Spark Conversation
1. What do you like about this story, and what bothers you?
2. Who would you be in the story, or what can you relate to?
3. What is this story telling you about God?
4. What is this story telling you to do?
5. Who could you tell this story to?
As soon as the story is over pose the first question and give the group time to think and share. As the storyteller you could facilitate the discussion, or if you'd rather the group host or someone else can facilitate. When the group is ready move on to the next question.
As facilitator never forget that these stories are the word of God and that Yeshua is the living word of God. So what happens when you're getting together and talking about these stories? Messiah himself is present, speaking personally to people and showing them stuff! Your job is just to facilitate that encounter, not to teach. It's way more powerful when people arrive at an answer themselves than when it's just told to them.
People don't believe what you tell them. They rarely believe what you show them. They often believe what their friends tell them. And they always believe what they tell themselves. ~Seth Godin
What if everybody talks to you?
As the facilitator you may find that people tend to talk to you instead of the group. When that happens, just look down like you're thinking and they'll naturally turn and start talking to the people who are looking at them. If someone asks you a question, repeat it to the group. And if one person won't stop talking, slide in and ask what everyone else thinks.
Remember, your job isn't to teach. It's just to pose the questions, get the group talking to each other, and gently guide them back if things get too off track.
What if the group goes off topic?
If you feel the discussion has wandered too far from the question the best way to bring it back is just to say something like "So..." and then repeat the question.
The question of "how far is too far" is a tricky one though. You definitely want a free and open discussion. But you also don't want it to be so random that people lose interest or get weirded out by that one guy who, you know. If you're not sure just ask the group. Some may prefer a relatively controlled discussion. Others may want you to just pose the questions and then run for cover!
What if nobody says anything?
Don't be afraid of silence and or worry if some people aren't talking. After posing the question just sit quietly and think about it for yourself. It may take some time, but the group needs to realize that this isn't church and that you're just the facilitator and aren't going to do all the talking. This may especially be the case with people who are conditioned to passivity - after a couple minutes of silence they'll realize you actually expect them to engage with the questions and that if they don't start talking it's going to be a really boring night.
At the same time, if the group is ready to move on to the next question don't leave them hanging forever. If you're not sure ask "should we move on to the next question?"
What if I can't shut up?
TRIGGER WARNING: If you can't handle humour skip this section.
If you're a recovering pastor, a compulsive teacher, or one of those annoying people who never stop talking, you may have read that part at the top of this page about how your job is just to facilitate the discussion and not to teach but...it may not have registered.
Or you may be stricken with the dread malady of extraversion, leaving you so terrified of silence that you can't last more than one second after posing the question before snapping and attempting to answer it for everyone.
In all of the above situations, we would encourage your group to write JUST POSE THE QUESTIONS with a sharpie on a baseball bat and then hit you over the head with it whenever you begin experiencing a relapse back into teaching mode. Your recovery will be immediate!
Resources
So! You now know how to tell a story - from prepping beforehand, to actually telling it, to getting a good conversation going afterward. (And as we've mentioned before, if telling the story this way is too hard it's ok to just read the story instead.) Be sure to also visit the "Books & Videos" Resources page for more storytelling helps.
Ok! Let's move on now to how to start your group!