4 Tips for Leading a Discussion Group
Were you asked to lead a discussion group? Discussion groups are common in classroom and business settings because they help fuel innovation and collaboration and give every team member the opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas. As the person tasked with leading the discussion, you have many responsibilities you have to fulfill. Along with driving the discussion, you need to ensure everyone gets an equal opportunity to speak, the discussion stays on track, and everyone’s opinions are being treated with respect. To help you lead your discussion group to success, consider these helpful tips from Lawrence Mitchell:
1. Include all participants — While some group members will willingly jump into the conversation and make sure their voice is heard, others may be less assertive, shy or unable to speak up fast enough. Encourage them to offer their opinions by asking them a question directly, encouraging them with your body language, and taking notice of when they want to speak but can’t get a word in.
2. Know when to advance the discussion — Especially in business environments, moving the discussion forward too soon can lead to missing a good idea. As the leader, you should be mindful of the progress of the discussion and know when and when not to move it forward. Ask questions or offer ideas to promote discussion and advance it when necessary.
3. Summarize often — Summarizing helps remind the group of the consensus that has been reached. Your summary should only reflect the ideas of your group and not your own personal agenda. For discussions lasting thirty minutes to an hour, you can summarize or restate the consensus at the end. For discussions lasting an entire day or multiple days, summarize every hour or so; this will help you conclude a topic of discussion and carry over to the next.
4. Help participants be respectful of conflicting opinions — Depending on the nature of your group discussion, emotions can run high once the discussion heats up. To avoid the discussion from becoming augmentative, remind the participants of the objective and help them understand and respect the ideas being offered by other group members. Act as a neutral party, and find the common ground and share the connections that bind the varying perspectives together.
Leading a discussion group is a complex task. To lead a successful discussion, never lose sight of your role and responsibilities, and follow these tips from Lawrence Mitchell.
