Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FUIEMS
• ASSIGNMENT NO# 2
• ORAL COMMUNICATION
• BBA-3
• SUBMITTED BY;
SAMEEN FAROOQI
• SUBMITTD TO;
MISS NEELMA HASSAN
• SUBMITTED ON;
DEC 29, 2008
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Strategies for Improving Your Group Discussion Skills:
GROUP DISCUSSION: Is the perhaps the most fundamental reviewing technique of all.
It can also be the most difficult and the most unpredictable.
When free-flowing and lively discussions about shared experiences happen they often
have a life of their own and need little or no extra facilitation.
If you sometimes find yourself in unrewarding discussions that do not fit this description,
then some of the interventions or gimmicks described here (and used sparingly!) can help
to create a climate in which lively and worthwhile discussions are more likely to happen.
Most of the reviewing methods described throughout this 'Guide to Active Reviewing'
can be used to stimulate, focus or complement group discussion.
Ask the group to make three separate lists of what they have found PLUS, MINUS and
INTERESTING about the review discussions so far. Ask:
• "What have been the most enjoyable and most worthwhile discussions so far?"
• "What have you 'given to' and 'got from' discussions so far?"
• "How can the discussions we have be improved?"
• "Which of these ideas shall we try out for our next review discussion?"
Also ask each person to come up with two ACTION POINTS which will help them to
both GIVE AND GET more in future discussions. If individuals are stuck for ideas, ask
the group to make suggestions.
If the idea is being promoted that reviewer and participants share responsibility for the
quality of discussions, then it is logical for the reviewer to end up with two action points
for herself.
A few basic 'Ground Rules', negotiated with the group, and expressed in positive
statements, can help to generate a climate for good review discussions.
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The rules are For example, ask learners to use these sentence beginnings in paired
interviews, and then discuss responses as a whole group:
There are many advantages of developing rules based on the group's experience of their
discussions so far. For example, rules generated in this way are guaranteed to be:
• relevant to
• understood by
• supported by
• owned by (and even)
• Enforced by …
Avoid creating too many rules - especially if the resulting list is likely to stifle, distort or
divert discussion. If you end up with a list that seems too long, then ask the group to
select the top 3 'rules', and demote the rest to ‘proposals’, 'expectations' or 'intentions'
Asking questions and joining in discussions are important skills for jobs. If you find it
difficult to speak or ask questions, try the following strategies.
• Observe
Attend as many seminars and tutorials as possible and notice what other students do. Ask
yourself:
• How do other make critical comments?
• How do they ask questions?
• How do they disagree with or support the topic?
• What special phrases do they use to show politeness even when they are voicing
disagreement?
• How do they signal to interrupt, ask a question or make a point?
• Practice
Practice outside to improve your discussion skills. Start in an informal setting or with a
small group. Begin by:
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• Ask for advice.
• Participate
If you find it difficult to participate in discussion, set yourself goals and aim to increase
your contribution
An easy way to participate is to add to the existing discussion. Start by making small
contributions; agree with what someone has said or ask them to expand on their point
(ask for an example or for more information); Prepare a question to ask beforehand. You
can then work up to answering a question put to the group, providing an example for a
point under discussion, or disagreeing with a point.
What is an argument?
To `argue' is to present an opinion through the process of reasoning, supported by
evidence.
An argument seeks to persuade through rational and critical judgment.
Participating in a tutorial discussion can be a bit scary, specially when you want to
disagree with a point of view and are not sure how to, or of which language structures to
use. Voicing your opinion and using effective arguing techniques are valuable skills.
You may have a great idea, but you need to communicate it effectively and support it.
The three
essential parts to a point of view are:
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• As I understand it ...
2. A reason why
1.
o This can be seen by
o For instance ...
o For example ...
o An example can be seen ...
o (Author's name) states that ...
o (Author's name) suggests...
o Statistics from (give a source) indicate ...
Disagreeing can be problematic as people often speak before they think things through. It
is also important to disagree politely. You may be trying to disprove another speaker's
point, but
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3. Offer your opinion complete with reason and
support
Do
Don't
• Don’t take offence if a person disagrees with you. There will be times when other
speakers will have different points of view. They may disagree with your ideas, and they
are entitled to do so.
• Don't ridicule the contribution of others. Don't use comments like `that's stupid', that's
ridiculous, or `you're wrong'.
• Don't try to intimidate or insult another speaker.
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• Don't use a loud or angry tone. Others will not want to listen to you if you are being
aggressive. Use a moderate tone and medium pitch.
• Avoid negative body language when speaking. Gestures like finger-pointing and table-
thumping appear aggressive.
• Try not to dominate the discussion. Confident speakers should allow quieter students a
chance to contribute.
• Avoid drawing too much on personal experience or anecdote. Remember not to
generalize too much.
• Don't interrupt or talk over another speaker. Let them finish their point before you start.
Listening to others earns you the right to be heard.