Group Discussion

Table of Contents
Group Discussion: Definition .................................................................................................................... 3
Types of Discussions ................................................................................................................................. 3
Objectives of a Group Discussion ........................................................................................................... 3
Guidelines for Effective Group Discussions ........................................................................................... 3
Guidelines for Discussion Leaders .......................................................................................................... 4
Guidelines for Participants ........................................................................................................................ 8
Limitations ................................................................................................................................................. 10

Group Discussion: Definition

A group of individuals with similar interest who gather either formally or informally to bring up
ideas, solve problems or give comments. The major approaches are in person, via conference
call or website.

Types of Discussions
There are different types of group discussions. These include discussions where the
participants have to:

Make decisions (e.g. decide who to invite to a meeting and where to seat them)

Give and / or share their opinions on a given topic (e.g. discussing beliefs/opinions about
the effectiveness of capital punishment)

Create something (e.g. plan and make a poster as a medium for feedback on a language
course)

Solve a problem (e.g. discussing the situations behind a series of logic problems)

Objectives of a Group Discussion

Produce a range of options or solutions, addressing a particular problem or an issue.

Generate an array of ideas by examining issues in greater depth, looking at different

dimensions of these issues.

Broaden the outlook of the participants through cross-fertilization and exposure to new and
different experiences and ideas and enrich their understanding of the issues under
discussion.

Develop their skills in interpersonal communication and in expressing their views in a clear
and succinct manner.

Effective means of changing attitudes through the influence of peers in the group

Valuable means of obtaining feedback on verbal skills, motivation level and personal traits
of the participants and characteristics of the group

Guidelines for Effective Group Discussions

By following these guidelines, discussions will flow more smoothly and respectfully, and all
participants will be more likely to feel engaged and involved in the process.
1. Accept all ideas: do not judge some as good and others as not good
2. Encourage all group members to participate. Give equal time for each person to speak
3. Stay on task. Do not allow conversations that are unrelated to the task at hand

4. Be respectful of others feelings and ideas. Be thoughtful, courteous, and enthusiastic

Guidelines for Discussion Leaders

1. Create an inclusive environment
Opportunities for reflection:

What do the participants bring to the group? (Characteristics that may give you a unique
perspective)

Self-awareness; awareness of others:

What do I bring to the group? What surprises or challenges me?
What behaviors am I most familiar or comfortable with?
What behaviors challenge me?

Dos and Donts:

Do:

Allow participants to introduce themselves you can even set up an ice breaker to have
pairs of students introduce each other.

Be clear up front about expectations and intentions amongst participants and the facilitator.

Use inclusive language.

Ask for clarification if unclear about a participants intent or question.

Treat participants with respect and consideration.

Develop awareness for barriers for learning (cultural; social; experiential, etc).

Provide sufficient time and space for participants to gather their thoughts and contribute to
discussions.

Dont:

Use certain conventions or language that will exclude certain groups from understanding the
context of the discussion, or make them feel uncomfortable.

Assume participants all have the same expectations when the group first convenes.

Over-generalize behavior or have stereotypical expectations of participants (tokenism).

Use (or allow others to use) disrespectful language or tone, or disrespectful non-verbal
communication.

Convey a sense of self-importance or superiority.

Allow only the dominant or more verbal participants to take over the conversation.

Discourage alternate views or counter-arguments.

Try to be someone else- be yourself.

2. Keep discussions constructive and positive

Make the discussion functional by clarifying the goals of each session to the group.

Establish ground rules:

o

Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups
of people (stereotyping).

Ask dominant participants to allow others to speak.

Give all participants a voice- at the start highlight the value of a diversity of
perspectives as an essential part of the process.

Go over constructive and destructive group behaviors at the start of the

discussion

Request that if participants challenge others ideas, they back it up with evidence,
appropriate experiences, and/or appropriate logic.

Try to keep the group on task without rushing them.

