Are you tired of your leaders not showing up for training? This was a problem we had to face a few years back. What we had discovered was that people hate meetings. If you can’t get them together for a meeting, then how do you train them?
Training by Video.
What are your leaders’ common questions? Don’t assume. Ask your leaders about what they’re dealing with. This could come through coaching, surveys, or casual conversations. Take frequent topics that your leaders need help with and make a 2 minute video. The videos don’t need to be fancy. Use your phone and upload them to Youtube. Then, send the videos out to your leaders. They will pay attention to short videos that are emailed out to them. You’ve got to push it out! Don’t wait for them to come to the meeting or surf over to the website. You’ll be waiting for a long time.
Training through a Coach.
I have blogged for about a month on the importance of coaching. This is your front line for training. As your coaches develop relationships with their leaders and check-in on your new leaders regularly, they will hear about the issues and problems going on in groups. The great thing about coaching is the question can be answered on the spot — in the teachable moment — and no one had to go to a meeting!
Training through Resources.
Put a book in your leaders’ hands. Years ago, I bought 2 cases of Making Small Groups Work by John Townsend and Henry Cloud. I gave one to every one of my leaders. It’s a great resource. I am a little partial to my book, Leading Healthy Groups: A Guide for Small Group Leaders. Either way, give your leaders a ready reference for when they are dealing with an overly talkative group member, group members debating politics, or low attendance at their group meetings.
Annual Retreats
We cut our meetings down to 2 meetings per year. Two! Every Fall we rallied all of our leaders together for a big kickoff. Then, every January, we booked a speaker and a retreat center to take all of our leaders away for a weekend. The leaders paid for their lodging and some of their meals. I budgeted for a speaker. The best part was that they training stuck! Since the weekend was “set apart” from our leaders normal routine, the training stayed with them for a lot longer than we expected.
The most important thing about training is that it needs to be something your leaders want. How do you know what your leaders want? Ask them. Don’t give basic training to experienced leaders. And, don’t lose new leaders by going over their heads.
Think about your training. What is training to you and your leaders
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