared to lead their way through the curriculum and not simply read and ask questions.

Seek to Understand the Material

Group facilitators have to do some heavy lifting before the group even begins. Having a clear understanding of the material means knowing what has been happening in previous chapters as well as what is to come in the next few chapters. You are not expected to be an expert in the area they are leading but it is likely that some participants are a little behind where the group is in their individual struggle and some have started to move ahead. The ability to relate the current group discussion to the individuals journey will mean being able to tie multiple chapters together. For good faciltators, this will often mean working to understand some of the more complex pieces of the material more deeply.

Be Prepared

It should go without saying that good facilitators come to group prepared but here it means more than simply having read the curriculum beforehand. While preparing for the week, facilitators should be evaluating the curriculum and perhaps past experience in the group to narrow in on potential questions to ask the group. The goal is for facilitators to come to group with questions at varying points throughout the curriculum so that they are able to jump start a discussion at any particular point where discussion my stall or become unfruitful.

Prepare Participants

A group of participants that have not read the curriculum will not provide the foundation for a good discussion. Facilitators have to have clear expectations of what is to be read before coming to group, even those that might have missed that weeks discussion. Setting expectations early and often means participants are more likely to come prepared to discuss the curriculum rather than simply read through the curriculum together. Having participants who are willing to put in the work between group meetings will greatly increase the quality and effectiveness of the conversation because it gives them the opportunity to process the material at home and bring those thoughts into the discussion that is centered around the content of the curriculum into group.

Foster Good Discussion

Group facilitators are meant to move the group discussion along more than they are meant to teach the group. There might be nights where an initial question is all that’s required to spark a discussion that will move participants through the material in ways that teaching the content of the material never could. A good facilitator will be able to read the room to know when to jump in with an additional question, draw participants back to the curriculum, or even allow a silence to linger longer than might initially feel comfortable. Each of these illicit different responses from group participants and weaving them together can lead to incredibly profitable discussions.

One of the biggest benefits of group counseling is the discussion that can happen between participants when a facilitator is able to foster good conversation. Unlike leading a bible study or teaching a curriculum, facilitating counseling groups can feel much like an art form that takes practice. Those facilitators who put in the work to prepare themselves and their participants before they arrive will benefit from lively and profitable discussion that will help the participants reach their goals.