How is group discussion helpful

It may also mean a space away from the ordinary. The sound of water from the mill stream rushing by put everyone at ease, and encouraged creative thought. The ultimate comfort, and one that breaks down barriers among people, is that of eating and drinking. If you have the opportunity, learn as much as possible about the topic under discussion. This is not meant to make you the expert, but rather to allow you to ask good questions that will help the group generate ideas.

Make sure everyone gets any necessary information, readings, or other material beforehand. If participants are asked to read something, consider questions, complete a task, or otherwise prepare for the discussion, make sure that the assignment is attended to and used. The first thing you need to think about is leadership style, which we mentioned briefly earlier in the section. Are you a directive or non-directive leader?

The chances are that, like most of us, you fall somewhere in between the extremes of the leader who sets the agenda and dominates the group completely, and the leader who essentially leads not at all.

Facilitators are non-directive, and try to keep themselves out of the discussion, except to ask questions or make statements that advance it. For most group discussions, the facilitator role is probably a good ideal to strive for. The ground rules of a group discussion are the guidelines that help to keep the discussion on track, and prevent it from deteriorating into namecalling or simply argument.

Some you might suggest, if the group has trouble coming up with the first one or two:. Ground rules may also be a place to discuss recording the session. Who will take notes, record important points, questions for further discussion, areas of agreement or disagreement?

You might present an agenda for approval, and change it as the group requires, or you and the group can create one together. There may actually be no need for one, in that the goal may simply be to discuss an issue or idea. How active you are might depend on your leadership style, but you definitely have some responsibilities here. They include setting, or helping the group to set the discussion topic; fostering the open process; involving all participants; asking questions or offering ideas to advance the discussion; summarizing or clarifying important points, arguments, and ideas; and wrapping up the session.

The exceptions are opinions or ideas that are discriminatory or downright false. This is especially true when the group is stuck, either because two opposing ideas or factions are at an impasse, or because no one is able or willing to say anything. The notes might also include a summary of conclusions that were reached, as well as any assignments or follow-up activities that were agreed on.

If the session was one-time, or was the last of a series, your job may now be done. Leading an effective group discussion takes preparation if you have the opportunity for it , an understanding of and commitment to an open process, and a willingness to let go of your ego and biases.

If you can do these things, the chances are you can become a discussion leader that can help groups achieve the results they want. A constant question that leaders — and members — of any group have is what to do about racist, sexist, or homophobic remarks, especially in a homogeneous group where most or all of the members except the leader may agree with them.

There is no clear-cut answer, although if they pass unchallenged, it may appear you condone the attitude expressed. How you challenge prejudice is the real question.

All too often, conflict — whether conflicting opinions, conflicting world views, or conflicting personalities — is so frightening to people that they do their best to ignore it or gloss it over. That reaction not only leaves the conflict unresolved — and therefore growing, so that it will be much stronger when it surfaces later— but fails to examine the issues that it raises.

If those are brought out in the open and discussed reasonably, the two sides often find that they have as much agreement as disagreement, and can resolve their differences by putting their ideas together.

Sometimes individuals or factions that are trying to dominate can disrupt the process of the group. Both Sections 1 and 2 of this chapter contain some guidelines for dealing with this type of situation. The exception here is when someone has been chosen by her community or group to represent its point of view in a multi-sector discussion. She may have agreed to sponsor particular ideas that are important to her group, but she may still have her own opinions as well, especially in other areas.

You have some choices about how you do that, however. If the question is less clear-cut, you might want to throw it back to the group, and use it as a spur to discussion. Group discussions are common in our society, and have a variety of purposes, from planning an intervention or initiative to mutual support to problem-solving to addressing an issue of local concern.

It helps greatly if the leader comes to the task with a democratic or, especially, a collaborative style, and with an understanding of how a group functions. A good group discussion leader has to pay attention to the process and content of the discussion as well as to the people who make up the group.

She has to prepare the space and the setting to the extent possible; help the group establish ground rules that will keep it moving civilly and comfortably; provide whatever materials are necessary; familiarize herself with the topic; and make sure that any pre-discussion readings or assignments get to participants in plenty of time.

Then she has to guide the discussion, being careful to promote an open process; involve everyone and let no one dominate; attend to the personal issues and needs of individual group members when they affect the group; summarize or clarify when appropriate; ask questions to keep the discussion moving, and put aside her own agenda, ego, and biases.

An effective group discussion can lay the groundwork for action and real community change. Study Circles Resource Center. Information and publications related to study circles, participatory discussion groups meant to address community issues.

Facilitating Political Discussions from the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts University is designed to assist experienced facilitators in training others to facilitate politically charged conversations. The materials are broken down into "modules" and facilitation trainers can use some or all of them to suit their needs. Project on Civic Reflection provides information about leading study circles on civic reflection. Types of discussion There are a variety of different types of discussions that occur naturally and which we can recreate in the classroom.

These include discussions where the participants have to:. Some discussion topics may fall into more than one of these categories, but it is useful to consider a variety of formats to which the students can apply the skills they are learning. Useful sub-skills for students There are a number of different sub-skills which students will need to be able to successfully and effectively participate in a group discussion.

Students need to develop the ability to: Analyse This skill can be developed by giving students the topic individually and asking them to brainstorm or mind-map all of the possible sub-topics they could speak about. The students can then swap their notes and assess or analyse the relevance of each of the sub-topics their partner has included. Together, the students then draw up a fresh list or mind-map and discuss how the sub-topics might be linked together, along with examples or reasons for any arguments they might have.

Persuade This skill comes in useful when students need to make decisions on how to do something e. A fun activity to develop this skill is to give groups of students this topic and ask them to decide on the profile of the perfect candidate, creating a list of 7 adjectives.

