Discussion 04: Group Leadership
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 03: Group Development & Therapeutic Factors
, then check here!
Now that we have considered the therapeutic processes that are available for group building and development to move a group towards its common goals. We will discuss the role of a group leader/ facilitator/ specialist who seeks to activate it. Certainly, every leader varies tremendously based on the type of groups they facilitate, the approach, intellectual and personality characteristics, and other factors. Yet we know that to become an effective leader, one could develop common sets of skills and characteristics. The roads can vary but the destination must be the same to ensure members have the best experiences in the group support.
Leading the group is different from individual support.
Listening & supporting in 1:1 setup and leading and supporting in the group set up is different. Because in group setup, you are not just one but sharing the space with a number of other members too who may be going through similar or different situations.
You will notice a level of anxiety among members. The anxiety of how they will share in the group, what if others will judge them or don’t understand, or what if they feel stuck in the middle of sharing, and so on. And, in an open group, when a new member joins in while a member is sharing, they might not feel comfortable as a new person joined and who do not know what sharer is going through.
In such situations as a leader, you would be managing and addressing the collective anxiety of the group. Acknowledging and supporting each member to feel comfortable and so the new member who joins in as well. Reminding them how they all are part of the group and each of them has valid struggles. So, as a leader, you are interacting with a bunch of members and ensuring they get support as well as providing support to each other.
Group dynamics can give insight into how the clients react in social situations outside of the group.
As a leader, you gain insights into how members could behave in the group setup. So, it is important, you make better choices while being a group leader:
How much leadership to exercise. Every group is different. Some members are more comfortable speaking up and sharing with each other while some groups would need gentle nudges to make them talk and seek and provide support. So, as a leader, you need to choose and decide how much leadership you need to exercise based on the group you participate in.
How to structure the group. You can structure the group i.e. how the group will function. Whether all interactions will be parallel or it will be turn-based setting so one share and others listen and process repeats.
When to intervene. Some like to sit back and listen and support the members as the chat goes while some leaders like to have tight control and decide how the chat will move. Every leader is different. And, interventions will vary based on groups too. If all members are supportive and comfortable discussing, a leader would let members discuss and support each other. While if some members join in with unacceptable behavior, the leader would need to take the lead and remind them to have appropriate behavior.
Personal Qualities of a Leader
Every leader has their own strengths and weaknesses and has a unique style to approach the group and lead it. But to be an effective group leader, it is important to have some common skills and traits like Constancy, Active Listening, Firm Identity, Confidence, Spontaneity, Integrity, Trust, Humor & Empathy.
You need to build your own firm identity in the group as there would be different leaders at different time periods. So, to build a healthy connection with the group members, it is important members know what kind of leader you are so they feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging when you present in the room. Moreover, be an empathetic leader who communicates with each member with respect and acceptance. Encourages them to discuss, share more, and take action. Compliments the members from time to time to keep them motivated and remind them their actions are getting noticed. Gently persuade them to speak more and take steps to progress and improve. And, provide support to all so everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging.
As a leader, you are modeling and shaping the behavior of the room and group members. You would need to set an example and inspire group members to be like one and collectively have a modeled group support in the room. Your activity, participation, professionalism, and support determine how the group will be doing.
Discussion: How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
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.
Discussion: How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
I visualize ideal group support and group room where everyone is being inclusive and active in the room and saying nice and supportive things to each other. They're open to give their personal opinions without hurting the other party. They make jokes and laugh together where no one is getting offended. The leaders of the room is making sure everything are just in place to make the room secure for anyone to join in. I could participate in more sessions and when hosting I welcome everyone into the session to make it happens :)
@secrecykhasya
Very good.
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
I visualize an ideal group support room to be inclusive, supportive and a safe space for everyone to express themselves without feeling or being judged. Where the group leader is respected and regular participants and the leaders are all in harmony, without any grudges (that we usually see are held for mods)
I need supportive manner instilled in the participants for that. I think something that could help here is if we gave some kind of acknowledgement to participants that came across most supportive in the support rooms per week.
@ASilentObserver
How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
I suppose ideal group support is one where everyone feels welcomed, respected, included in the discussions and no one feels ignored or left out. Where the member-listener relationship is supportive and within the community guidelines.
To make it happen, I usually welcome everyone who enters, ask general questions about hobbies, interests and avoiding triggering or conflicting topics. Also by replying to every member so they feel included and listened to.
@Textingpals
So lovelyy.
@Textingpals
Certainly, making sure that everyone is included in the conversation is important to support others, excluding anyone is definitely not a good thing to do. By ensuring that everyone is taking a part in the conversation when entering will help them get engaged to continue chatting.
@29amy
@ASilentObserver
How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
I visualize ideal group support and group room as one where everyone feels supported and motivated to extend a helping hand to each other. I visualize them as one where all the members feel heard, valued, and understood. To make all this happen, I would always make sure that they do not feel left out and ignored.
