Imagine if your favourite hockey team said, "...but we did training LAST year...!" 😊
Each time you run Alpha, schedule an evening or Saturday morning to meet together with your team! It's a time for team "building" and not only training. This is absolutely vital to a successful Alpha.
8 reasons why team building is vital. It...
Helps people catch the vision and heart of Alpha
Encourages friendship as people laugh and work together
Promotes a culture of unity, collaboration and sharing best practices
Builds trust and a sense of belonging
Increases team spirit, participation, enthusiasm and loyalty
Equips hosts & helpers with skills needed to facilitate great discussions
Provides support and a safe place to ask questions and share concerns
Models Christ-like character, leadership and teamwork
Top Tip 💡 Consider joining with another local Alpha church and doing team training together (online or in person). Have a BBQ or potluck together, then watch the videos and discuss them. Learning is always more fun together!
Ideas for your team training session
Follow the Alpha model of a meal, video, and discussion.
Offering a meal or snack to hosts and helpers provides a space to have casual conversations, get to know each other, feel more relaxed, and this is where team unity starts!
Start with one or two icebreakers. Here are some suggestions:
Share briefly what motivated you to volunteer on Alpha.
What do you hope to learn/experience while helping on Alpha?
What's your favourite time of year and why?
Name one thing we can pray about for you at this time.
Ask previous small group leaders to share their best advice for newbies.
Ask new team members if they have any questions.
Practice small group discussion with a fun game / group scenario.
Designate one Host & one Helper.
Hand out roles on folded pieces of paper to the rest of the participants.
eg. a fidgeter, a questioner, a negative commentator, an off-topic person, someone who is obnoxiously opinionated
Choose a non-religious topic to discuss. (eg. best fast food place)
Take 5-10 minutes to discuss the topic. The Host must facilitate.
Debrief together at the end.
What will be the most challenging thing about hosting a small group? What will help small group Hosts be better facilitators? How can the Helper assist the Host and/or discussion?
End with prayer (prayer topics here).
Top Tip 💡Log in to MyAlpha to find the team training videos, small group discussion questions, and info sheets for team members and guests. See page 14 for 6 tips for great discussions!
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