Discussion and group skills

What is an effective discussion? 
How do you respond to the ideas of others? 
How can students improve your performance in a discussion?
How can a discussion be kept on topic? 
What evidence can be used to assess discussion and group skills? 

Which Group Skills Apply to You?
√ Involving others in the discussion
√ Balancing your viewpoint with those of others
√ Being sensitive to others
√ Building consensus
√ Knowing when to listen, when to speak, and how much to say
√ Taking responsibility for making the group work
√ Displaying confidence or expressing a lack of confidence when genuine doubt exists
√ Contributing vs. Participating
√ Active listening
√ Taking turns

√ Staying on task 

Aggressive: I believe that my ideas are often better than those of others.

Passive: I often believe my ideas are not as good as those of others.


Assertive: I believe my ideas are as good but not necessarily better than those of others. 
In the table below, decide which behaviors are assertive, which are aggressive
and which are passive.

ARE YOU... Pick one of the three options from each category that most closely resembles your discussion style. Are you more aggressive, passive, or assertive? What could you do to be more assertive?


Discussion Skills
1. Summarizing discussion to keep everyone aware of what is being discussed
2. Challenging discussion that is not productive
3. Challenging, in a positive way, the group members’ behaviour that is not facilitating discussion
4. Staying on topic and ensuring that the item being discussed is related to the topic, not starting
a new topic until the current issue is resolved
5. Initiating a new topic when discussion of the current topic has been completed
6. Keeping track of time
7. Trying to get a compromise

8. Connecting ideas together 


Which of the following discussion statements help (🤩) and which ones hurt (😣) a discussion: 


__  But that isn’t a fact. It hasn’t been proven
__ Does everyone agree with Brandon about that?
__ Alexia, you keep coming back to the same point. We already said that was not an issue.
__ Madison, how do you respond to that?
__ We have already spent 10 minutes talking about that.
__ I bet you don’t think that idea is good do you, Ethan?
__ I don’t care what anyone says; two colours are enough.
__ I see, Mackenzie. You agree with Bhavi but think they just want to add two more parts.
__ I think we should finish this topic and move on to question 4.
__ Just a minute, let's finish this discussion before we start on that.
__ Berra, what if we took your idea and changed the word to a word Busra used.
__ I think there are at least causes, Justin.
__ Okay, we have to make a decision, either the red or the white flowers.
__ So we have decided to use four different colours.
__ That is a dumb idea. It isn’t going to work.
__ This is boring. Can we speed up?
__ Sara, would you be willing to compromise on that?
__ We are not getting anywhere on this. Why not just do part of it?
__ What do you mean I have talked too much? I am not finished!
__ What do you mean by too much oxygen, River?