If the group starts to veer in the direction of negativity and/or pointless venting, ask them
how they would like to address this.

Step back when a group is functional / functioning help participants become independent
learners; take control of their learning.

3. Encouraging participants
Encouraging participation can be accomplished by:

Writing participants comments on the whiteboard.

Asking follow-up questions, and paraphrasing the comments for everyone to ponder. A
combination of initiating and probing questions can be an effective approach to bring out
participants ideas further.

Asking the contributor for further clarification and/or elaboration.

Re-visiting past contributions and incorporating them into subsequent discussions.

Encouraging others to add their reactions or ideas to build on someones comment.

Not being afraid to admit your own ignorance or confusion if you dont know something
invite others to provide resources, and use the opportunity to discuss with the group how
one might go about researching the issue.

Discomfort and silence are ok, but balance with a clearly stated context and purpose.

Potential Problems in Discussions

Maintaining discussions often means dealing as smoothly as possible with the problems that
arise. Here are some common problems with suggestions for how to deal with them.
The participant who talks too much:
A way to approach the dominant participant and pull in non-participants is to redirect the
discussion to another person or another topic. Alternatively, you may wish to reframe their
comments, making them viable additions to the discussion. Facilitators might also ask one or
more members of the group to act as observers for a few sessions, reporting back their
observations to the group. Perhaps assigning the avid talker to the observer role would help the
person develop sensitivity. Another approach is to break down the group into still smaller task
groups.
The member who will not talk:
A way to approach non-participants is to provide opportunities for smaller group discussions or
pair-share discussions. Smaller groups may help put some students at ease. A second strategy
is to ask opinion questions occasionally (e.g., How do you feel about this?). This may
encourage participation by reducing participants fear of answering incorrectly. Another strategy
is to have participants write out their answers to a question. Having the words written out may
make it easier for a shy or fearful person to speak up.
The discussion that turns into an argument:
In good discussions, conflicts will sometimes arise. If such conflicts are left ambiguous, they
may cause continuing trouble. Here are some ways to resolve them:

If the solution depends on certain facts, the facilitator can ask participants to refer to the text or
another authority.
If there is an experimentally verified answer, the facilitator can use the opportunity to review the
method by which the answer could be determined.
If the question is one of values, the facilitator may use the occasion to help participants become
aware of the values involved.
The facilitator can list both sides of the argument on the board.
The facilitator can take a strong position as moderator, preventing participants from interrupting
each other or speaking simultaneously. She or he can lay ground rules for discussion, such as
asking participants to focus conflict on ideas rather than people and to resist being judgmental.
Unclear or hesitant comments:
The facilitator can encourage participants making unclear contributions to give examples and
factual evidence of their points. The facilitator can also restate points for verification or rejection
by the participants, or give enthusiastic nonverbal cues and patience.
The discussion that goes off track:
Some facilitators keep discussions on track by listing the questions or issues they want to cover
on the board or summarizing the discussion on the board as it proceeds. Stopping and asking a
participant to summarize where the discussion is at the point it appears to go off track may also
help.
The student who attacks the facilitator:
When participants argue for the sake of argument, facilitators will usually lose if they take the
bait. Participants who attack often want attention, so simply giving them some recognition while
firmly moving on often takes care of the problem. If participants are simply trying to embarrass
the facilitator, they may seek to make him or her defensive with such comments as, How do
you really know that? or Youre not really saying that? Such questions can be handled by
playing boomerang. The facilitator might say, What Im saying is, but now I'd like you to share

your perspective. Turning the question back to the questioner forces him or her to take
responsibility for his or her opinion. Other ways to handle these situations include:

Confrontation: Facilitators can confront the questioner with their reactions to his or her
behavior. Im uncomfortable with the imprecision of your questions. What I really hear you
saying is...

Active listening: Facilitators can paraphrase the message they heard and check out the
accuracy of their assumptions before responding.

