Freedom Preacher / Zoom Sessions FAQ
Overview
What are freedom preacher zoom sessions?
Freedom Preacher Zoom Sessions are online meeting places, discussion groups, and support groups for those who are frustrated with and looking for ways to deal with our increasingly irrational world.
What are they intended to accomplish? Why would someone join one?
The goal is to provide a different perspective for dealing with many of the frustrations and difficulties frequently experienced in today’s world.
People cope with our increasingly frustrating and dysfunctional society in many ways. Alcohol and other intoxicants provide temporary relief for some. Prescriptions for antidepressants and other psychiatric medications have skyrocketed in recent years. Many others just hang on, hoping to reach retirement age with at least some of their humanity intact.
For those who are determined to reduce the frustration and make the most of their lives, the freedom preacher zoom sessions offer the opportunity to interact and compare notes with others facing the same struggle.
How can they help?
An important aspect of the Freedom Preacher Zoom Sessions will be an ongoing emphasis on mutual benefit and cooperation as a way of minimizing conflict with others. This is very important, largely because our world emphasizes conflict so much of the time.
All too often, the choices in dealing with others are assumed to be “dominate or submit.” Productive and healthy interactions, however, generally don’t result from this kind of approach.
Practicing and reinforcing these alternate—and more effective—ways to interact with others is an important feature of the Freedom Preacher Zoom Sessions.
What are your qualifications?
What are your prices and payment methods?
Pricing for Freedom Preacher Zoom Sessions and other services is listed on our Freedom Preacher Pricing page. You can use Paypal or a major credit card for payment.
Details
How do I sign up for a session? Is there an application or an interview?
The “onboarding” will include a free 20-minute Zoom session with your host, the Freedom Preacher. More information.
What are the "ground rules" for the sessions?
Ground rules for Freedom Preacher Zoom Sessions
This is going to be a list and then an article explaining what I am calling “ground rules” for my planned Freedom Preacher Zoom Sessions.
Some portion of these sessions will consist of participants discussing events in their lives for which they are hoping to find some ideas about improving them. Since this is something that will probably make some people uncomfortable to begin with, it is essential that other participants in the session do everything possible to avoid adding to their discomfort.
Okay, Dragon seems to be working here. I just need to start DragonPad before I start dictating into Word. At least that seems to be the way it’s working.
The only thing that seems a bit odd is that sometimes I can’t get Dragon to select a single word. When that happens, I select one or two additional words and that seems to work. If this is the only problem, I will consider myself fortunate.
Ground rules for the freedom preacher Zoom sessions will be similar to those for any kind of group activity. It should go without saying that participants in a group setting will want and need to be comfortable in order to make the most of the event. This will be true for the freedom preacher Zoom sessions as well.
There will be some additional considerations as well, due to the nature of the zoom sessions themselves. In a typical session, I plan to begin by discussing one of the ways that people can encounter difficulties when dealing with each other. Much of the time, these will involve work, family, or other relationship settings since that is where we spend much of our time.
Part of these sessions will include giving members of the group the opportunity to discuss situations in their life that seem relevant to the discussion. (In some cases, participants will discuss situations they are dealing with even if there is not a previous related discussion.) These discussions by their nature will require some additional “ground rules” to help the participant remain comfortable while discussing events that can be highly personal.
What I want to be sure to communicate here is the fact that these ground rules for the zoom sessions are not arbitrary, but they are in fact essential for the success of the sessions. It can be difficult to discuss important and sometimes difficult aspects of our lives with others. A big reason for this difficulty can be the reactions of those others. Though I hesitate to use the term, I want to provide a “safe space” for people to feel comfortable discussing anything that they consider important. To accomplish this, I will need to ask other group members to be especially aware of their reactions.
While someone is speaking
This is pretty obvious: While someone else is discussing something, the other group members should not interrupt or react in a way that could be distracting or possibly even offensive to the speaker.
Extra important: giving feedback
This one is important, probably the most important of all the ground rules. Here is the 10 second version:
When giving feedback, talk about yourself.
This may be difficult at first. It will seem natural for many to confuse “providing feedback” with “giving advice.” If your response begins with “You should,” this is advice rather than feedback. This is well-intentioned as most of us like to help when possible. But in this situation, I will ask for a different kind of response.
Talk about yourself. There are only a few basic plots in all of human history, so there is a very good chance that you will have experienced some version of what the speaker is discussing. It might be useful to the speaker as well as other group members if you are willing to describe how you dealt with a similar situation.
Another reason to talk about yourself when giving feedback might be if you experience some powerful feelings or emotions as a result of the speaker’s discussion. Feel free to briefly describe your reaction, but remember not to evaluate or “judge” the speaker. Just keep talking about yourself.
And no fair trying to get around this rule by saying “I feel like you are an asshole!” (I have seen someone try this exact tactic!)
Why is this rule so important?
(Blah blah blah and explain how I plan to remind the group about them and how I will insist on them.)
Can I remain anonymous?
Participation in the zoom sessions will involve first names only, and nicknames are certainly permissible. Video participation, while encouraged, will be optional.
Registration for the sessions and / or memberships will require a valid credit card or PayPal account.
Do I have to participate, or can I just listen to what others have to say?
This is another benefit of the group format: While participation is encouraged, many prefer to simply listen to discussions among other participants. This is perfectly acceptable.
Can I get a refund if I miss a scheduled session?
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Will there be reminders for the sessions?
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