Successful Group Discussion Techniques
There are a number of things you can do to help your group become successful. By following the guidelines that are presented in this article, you will be able to actively participate in group discussions and help the team achieve a specific goal.
First, there is nothing wrong with being quiet. At the same time, you don’t want to be too quiet. However, speaking too much is not recommended. Before you speak, you will want to think about what you are going to say. It is important to make sure the statements you make are concise and to the point. You don’t want to give the other members the wrong impression by making statements that are not clear.
It is also important to make sure you fulfill the tasks of any role you’ve been given. For example, if you are given the role of a team leader, it is important to make sure you carry it out to the best of your abilities. Once you agree to a specific role, do not ask to be changed to something else. If you do this, you will convey a message that you are indecisive. If you don’t understand a statment or question that has been made by someone else, it is important for you to make sure they clarify it. In group discussions, it is important to avoid conflict as much as possible. You will always want to respect the contributions that are made by the other members. Even if you don’t agree with their views, it is important to look at things from their perspective.
If you are the leader of a group discussion, it is important to make sure all the members are given equal amounts of time to voice their views or participate. If you give some members more time than others, you may convey a message that certain members are more valuable than others, and this can lead to conflict. In any group discussion, conflicts should be expected. However, it is the method you use to deal with them that will determine the success or failure of a group. There are certain words and phrases that you will want to avoid using when you are in a group discussion. For example, responding to a statement made by another member by saying "that doesn’t make any sense" will lead to conflict.
If you don’t agree with the statement, instead of saying "that doesn’t make any sense," it would be better to say "I don’t know if I agree. Could you elaborate?" When you use this statement, it will not be as offensive as the other statement. You should never ridicule the idea or statement of another member by calling it dumb or stupid. Instead, you could simply say you disagree with them, and offer an explanation of why your feel the way you do. To give another example, instead of using the statement "that is not what the assignment asked us to do" you could say that "I think it would be better if we refer back to the assignment."
To be successful in group discussion, it is important to avoid conflict statements. These statements could lead to problems between you and other members that can make the group less productive. An example of a conflict statement is telling another member that they are wrong about something. Instead, you will want to disagree with them by using phrases such as "it may be better to…." or "have you ever though about doing it this way?" It should be easy to see the difference between these two phrases and the first one.
Being able to avoid conflict in a group discussion is crucially important. Once the conflict has started, it is very difficult to deal with. Everyone is different and will have strong beliefs about a topic that may differ from others.
However, they should be respectful in how they deal with the differences. Using statements and questions which avoid conflict will allow you to be respected by the other members, and you can help the group successfully move forward. Respect the opinions of others, and never try to push your ideas on the other members. Remember, the purpose of having a group discussion is to solve problems, not create them.
