
New Podcast! OCF All-Stars: Working with an Area Chapter
In this episode of All-Stars, Dan interviews Theo Smith, a student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who belongs to what’s called an “area chapter” of OCF.
In this episode of All-Stars, Dan interviews Theo Smith, a student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who belongs to what’s called an “area chapter” of OCF.
Having a great conversation at your meetings is more than just having an interesting topic–it takes real leadership to facilitate discussion and make sure everyone’s voice’s are heard. Here are some pointers on leading discussion!
Facilitators should not try to correct, teach, inform, and dominate in the discussion. The job of the facilitator is to invisibly direct the discussion to where it is fruitful and all participants are given the chance to speak. This takes some self-restraint (you may have something to say to correct someone…DON’T DO IT), humility (even if you know the “answer,” allow people to come to it on their own), patience (there might be some people who try to dominate, or who are long-winded; don’t cut them off immediately, they might just need a little time), discernment (on the same token, if people go on for too long, you need to discern whether it is harming the rest of the discussion, and find a positive, respectful, but abrupt and definitive way to end their commentary) and much more!
It’s easy to be afraid of awkward silences after you have posed a question. You can surely restate the question in a different way if no one seems to connect, but also remember that silences are important in discussions. People need time to think about what was just posed, and asking them to respond immediately after you state a question is unrealistic. A silence, even up to ten seconds long, will enrich your discussion.
Make sure when you ask a question, it is not leading. In other words don’t ask “So don’t you all think that talk/article/passage was all about…” This kind of question isn’t really a question. You want to broaden the possibilities for response. Often there is not just one right answer. Allow for different perspectives by asking something like, “What did you all think when [speaker] talked about…” or “How do you think [topic] relates to our everyday life?”
Specifically ask the quieter members what they think of the topic; and, as kindly as possible, rein in the unrelentingly verbal members who don’t let others speak. Make sure every participant has an opportunity to be heard.
After discussing, for instance, different ways that a particular topic is applicable to our everyday life, stop and ask the group, “OK, what have we said so far?” Recap and allow time to breathe, to re-gather thoughts, and start thinking again. This is a very important role that the facilitator takes. In a sense you cannot engage in as much depth as the participants because you have to see a few steps ahead, and discern what the most fruitful avenue will be.
When the allotted time for the discussion is up (or when people are tired or ready to go), do a full summary of what you covered. “We said…We agreed that… But some of us disagreed with…and said that…” etc. etc. If you can’t remember everything, that’s OK. But it is good to re-cap most of the discussion in order to see the fruits of your labor.
In case you didn’t know, OCF has a TON of great resources on the website you can use for your chapter. Here’s how to use the OCF blog.
You don’t need us to do all the work! After you read the article come up with some questions you can talk about during your meeting.
Using this blog on the What-If Demon as an example, here are some sample discussion questions:
Sometimes, the article even has questions built in for you!
Never read the whole Bible? Confused by how it’s organized? Clueless as to where to begin? Never fear, OCF is here!
Help get your Bible Study going with the right texts and explanations from experts!
Here’s a great article from the OCF blog about the New Testament Canon to get you started!
There’s also a whole section of posts on topics like getting more people to come to your meetings, managing chapter funds, working with other religious organizations, and more! Learn from others’ experience what works! Click on the tag Chapter Guide to access these articles!
Don’t see something you want or need?? Email us at blog@ocf.net with your questions and comments, and we’ll do our best to help you out!
Today I will address the student question, What to do when you’re the only Orthodox student at your school (that you know of)?
This is a toughie.
The very first thing you can do is pray. Pray that God will give you strength in your solidarity and that he will send you people when the time is right.
Here are some other things you can do:
Don’t give up! Bear witness to your faith and fight the good fight!
Today I would like to answer a student question we received: “How can I keep people intrigued enough in OCF to come to meetings?”
After recruiting new members at the activities fair with your icons, Bibles, and the promise of free food if they come to the first meeting, the beginning of the year is always a promising time. Old students who fell away last year return again with vows of coming more often and new students show up eager and interested. But as the semester goes on, attendance takes a plunge. It’s understandable: college schedules are crazy, and people have other commitments. Here’s some advice for making OCF something students will want to make time for.