8 Easy Tips To Improving Your Information Table
The Rocket Company just released a product called The Guest Services System. It’s all about how to move guests at your church from insiders to outsiders. One of the overlooked places this product illuminates is the information table.
The information table is an important place.
It creates a massive, incredible opportunity for you to engage guests.
Because of that, you want to look for sharp people who are relational geniuses to work this table.
Seek them out, even if they’ve never expressed interest in being on the guest services team.
At the end of this blog, we’ll lay out a specific training you’ll want to walk through with your information table volunteers. But first, here are some other things to take seriously…
- Put The Information Table In A Highly Visible Area. Don’t tuck this away in a corner of your lobby. Put it in a place where everybody can see it. (After all, first-time guests aren’t the only people who have questions they need answered!)
- Give The Table Clear, Visible Signage. Whether the table says HAVE QUESTIONS?, WANT TO KNOW MORE?, or simply INFORMATION, make it big, and make it obvious.
- Get Help On The Design Of The Information Space. Find someone in your church who’s good at interior design (or the person who heads that up at your church). Personally ask them to help you create an information table that looks warm and inviting. I’ve seen churches do a great job of this with little to no budget.
- Call Your Info Table Volunteer A Help Specialist Or Director Of Information. It sounds corny, but it creates purpose and vision around the role. You may come up with a better title than I did. That’s great: just give it meaning! I’ve seen some churches pay little to no attention to their information table: it’s just a person who “stands there.”
- Make Sure You Info Table Volunteer Knows What’s Going On In Your Church! They need to have exhaustive inside information about things like…
- Upcoming events
- Nursery/pre-school protocol
- How to tithe online
- When high school ministry meets
- How to sign up for a small group
- How to become a volunteer
- How to get a copy of last week’s sermon
- Make Sure Your Information Table Has All The Information It Needs (Especially A Way To Get Contact Information From Guests!). Most church information tables are ignored. They have outdated forms, flyers, etc. Give your info table volunteer all the resources they need to invite guests to take the next step.
- Tell Your Info Table Volunteers To Build Relationships. If they’re relational wizards, this will come naturally to them. They should always start with an introduction. If they can get to know people and make relational connections, it will create a sticking point for guests.
- Create A System For Info Table Volunteers. Here’s a three-step guide to engaging with people’s questions…
One: Inspiration.
For instance, if people ask questions about student ministry, don’t just talk about student ministry and say, “Yeah, if you have a teenager, it meets on Sunday nights at 6.”
Instead say, “Hey, we love teenagers at this church, and we love helping find a place for them to get connected! We think there’s no better place for them to be on Sunday nights than in our student ministry!”
Two: Information.
Now you can tell them when small groups meet, how to become a volunteer, etc.
Three: Invitation.
Then, finally, an invitation. “Hey, can I get your email address so I can email you?” Or, “Can I meet your teenage son or daughter so I can walk them down and show them where the student ministry meets? Is there a way that we can get in touch with you?” It’s a non-invasive invitation for them to give you some type of information, or take some type of step.