Discussion 02: Building a Group
Please note: In order to successfully complete the program, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/show that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and implement the learning in the chat rooms. If you didn't participate in Discussion 01: Introduction to Group Support, then check here!
Welcome back, crew! In this discussion, we will learn about building a group.
As you have observed and noticed, some chat rooms are the busiest space while some are pretty quiet or slow. That means many factors contribute to a group building. It could be the topic, time of the day, members already there, social anxiety, facilitator, and so on. Each one of them has a critical role to keep the room active and supportive.
The first thing to acknowledge: 7Cups is a global platform. We are available to 189 countries and we have users who speak more than 140+ languages. That is, we have a large group of diversified members and have demographic and cultural differences. But, the challenge is how to connect them?
So, to do that, we structured and created certain rules and policies in order to facilitate group interaction. One of them is to use English as a common language to communicate. As per the research, 20% of the Earth's population speaks English, that is, the highest percentage for a language used for communication followed by the Mandarin language.
Then, we placed the chatroom rules regarding what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior in the chatroom so we are able to ensure the room is well moderated, safe, healthy, and compassionate space to connect and interact to get and provide support to each other.
That means in order to build a group, you need to identify the common grounds, and based on that you can structure a group for group support. Anxiety Support Room, for example, serves the purpose to support the members struggling with anxiety or to share the progress they make and what is working for them. Sharing Circle Room, another example, serves the purpose of the most structured and uninterrupted space to share and vent.
So, how as a group specialist/ facilitator, leader, one sets up the group is crucially important for its success. One needs to have an eye for details, structural features of a group to ensure a good environment for participation. It is important to reduce the unproductive anxiety, foster compassionate interaction among the members, increase the likelihood of good attendance and active participation, therapeutic processes, and discourage any unhealthy cliques to build a healthy group.
Discussion: Share a challenge experienced while building a group in the chatrooms? What did you learn?
Activity: Respond to at least two of your fellow trainees' comments with thoughts on their share.
After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next discussion here! Ensure to implement the learning from these discussions in the chat rooms to build and support the group. You must take part in the brainstorming/activities given in all of these discussions to successfully complete the program.
A challenge sometimes is getting people participating in discussions, mainly on more specific topics.
what i learned is to give alternative options for those who relates less to this specific questions, like, add "or how do you think someone would feel if...." when its discussions about very specific conditions, like there is sometimes in disability.
an other challenge sometimes, is having everyone feeling heard.
a way i used a lot, is asking the group "anyone already experienced...(an experience or feeling). similar to (member name) ? Often from there, we get more people interact with them. help people having group discussions instead individually trying supporting those people alone
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: Share a challenge experienced while building a group in the chatrooms? What did you learn?
I noticed that some people may not want to focus on the topic that is happening in the group support settings because they don't think the questions are interactive or interesting. I also learned that some people are to shy to speak when they get in the rooms because of cliques. Those were really challenging whilst moderating and being a host. I learned that people are prone to focus on things that are made to give support or are lighthearted, I also learned that welcoming members in when they enter the room will make them feel included.
@ASilentObserver
Discussion:
Share a challenge experienced while building a group in the chatrooms? What did you learn?
A challenge can be a lack of participation in sharing circles or discussions (specific topics). Few members or listeners may lurk in the beginning as they don't want to initiate or feel anxious.
I learned that (light-hearted) welcoming everyone who enters the room or participates in the session is significant. Thus encouraging further interactions (ice breaker questions, offer cookies, positive affirmations and cheers) and openness by reducing anxiety in the group environment. This made sure members and listeners felt welcomed, supported and validated.
@ASilentObserver, the challenge I faced was having to step back and let others take control of the situation. This was mainly because I had dealt with member before so when a higher up role entered I had to let them take control. This ended with them getting called nasty names instead of me. It may seem selfish of an answer but I truly don't like when others take the blows meant for me
One of the challenges I've noticed is that sometimes the chat groups can be pretty inactive and slow at times. Lots of people mainly just lurk, and sometimes the conversation can get stuck on "Hi" and "How are you". It's understandable, but a way to maybe fix this issue is through more guided discussions. I usually find that when the hosts of discussions are pulling out and asking icebreakers is when the most people participate!
