Teacher Activity 1

Discussion Skills in General

Get the students to take part in a group discussion on any subject – current topical news story/personal issues that are interesting for the students, etc.

The following activities have been designed as introductory exercises to highlight the importance of effective communication within group discussions. These exercises are aimed at developing the confidence of shyer students who may contribute in smaller groups, but tend to keep quiet in larger groups.

Group discussions can be very intimidating for some students especially when they are working with people that they don’t know. There are always a couple of students who revel in the limelight being very domineering and those who don’t utter a word. These exercises will encourage everyone to participate.

NOTE:

* Do not provide the students with any guidance as to how to structure the discussion – objective/appointing chairperson, etc.

* If at all possible it is best to video this exercise so that students can actually see strengths and weaknesses for themselves

* Make notes on the following during the discussion – time; who did/did not speak; who did/did not listen; who did/did not respond appropriately (language) or sensitively; body language, was anything achieved through the discussion, was the purpose of the meeting met, what was the outcome of the discussion.

The objective of the exercise is to enable students to identify the elements required to take part in a successful discussion. After the discussion play back the video and give the students the following checklist to evaluate their performance during the discussion. Give the students the questionnaire on the following pages to complete. They can use this as the basis for their evaluation.

It is important that the students honestly evaluate their performance – try not to ‘criticise’ their efforts but to build upon how they can develop their skills to take part in successful discussions. Therefore they will be discussing their own discussion!

Get the students to take part in another discussion. Before hand the students must plan the discussion take the following into consideration:

• Purpose and situation of the discussion
• Carry out research to be able to provide Information that is relevant to the subject and the purpose of the discussion
• Speak clearly and make relevant contributions in a way that suits the purpose and situation of the discussion - language, manner, tone of voice, tactful comments, varied vocabulary,
• Listen and respond appropriately and sensitively to what others say - nodding, asking questions, take into consideration gender and cultural issues and how others might be feeling.
• Develop points and ideas – move the discussion forward, summarise, develop points, and focus on the purpose. Create opportunities for others to contribute when appropriate - ask questions, ask follow-up questions, questions to encourage people to develop points

*(The bold words are what you must focus on – these are the 7 elements which students need to achieve in order to gain a level 2/3 qualification).

Again, get the students to fill out the questionnaire and discuss how better/worse the second attempt at the discussion was after focusing more on the skills used within the discussion.

On the second attempt students should find that their understanding of the elements that go together to make a successful discussion is enhanced.

Areas for improvement – If you feel that you need to improve on specific aspects of your discussion skills then below state methods that you can use to develop these skills.