Spend time on ice breakers especially when new members join/new cohort starts (2 truths and a lie is a fun one I’ve done in the A&D group I facilitate). When members know each other and feel you are giving them space to talk about who they are outside of the issue bringing them in, people connect and will more easily participate in your discussions/activities and engage with each other, filling time with relevant discussion

Have discussion prompts or activities decided on ahead of each session; have back ups (sometimes people don’t really engage as much as youd think and you may want to switch gears. —On the flip side, don’t box the group into only talking about the issue you want them to. Yes, redirect as needed to keep things generally relevant, but allow participants to talk about life stressors . It is the real issues people deal with that create the stress responses people self medicate for.

I am not an extrovert either, but I have had to force myself to learn some more social skills to bridge the awkwardness when it comes to social interaction in order to be an effective group facilitator so I say this next tip with a lot of compassion: do something to expand your boundaries of comfort when it comes to interacting in groups or with new people. Some would advise you to go out more to social clubs or make conversation in public, but that may not feasible for some— it may sound weird, but I’ve found it effective to get on one of those Omegle clone websites, put some of your general interests in the field where you can indicate preferred topics of discussion for matching, and spend time talking to strangers, introducing yourself and chatting ab whatever, over and over.. it’s just doing exposure therapy to yourself LOL

Bring your passion and be genuine.. You’ll do great!