@ASilentObserver
Share a challenge experienced while building a group in the chatrooms? What did you learn?
building conversations can be hard sometimes since the chat seems to slow down. i've learnt by addressing members by their username separately and asking questions/and being inclusive helps a lot
@milkoreos I totally agree with you oreos. Thanks for sharing this with us.
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: Share a challenge experienced while building a group in the chatrooms? What did you learn?
Personally, I noticed that many persons don't really understand the basic rules of the chatrooms. For example: Not sharing details of a chat, or not giving advice, etc etc. Some persons are just totally lost when they enter chatrooms and such, and there's a discussion going on. Especially, when they're looking for support. And with the amount of persons in the room, it's super hard to facilitate that one person or persons, and guide the discussion simultaenously. Sometimes,even when you do try to highlight what's going on, it stil persists, and ultimately it's really hard to balance out.
I learnt that it's easier, to balance that by letting persons know what's going on as soon as they enter. Providing them with the rules/guidelines, and learning which persons I may have to sometime pm to handle separately to keep the flow of the chatroom. All in a kind and supportive way :)
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: Share a challenge experienced while building a group in the chatrooms? What did you learn?
A challenge that was very common in building a group in chatrooms was lurking. People were there but they wernt really participating or joining in on the conversation. i tried to look at it from there point of view: they could be shy, they don't really know when they should join in. My sollution is to call them by name and ask icebreakers, basic questions to draw them out to participate!
@olivia5611
Your way of asking icebreakers to get those who are lurking to engage. What are some of the icebreaker questions you be using to get those who are lurking to engage?
Asher, Community Ambassador
@olivia5611 Yes this happens but I think mostly is because people dont really know what to say, or how to say what they want, or just shy as you have said.
@ASilentObserver
Challenge
Lack of participation and disinterest in the interaction
i learned that greeting and welcoming the members is important
taking their names will really help to keep the flow of the chat
@blackBreeze8485
Hi Breeze, welcoming people can be so powerful as it can make the user feel connected to the community as a whole. What is something you think you could do to improve the disinterest in the interaction of the room?
Asher, Community Ambassador
@blackBreeze8485
That's a very good thing to learn and apply. Thanks for sharing.
@blackBreeze8485
Welcoming can really help participants feel included and important!
@blackBreeze8485
The suggestions to tackling the problem are effective; very nice, Breeze.
@ASilentObserver
I was in a member's group room, and it seemed to me that the topic was inappropriate and potentially dangerous for some members. I tried changing the topic, asking the members how they were doing, welcoming newcomers, and trying to start new topics, but it didn't work. I tried for a really long time, and it was quite difficult to manage technically and emotionally. I then contacted a mod with whom I was able to discuss the situation.
I was quite distraught to learn during this conversation that the subject in question was not forbidden. It challenged me and it was pretty hard emotionally. I realized that the room might not be what I thought it was, but, even if it was difficult at the time to admit, it was a good thing to learn in hindsight and made me a better listener and room supporter. Now I'm more aware of what is allowed and what is not and how to deal with it.
@Mya000
Hi Mya, it can be tough to learn so much new information at the same time well engaging within the rooms. What is one tip would give someone who is new to the Group Support area?
Asher, Community Ambassador
@Mya000
I can feel that. It must be really tough to go through in the beginning. That's how we learn things. Thanks for sharing with us.
@Mya000
Nothing replaces experience for learning certain things. It happens the same to me, I discover that there are grey zones in the rules, "common practices" that are not written, expectations and ideas by members (particularly "old" regular attendants to rooms) of what a certain session should be. Only by actually sharing these roller-coaster rides with members and other mods in the rooms one can sense, interpret, absorb and learn these non-written nor spoken rules, and attune oneself to the way things are, in order to become most effective in the real-world room environvment.