Adjusting to this “digital small group” stuff has been difficult for me. Perhaps you have found it to be a smooth transition. I have not.

Due to those struggles, I called two of my small group leaders at our church and asked them for guidance. They gave me four great tips that I have started using in my weekly Bible study on Zoom

The meetings have been much better!

Here are those four tips I want to share with you.

1. Use a laptop computer or desktop computer. This gives you a bigger screen so you can see everyone at once. You can also use a tablet like an iPad. A phone can work too, but the screen is so small it makes the video conference more difficult.
2. Try to keep the device you are using stationary. This was something I did poorly when I used a phone for our group because the internet was not working for my laptop. I think I knocked over my phone three times during the meeting. But if you can, try to keep your device in one place.
3. Stay on mute until you want to talk. If there are 15 people in your group it can be difficult to hear the person talking if there are other background noises. (One women’s group I talked to said that they could hear the husband’s coffee maker brewing two rooms away.) Ask everyone to keep themselves muted until they want to share something.
4. Use the “chat” feature if needed. Most video call software has a “chat” area where people can share a message with the group. Feel free to use that if needed.

Whether your group uses Zoom, Google Hangout, FaceTime, Google Meet, or Facebook Messenger, these are some helpful tips you can use.