Church and H.O.W. – Forums for HOW Sound and AV - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Church and HOW Forums > Church Sound

Building a audio team

(1/2) > >>

Josh Kaplan:
Hi everyone, I have been a volunteer to run sound for my church for almost 2 years now, and just recently they hired me to be their audio engineer. Since I have been there, the team only really consists of 2-3 people and it's been a constant turn around for people wanting to join and then stop. Now being part of the staff, part of my responsibility is to grow this team which is needed and I am just trying to figure out different strategies on how to build a successful sound team. Don't know if this forum is for anything like this, if not, sorry for wasting time.

Don Davis:

--- Quote from: Josh Kaplan on June 01, 2018, 04:06:57 PM ---Hi everyone, I have been a volunteer to run sound for my church for almost 2 years now, and just recently they hired me to be their audio engineer. Since I have been there, the team only really consists of 2-3 people and it's been a constant turn around for people wanting to join and then stop. Now being part of the staff, part of my responsibility is to grow this team which is needed and I am just trying to figure out different strategies on how to build a successful sound team. Don't know if this forum is for anything like this, if not, sorry for wasting time.

--- End quote ---
Hi Josh, here is a site I find to be very tech team oriented.
https://www.churchproduction.com/ministry

Andrew Hollis:
This is a very good and quick primer on leadership: https://smile.amazon.com/How-be-boss-Justin-Kerr-ebook/dp/B076QK4TBN

Offering some background and details would help for spurring more of a discussion.

Michael Lawrence:
I also recommend the work of LSI/PSW contributor Erik Matlock.
His site is here.
His PSW archive is here and some people may recognize the fellow in that thumbnail.

EDIT: And do you read Church Sound? There frequently appears content about working with teams, volunteers, etc.

Jonathan Johnson:
A few thoughts:

Build a consistent schedule. One thing that works for some teams is that one person is "in charge" each week. Anything that happens during the week that requires an operator, they are responsible. Either they run the sound, or they find someone to do it. By rotating from person to person, it helps prevent burnout.

Invest in training. Get hold of a few books like the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook and encourage everyone to read it. Pay for your people to attend seminars if available in your area. Identify online resources. By providing these resources, you're helping your people to learn; they won't feel as much pressure to figure it out on their own with no guidance.

Communicate. Have team meetings to learn things together and work out challenges. Talk about how you each overcame challenges. Create a social media group for your team where you can all share resources and communicate. You can learn from each other.

Anybody who shows an interest should be indulged. At one church I attend occasionally, they've had kids in their early teens helping out with sound.

Be careful about going too cheap with equipment. Cheap equipment can be more difficult to work with, which can discourage anyone, especially volunteers. Keep equipment in good repair.

Take care of your team. Listen to and address their concerns in a timely manner. In business, the companies that take care of their employees end up providing the best customer service. Likewise, volunteers that are cared for tend to show more enthusiasm for the tasks they are assigned. Your church will be better served.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page