Effective Discussion Skills...

Discovering ways to have constructive and effective discussions is an important part of having successful meetings. And successful meetings are critical to the smooth function of teams. Here are nine tips for improving discussion skills in meetings:

1- Ask for clarification: If you are unclear about the topic being discussed or the logic in another person?s argument, ask someone to define the purpose, focus, or limits of the discussion. Ask members to repeat/break down ideas in different ways. Ask for examples, pictures, diagrams, data and so on.

2- Act as gatekeepers: Encourage more or less equal participation among group members by ?throttling? dominators (asking them to allow others to participate). Make openings for less aggressive members by directly asking their opinion or making a general request for input.

3- Listen: Actively explore each other?s ideas instead of debating or defending each idea that comes up.

4- Summarize: Occasionally, compile what?s been said and restate it to the group in summary form. Follow a summary with a question to check for agreement.

5- Contain digression: Do not permit overlong examples or irrelevant discussion.

6- Manage time: If portions of the agenda take long than expected, remind the team of deadlines and time allotment so that meeting can be either accelerated or postponed, or time can be re-budgeted appropriately.

7- End the discussion: Learn how to tell when nothing can be gained from further discussion. Help the team closes a discussion and decide the issue.

8- Test for consensus: Summarize the group?s position on an issue state the decision that seems to have been made, and check whether the team agrees with the summary.

9- Constantly evaluate the meeting/discussion process: Throughout the meeting, assess the quality of the discussion. Ask: are we getting what we want from this discussion? If not, what can we do differently in the remaining time?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enoch Daniel AbaPhoenix, AZ