@caringHope1976 amazing post and input , lives up to the username "caringhope" , this really reflects your genuine feelings and character as a leader who values every participant , very refreshing to see <3
How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
I visualize ideal group support and group room as an open-minded, friendly, and supportive platform for people to voice everything they have in their minds without fearing judgement or reprimand. As a potential group leader, I need support rooms to be completely comfortable for people to share their innermost feelings, and filled with joy and hope and empathy, not silence or simply emptiness.
@xinyii11
I 100 percent agree with what you said , groups should be comforting enough to make everyone feel safe , especially here in support groups , everybody should be able to say what's on their mind without over thinking or worrying about any negative / harsh feedback
@ASilentObserver How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
I envision a ideal group support and group room as an inclusive, open, fair and compassionate space where individuals increase their self-awareness through learning more about cultural factors, social factors, emotional factors and where individuals are provided with additional training on how to communicate with individuals with suicidal thoughts. I feel it would be great to direct individuals who have suicidal thoughts to listeners who have been through this - sometimes for a person to open up a lot requires someone they feel they can relate too. I also hope for training where listeners can be taught about assertiveness and diplomacy in greater detail and feel its vital listeners get a self-care log to communicate where they feel they are at taking certain topics and how they feel with hosting (e.g. Which topics are you comfortable taking and why, How did you feel hosting versus co-hosting?).
Whilst there is an atmosphere that follows ethics in a support room, I feel it is also important to have light-hearted chats and icebreaker questions. Hosts can create quizzes relating to whatever passions they may have such as reading books.
With good team working skills and respect for one another's opinions can make for open-mindedness. Knowing what each individual is really good at is important as a leader, so that those strengths are brought out and to improve confidence. Gently prompting where a listener is misunderstanding is important so that they can learn from their mistakes and communicating in a way in which they are not hesitant to seek your help. As leader one would need to make themselves approachable with how they communicate and check-in with their fellow listeners. A leader too would need to have the emotional intelligence to not mention names in support rooms as this can create triangulation and should individually PM any listener or member if they do not care for the rules.
A group leader I feel should send over or ask listeners any suggestions for what they look for in support rooms and if they know of any resources to send for further training. For example, are there any extra community rooms you would love to have (Memory loss support, Caring for a loved one with mental health issues). I think the leader would need to strike a balance between being bossy and empathic mainly and need to be consistent with the instructions they give.
Thank you again silent for an amazing question :)
I visulaise leadership in the group setting that everyone has a comfortable plce to share, the room is a bubbly atmosphere with jokes but the way it can be done is pausing casual chat when a serious question is asked in any support rooms. Jokes are ok at certain times and so is casual chat but not all the time.
@TrickyRicky
I too like this characteristic of a group chat. Too heavy and serious can get draining quickly, and too comedic and light can seem insincere and out of touch. A good balance and smooth transitions between can set the tone for the entire chat, no matter what the topic is.
To me, the ideal support group chat would be an informal discussion going over several small, but common topics where multiple people can engage with. When a chat is quiet, I like to use open-ended questions to direct the conversation to be more supportive and compassionate, whilst covering several small topics that many people can weigh in on. I believe it drives the ideals behind inclusivity, because everyone has unique experiences, while maintaining an environment focused on support.
@MxSkeleton Informal discussions are the best! People engage more and are always intrigued with the topic.
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
I visualize an ideal group support and group room as one that is calm and inviting, where everyone can hold space with each other, allowing people to feel their feelings. Where people support each other with validation and empathy, and can relate to each other without cross talk and advice. One thing I've never seen or experienced, but really would love to, is a group that actively listens and then asks the sharer questions, but not with the intention of clarification or their own understanding. I would love to see a group ask questions that they think might help the sharer to process what they are going through.
As a group leader, to make a calm and inviting and safe place to feel and share feelings, I should lead by example. Calmly empathizing with someone while they are feeling intense feelings shows others that emotions are okay and don't need to be fixed. They need to be heard.
When it comes to having a group that asks selfless questions to help each other process, one thing I could try is creating a special group support where that is the rule or challenge posed to everyone when they enter. After a share, the group is challenged to think of a question for the sharer to reflect on and answer. Recognizing how challenging that might feel compared to giving advice might be a little eye opening for the group and help them become better listeners and supporter to each other. It can be a little light hearted while also being an opportunity for unity and self awareness.
How do you visualize ideal group support and group room as a group leader? What is one thing you need to make it happen?
An ideal group to me should be the one that is friendly and true to its purpose. As on 7cups most of the people coming to groups are the ones who perhaps did not get the suitable support in one on one chats , we know how nerve wracking it can be for some new members/listeners to join into the group so we should make it as welcoming , warm and inclusive as possible... also the purpose of the group is to support , so that should always be the priority.
I feel that rooms here and everyone involved is doing a great job , one thing i can say is to maybe have more mods and peer supporters to keep the rooms lively as they can be really quiet at times
@BeTheLight111 group chats should definitely be friendly, filled with support and love, and true to their purpose. this way, everyone will feel comfortable enough to want to be involved and they'll form connections with one another as well !
