Tuesday’s teaching tip relates to the environment in which you teach. People will tend to have difficulty concentrating on your Bible study if they are not comfortable. As I write this blog post, I’m sitting in a doctoral seminar (class hasn’t started yet, so I decided to write this post!). The heater accidentally turned on this morning, and the room is quite warm. In fact, I’m starting to sweat through my shirt, I’m a little perturbed. It reminded me how important the room environment is to the learning process, so I decided to write a blog post about it.

Here are a 6 things you’ll want to pay attention to in the place your Bible study group meets:

• The temperature – just like my situation this morning, if a room is too hot or cold, group members will fixate on that, rather than your content.
• The lighting – people need adequate lighting in order to see their Bibles and other study materials. Dark rooms need additional light sources, or people will focus on their inability to see rather than what you’re trying to teach them.
• The aromas – most of us are pretty sensitive to smells, and even pleasant ones, if overpowering, will be distracting to group members.
• The chairs – are they comfortable, or do they cause people to squirm and fidget? Metal chairs should be replaced by padded chairs whenever possible.
• The location – just like in the world of real estate, it’s all about location! Young adult rooms should be located in proximity to their kids’ classes. Senior adult rooms should be easily accessible and close to the worship center (assuming you have on-campus groups!). Long treks and great distances can create barriers as people focus on that, rather than on the teaching taking place.
• The carpet – you may not notice that coffee stain or tear in the carpet, but it will be the first thing a guest will see. Make sure that your church has a plan for regularly cleaning and maintaining its floor coverings.