Ice breakers and team building exercises are suppose to be more than just another discussion question. Ice breakers are meant to help group members get to know each other and move into deeper levels of communication and intimacy. Sociologists tell us we typically move through the following 5 levels of communication.
CLICHES - questions and answers given out of habit and with no real forethought or genuine intent. "How are you?" "Fine." "Having a good day?" "Yes."
FACTS - Information/Statistics about the weather, the office, friends, the news, sports, etc. Facts require no depth of thought or feeling.
OPINIONS - Includes concerns, expectations, and personal goals, dreams, and desires. Due to differences of opinion this is typically the level where personal conflicts tend to develop.
FEELINGS - Successfully navigating and resolving personal conflict create a safe environment where group members feel safe enough to share their deeper emotions.
NEEDS - When group members begin to connect emotionally with each other a level of trust develops where member begin to feel comfortable sharing personal needs with each other. Unless needs are known and met, by the group, the group members will remain "strangers."
At what level does your group communicate?
Need to move your group to a deeper level of trust & communication?
Try tweaking the ice breakers. This may take a little more advanced planning. But there are some great free icebreakers, team building exercises and trust building initiatives you can find online. Check out:
http://insight.typepad.co.uk/40_icebreakers_for_small_groups.pdf
http://www.godsquad.com/discipleship/icebreakers.htm
Or simply google the word icebreaker, team building exercises or trust building initiatives.
3 comments:
Cell Lesson - With No One
"Big Idea: To feel Gods presence we need to be with one another."
Logically this is NOT a valid statement.
I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on this. The idea was that we were created to be in community with God and each other.
As Dave Dummit pointed out, we can experience God's presence in a number of ways. Jesus was alone in the desert and often retreated alone at night to pray.
I do not disagree that believers can find encouragement, strength, support, and grew in faith when in a community. However, Joseph, Daniel, John the Baptist and others maintained and grew their relationship with God even though they went through some tough times without the support of other people of like faith around them.
The logic of the statement reminds me of math. Being with other believers does NOT equal feeling God's presence. It is one way that we can experience God's presence.
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