Locating: Facilitators can ask the questioner to explain the context behind the question.

Reframing: The focus can be on clarifying the assumptions behind the persons argument
and then inviting her or him to see alternative possibilities.

Deferring: Often, the best strategy is to invite participants to come up after the session and
arrange for a time to talk about the disagreement further, and then move the discussion on
to another topic.

Guidelines for Participants

1. Prepare
If you know what the topic of the discussion will be, there is a lot you can do to prepare in
advance. You can read round the topic to make sure you are aware of the main issues and
arguments, and spend some time deciding what your own position is.
2. Listen
An effective discussion is one in which people listen to each other. Listening is a very important
discussion skill: make sure you listen and respond to what other people have to say. A good
discussion is one in which people share and talk about different opinions and viewpoints. It's not
a competition!
3. Don't dominate
Many people make the mistake of thinking that in order to be effective in a discussion, they have
to speak a lot. In fact, this isn't the case. In discussions, quality is more important than quantity:
in other words, what you say is often much more important than how much you say. If you give
other people a chance to say what they think, and then respond with a polite, intelligent
comment which you are able to back up, you will gain the respect of your colleagues.
4. Back up your points
If you make a point in a discussion, you may be asked to explain or support it. You can do this
in a number of ways: by providing facts or statistics to support your idea; by quoting expert

opinion; by referring to your own experience or simply by explaining why you said what you
said. But make sure you are prepared to support what you say, and try to avoid making 'empty'
points.
5. Learn some useful phrases
There are lots of useful phrases that you can use in discussions. Here are just a few of them:
o Agreeing: You're absolutely right about that.
o Disagreeing: I'm sorry, I don't see it that way at all.
o Interrupting: Sorry, do you mind if I say something here?
o Dealing with interruptions: Could I just finish what I'm saying?
o Asking for an explanation: Would you mind telling us what exactly you mean by that?
o Asking for more information: Would you mind saying a little bit more about that?
o Adding more information: Another point I'd like to make is... There are many more phrases
you can learn and use to help you feel more confident in discussions.
6. Be polite
The words argue and discuss in English have different meanings. People may get angry and
behave rudely or shout or get aggressive in an argument. In a discussion, especially one with
colleagues, it's important to stay calm and be polite, even if you feel strongly about the topic
under discussion. Using words like please, thank you, I'd like to... May I...? Would you mind...?
Could you...? Make you sound polite and respectful.
7. Take / make notes
It's a good idea to have a pen and paper handy. You can jot down any useful or important words
or ideas that might come in handy later in the discussion - or afterwards.
8. Speak clearly
Most people are happy to forgive a few grammar mistakes when they are talking to a foreigner.
However, they have much less patience when they can't understand someone because they are
talking far too quickly, or much too slowly, or when they have poor pronunciation. So, practice
your pronunciation and speak clearly and confidently. If you need time to collect your thoughts,
you could say something like Hmmm... just let me have a minute to think about this. Or you
could say Could you just repeat that please? to get a bit more time to think.
9. Relax!
Remember, a discussion is not a competition: it's an opportunity to share ideas in a positive
environment. If you are relaxed, you will be more likely to feel confident and enjoy the
discussion - and the best way to make sure you are relaxed in a discussion is to prepare for it!
Preparing for a discussion can make the discussion a lot easier. You'll be able to spend less
time trying to think of vocabulary and ideas, and more time listening to others and participating
in the discussion. Speak slowly and clearly, and remember to listen and respond to other
people.

Limitations

If the group is large, not all the members may get the opportunity to participate and
contribute to the discussion.

If the task is not clearly defined, the discussion may lack focus and, as a result, it may be
unproductive.

Difficulties can arise if the leader is unskilled in guiding the discussion and/or not familiar
with the topic or the issues.

Some members may dominate and, in a way, hijack the discussion.

As this is a group task, some members may take it easy and not feel constrained to
participate.