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Do you ever feel lost when trying to start a small group discussion or Bible study? There is nothing more frustrating for a small group leader than when a group falls silent and lets the leader do all the talking.
There is a good reason to start the discussions. The more actively people engage in talking about something, the more impact it will have on their lives.
Ask open questions.
A key way to engage group members in discussions is to ask “open” questions, which cannot be answered with one word (such as “yes” or “no”).
Here are two examples of “closed” questions, questions that can actually cut off discussions since they can be answered with silence or one word: “Do any of these points apply to you?” “Does anyone have a comment?”
Ten open questions that open debates
The next time you lead a small group discussion or Bible study, ask some of these questions to engage group members:
1. “Which of the five points we just discussed applies to you the most? Why?”
2. “What do you think of that?”
3. “How does this section affect you?”
4. “What did you learn from this study?”
5. “Which box did you check? Why?”
6. “Which of these points do you need to work on?”
7. “How does the memory verse relate to the chapter and your life?”
8. “Which point of this chapter caught your attention the most?”
9. “Does anyone disagree with any point in this chapter? If so, why?”
10. “What was your favorite part of this lesson? Why?