In many of our letters we have talked about Randy helping to facilitate SYIS workshops. We thought over the next few letter we would tell you a little about this workshop. One of the goals of member care is to help give ongoing training to our NTM missionaries in areas that will encourage them Spiritually and help them in their personal lives as they serve to see lost people reached with the Gospel. The SYIS workshop is one of those tools that we are using to help our missionaries. There are 16 different subjects that we cover in four overall areas. Listening Skills; Conflict Resolution Skills; Skills For Living In Christian Community and Skills For Long-Term Ministry Effectiveness And Enjoyment. In this letter we are going to tell you a little about 3 subjects under Listening Skills.
LISTENING SKILLS
Loving Listening: Loving listening is the cornerstone of effective relationships. True loving listening is a skill that must usually be learned. We demonstrate how not to listen, and how to listen more effectively. Then the participants have an opportunity to practice loving listening. They become aware of what level other people may be on and how to respond appropriately. Specific skills and behaviors are presented to keep in mind when listening to others.
Drawing people out: Drawing others out is a vital step in ministering to them. The key to drawing a person out lies in the “bubbles” he or she brings to the surface. Bubbles on a lake indicate that something is underneath that is not obvious. When something is important to us, we send up bubbles to see if anyone will notice and be interested. Bubbles are a direct line to the heart. The concept of bubbles is explained and demonstrated. Participants discuss and practice four key ways to respond to bubbles: silence, questions, self-disclosure and observations.
Helping Others Solve Problems: When someone comes with a problem, people are often tempted to give advice on what the other person should do. But this probably isn’t the most helpful to them. In this session, we learn seven steps for helping others explore options, so they can come up with a solution themselves. Participants watch a demonstration where one person helps another solve a problem. Then they practice using the seven steps with a partner, on either a real or hypothetical problem.