Discussion 2: Building a Group
Hi everyone! As you may have observed and noticed, some chat rooms are the busiest space while some are pretty quiet or slow. That means many factors contribute to 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 in keeping 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 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 Mandarin.
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 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, or leader, one sets up the group is crucially important for its success. One needs to have an eye for details, and structural features of a group to ensure a good environment for participation. It is important to reduce 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.
Here is how you build and maintain effective groups!
- Common Ground: Identify shared interests, needs, or experiences to bond diverse members. (e.g., Anxiety Support Room, Sharing Circle Room)
- Clear Structure: Set rules, norms, and schedules to create a safe and predictable environment.
- Facilitator Expertise: Skilled moderators foster compassionate interaction, reduce anxiety, and encourage participation.
- Global Awareness: Respect cultural differences and utilize English as a bridge language.
Question for reflection - Think of one topic you would like to create a group on.
- What is the common ground for the target participants?
- What structure will you put in place?
- How will it be facilitated?
- How will you account for time zones, language differences, and differences in culture if it is a cross-cultural group?
This post is part of the Group Dynamics Course's requirements. More information on the course can be found here. (Not yet launched)