Get People Talking

One of the great things about being a minister in the 21st century is that communication is so easy.  I can remember sitting with my youth group and my youth pastor just begging for us to talk.  There might be a few people here and there that talked but it can be difficult for people to speak up.  However, I think that social media has helped young people feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions.  This openness might create a few #theawkwardmoment but in the end, it opens up great conversations and allows us to learn from each other and address issues faster.  The next time somebody post something on Facebook or sends out a tweet that they shouldn't have, don't be upset.  They were already thinking it or talking about it in private.  Think of it as an opportunity to have a learning experience.  

Here are some great tools you can use to get your youth group, small group, or entire congregation talking.

 www.todaysmeet.com

TodaysMeet is a great website because it allows you to create an unique backchannel discussion board for any occasion.  Just name the room, say how long you want the room to be open, and click create.  It will give you a link people can go to where they can give there name, no sign-in required, and then you're off and running.

www.gosoapbox.com

GoSoapBox requires that you set up an account.  Once you do there are four main features that GoSoapBox allows you to take advantage of.  The audience can ask questions. If somebody sees a question they like they can vote on it.  Popular questions rise to the top. There is a place to create discussion boards. The confusion barometer allows the audience to vote if they are understanding the topic or not.  You can also create polls for the audience to take.

www.tweetchat.com

TweetChat is great for twitter users.  It's pretty simple to use.  Go to the website and sign in using your twitter account.  Choose a #hashtag to follow. Converse in real time.  The most difficult part of this is picking a good hashtag.  You want it to be unique and memorable, but not too long because you only have 140 characters to work with.  

www.chatzy.com

Chatzy is a cool website I learned from Richard Byrne.  Chatzy allows you to create your own chat room, set privacy settings (you can password protect it), and sent out invitations.  If you don't want to send out invitations, you can post the link on your website, Facebook, or in your church bulletin. 

All of these are great ways to get your church members engaged in the discussion.  I have also found that this is a great way to get those quiet ones talking.  I hope these helps and if you would like a video demo of any of these websites just say so in the comment section below!