In order for a group discussion to be successful, it is important for all members to know how to discuss a topic. The first thing that the group will need to have is a goal. The goal can be simple, or it can be complex.
Goals are important because they will allow the members to focus on specific objectives. If you are the leader, you may find it helpful to pull yourself from the discussion at certain times. The reason I say this is because the focus should be on the group instead of a single individual. How much the leader or planner knows about a topic is not important in this situation.
While you will want to provide the group with information, you should avoid trying to lead the discussion. Remember, the goal of a group discussion is to assist the members in making a decision or learning a specific skill. The members will participate and learn by being directly involved in the subject that is being discussed. When this is kept in mind, a leader or planner will step away from the learning process to allow the members to obtain the necessary information. There are two types of members that you will encounter in most group discussions. These two groups are quiet members and dominant members. While both groups will be present in any discussion that is composed of a large group, they should not cause problems.
To deal with members who are dominant, you can simply redirect the discussion in a way that allows another person to participate. In addition to this, you can also focus on a different topic. Another thing you can do is split the group into smaller portions, and allow each of them to carry out a task. Perhaps the best way to deal with a dominant member is to take their comments and make the relevant additions to the discussion. These techniques will allow the group discussion to move forward without distractions or conflicts.
Dominant members will be outspoken. They will be quick to let the other members know what they think. The quiet members are just the opposite. They will think and form ideas within their minds, and will not be quick to voice those thoughts to the group because they may be shy. As the leader, your goal is to help quiet members present their thoughts to the rest of the group. There are a number of things you can do to include quiet members into the discussion. You can present a question to the group and ask each member to answer it out loud, or you can ask all the member of the group to give their responses to a particular topic or idea.
Quiet members will often function well in smaller groups, so splitting the large group into a number of smaller groups will allow you to help both quiet and dominant members. In most cases, the members of a group who do not have a large amount of knowledge on the subject will not be able to make connections which are related to the topic. As the leader, you must be ready to make these connections for members who may not be able to make them. There are a number of ways you can do this. You can use visual guides or other teaching methods in order to help members understand the concept. In order for the discussion to succeed, it is important that all members learn how to raise relevant issues.
It is also important to ask the right questions. As the planner of leader, this is your primary responsibility. It is also important for the members as well. The best questions to ask are those that are open-ended. Closed ended questions are generally not helpful in group discussions.
The reason why open-ended questions are more effective is because they do not require a specific answer. Because they don't require a specific answer, they will not place any limits on the discussion. Closed-ended questions should only be used when the members of the group must understand a specific concept before they can move forward. As the planner, it is important to make sure students are able to analyze the information that has been discussed.
Posted in Labels: How To Discuss In a Group