The students are then re-grouped and asked to persuade the other members of the group that their selection is the best while compiling a second, negotiated list. The group members who retain the most from their original lists are the winners.

Note down useful phrases that you hear the students using while doing this task and discuss these at the end for future reference. Divide the students into groups ensuring that there is a mix of views within each group. Most of the people are confused about their rejection in the Group Discussion.

Let's understand that rejection does not mean that you are not capable of doing anything. You should always consider rejection a lesson to start with more confidence and learning. Rejection means that you have got an opportunity to improve your personality. Prepare the Group Discussion according to all the steps discussed in this topic.

You can also score yourself and prepare again and again till you scores yourself best. The more confident you feel about your preparations, the better will be your performance in the discussion. Let's discuss some ten questions. Assess honestly based on the given questions. At last, calculate your total score.

You will automatically find your mistakes. Work on them, and you will surely crack the Group Discussion next time. JavaTpoint offers too many high quality services. Mail us on [email protected] , to get more information about given services.

Please mail your requirement at [email protected] Duration: 1 week to 2 week. Group Discussion. Next Topic Group Discussion Topics. Reinforcement Learning. R Programming. React Native. Python Design Patterns. Python Pillow. Python Turtle.

Verbal Ability. Interview Questions. Company Questions. Artificial Intelligence. Cloud Computing. Data Science. Angular 7. Machine Learning. Data Structures.

Operating System. Computer Network. Compiler Design. Computer Organization. Discrete Mathematics. Ethical Hacking. Computer Graphics. Software Engineering. Web Technology. Cyber Security. C Programming. Control System. Data Mining. Data Warehouse. Javatpoint Services JavaTpoint offers too many high quality services. Group A group means many people are working together to achieve some targets. Discussion Discussion means exchanging ideas between two or more than two people, which is generally a face-to-face interaction.

Why GD? Who are Panelists? Participants The participants can range from 7 to 12 in a group. Process The process of a Group Discussion starts with the announcement of the topic. The given topic could be technical, factual, or case study. Before beginning with the discussion, the preparation time of 3 minutes is given.

The time can also extend in case of a long case statement. Any participant in the group can initiate the discussion. After the lead participant, anyone in the group can continue the discussion. Similarly, everyone gets the chance to speak. One after another, participants in the group expresses their views on the given topic. It ends when the panelist stops the discussion or may ask one or more than one participant to summarize the GD.

Whenever you are asked for the summary, remember to cover the discussed points. The summary cannot include the words that were not part of the discussion. The participants that were quite among the discussion are generally asked to summarize it, which is a good opportunity to present their views.

But, it does not mean that everyone should be quite. The summary should include the essential discussed points and the conclusion of the discussion. The final scores are calculated. Based on the performance of each participant, the panelist gives the scores. The panelists are usually four to five to judge the performance of candidates in the Group Discussion. Importance of Group Discussion Group Discussions are an essential part of testing candidates in the organizations, recruitment process, etc.

So, let's discuss the importance of Group Discussion. Increases confidence The GD allows the participants to speak in public, which increases their confidence to speak without any hesitation. Focuses on Deep thinking It tests the knowledge of a candidate. The participants get only a few minutes 3 to 5 for the preparation. In such a small duration, they have to make a list of points to speak.

The participants in a group listen and understand other participants points of view, making them think deeply about the topic.

Improves Communication Skills GD helps the students to represent their views and ask the questions. It not only increases the confidence of a candidate but also enhances their communication skills. Removes hesitation of speaking Some candidates usually have hesitation in speaking in public. At starting, such candidates might face difficulty while speaking. But, after two or three Group Discussion, it improves. Group Discussion helps such candidates to speak loudly and express their views on the topic.

It further removes their hesitation in speaking. Team Work Group Discussion is also based on teamwork. In a company, it is very important to work as a team for the assigned project.

Due to this, the quality of working together with team members is checked in the Group Discussion. The panelist also judges the cooperation of participants in the group. It allows participants to share their views with other participants in the group. Behavior It helps to understand the attitude and behavior of the candidates towards other participants in a group. Listening Skills GD improves the listening skills of the candidates.

For example, the panelist may ask any candidate in a group to summarize the discussion. Due to this, every candidate presents in the discussion listens carefully. It further improves the listening skills of the candidates. Diversity in the Ideas The Group Discussion involves sharing ideas with other participants in the group. Recruitments Group Discussion is widely used for the recruitment process. It helps panelist to select a few candidates from the group. It also helps them to judge that the candidate is suitable for the organization or not.

Group discussion helps students develop their interest in their studies. When students have to prepare themselves for a discussion, they take their studies seriously because they know they have to express their views on the topic in a good way. Similarly, the group discussion is an enjoyable activity where the students chat with one another in a friendly way and learn things in an informal manner.

It makes learning an enjoyable activity for the students. Group discussions are sometimes part of an academic program where students are required to prepare different topics for discussion.

However, even if this is not a compulsory part of an academic program, the study should still arrange group discussions with their friends or classmates. You can do this by asking your classmates to make a study-group and to select a topic for discussion at least once or twice a week. Every student participating in the discussion should prepare the topic before the group discussion.

Every student should be given an opportunity to express their views on the topic. During the discussion or at the end of the discussion, every student may raise certain questions regarding the topic and the other students should try to answer these questions. You can also take the help of your teacher to arrange such group discussion for you and your classmates. Menu Note. Scroll up to view more topics. Study Skills. Grammar Basics. Preparation Guide for Tests.

Study Resources. It helps in learning more — It increases your understanding of a subject or lesson. It helps in generating more ideas about a topic.

It lets you know about your mistakes and weaknesses. It helps you build confidence in yourself.