Light My Path Ministries

If you have ever attended a Ladies Bible class you have probably met her – the woman that talks too much – the one that totally dominates the discussion.  She can be really frustrating.  It’s hard to get a word in edgewise and sometimes if you disagree with her – sparks will fly!  How does a group deal with this type of woman?  Last week, I started giving 10 tips to help a small group manage a too-talkative woman.

Today is Tip #2:  There has to be a designated group discussion leader.

Now, don’t confuse the group leader with a teacher.  The group discussion leader is not typically the teacher – she leads the discussion.  She monitors who is speaking and who is not.  She keeps track of the time.  She does not have to have the answers – she is there to keep the discussion on track.  (We will talk more about this in a later post…keeping the discussion on track.  This is a whole other area that has to be addressed to have a successful Ladies Bible class.) Many people do not feel comfortable being the teacher, but almost everyone with some training and confidence can fill the role of group leader.        

In my experience, groups without a designated leader always struggle.  Someone has to be in charge of the discussion.  Now, you can rotate this duty if you want, but the rotation should not be weekly.  I am more for quarterly….at least 12 weeks at a time.  A few reasons?  It takes a while to establish the leader and for the women in the room to look to the leader for the direction of the discussion. If you are changing leaders every week that is just about the same as having no leader because no one ever gets the chance to establish her leadership and that she expects the women in the discussion to follow her.  Also, it takes time to work with the woman who is talking too much and if you are changing weekly or even monthly, no one ever gets enough consecutive time in the leadership role to help rein that person in.

Start looking around your group right now and encourage someone to step up and be the group discussion leader – you will be glad you did.