The technology is already readily available. In the presentation world, you can take live polls in which participants submit their responses using their cell phones, and the results automatically show up in your PowerPoint or Keynote presentation or on your parish website. With more churches installing projection systems and almost every U.S. church having a website, this could easily be done.
But would you really want to know what the assembly thinks?
3 responses to “One way to get assembly feedback on your homily”
Jack Rakosky
One Sunday back in the 1980’s I knew I was going to be late for Mass, so I grabbed my envelope and my check book on my way out the door.
Sure enough I arrived at church just as the procession was going up the aisle and actually followed the pastor looking for an empty seat which I could not find until almost the front row.
So there I sat during the homily checkbook and envelope in one hand and pen in the other, thinking I wonder what homilies would be like if everyone did this each Sunday.
A first at yesterday’s archdiocesan convocation of the presbyterate: upon arrival, each participant was handed a folder of materials for the afternoon’s program and – a remote!
This is a very good idea for meetings. Having facilitated many planning sessions, my concern was always that a few articulate people would take the session in one direction while the silent majority (often not knowing they were the majority) were thinking in the other direction.
I would collect data on important issues beforehand so that everyone knew where there was consensus (so we did not waste time there), and where there were major divisions, and where there was a clear majority and minority. It really helped structure the discussions.
People who spoke knowing they were in the majority could be much more gracious to the minority. People who were in the minority knew some others supported them but the majority did not and therefore could articulate the minority position better given the “straw poll” results.
As for feedback in general, the technology guarantees that it will happen regardless of what management does..
We are out of the industrial age in which management could control everything because they controlled the means of communication saying where and when people could interact
When I was a parish council member I conducted a survey of 20 key parish members very quickly and efficiently. I sent them an e-mail with ten questions, saying that I would give them a call the following week, encouraging them to think about the questions and welcoming their e-mail replies if they would prefer that as their mode of response. About half replied by e-mail. That really facilitated making the report because half of it was cut and paste, and I only had to make ten phone calls.
A real key to making this effective is to immediately send the report you have collected to the people from whom you have collected it. You empower them and yourself at the same time.
We all have e-mail lists of hundreds of people in the parish and diocese. I have known people who are very efficient in using them ( e-mailing to several related people at a time, not spam) and periodic phone conversations to maintain a very effective below the radar screen personal network on many issues.
I think free responses are better than multiple choice if you reorganize and categorize them. Gives a lot more information, but it takes more time.
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