5 Tips to Excel yourself at Group Discussions

Group discussion is an integrated part of assignment writing. When students are asked to work in groups, they have to brainstorm and find ideas so that they can work on their assignments. There is a proper set of skills needed to excel in the group discussions. It is not mandatory that these skills are within you from birth, so you should consider certain steps to develop them. This is because not everyone is pro in group discussions. Hence, there is a need to take up certain steps, so that one can excel in group discussions.

• Engaging in conversation: The first step to excel in group discussion is to start the conversation. If no one is talking, then you can start the conversation so that you can be vocal about your opinion. It’s difficult to discuss your opinion among so many participants, but you have to stay engaged till the end. The focus should be on sharing your opinion and also respecting the opinion of others.
• Stay attentive: One should be able to stay attentive as much as possible so that one can know all the happenings in the group. You should maintain active body language and must ensure that you do not end up being careless. You can make eye contact with other group members and use hands and gestures to maintain your image.
• Stay calm: During group discussions, there can be a lot of opinions which can lead to clashes. However, it is vital to stay calm and not overreact during the clashes. Everybody can have their opinion, so one should respect them. For this, wear comfortable attire, must gather proper thoughts and also must not talk at a high pitch. Your voice should be slow.
• Listen as much as possible: It is vital to listen to everyone in the group. This creates a sense of satisfaction, as you can learn about many opinions. You should encourage others to provide your opinion. The focus has to be on sharing your opinion when needed and not interfering much when others are talking. Everyone should be given equal chances.
• Demonstrate positive behaviour: In a group, one should always show positive behaviour since there can be many people involved in a group discussion. Conflicts are common in a group discussion, but the focus has to be on staying positive. You should force no one to think about others, instead, remain as positive as possible. This can ensure that you do not dominate the group discussions and understand others well.

So, these are a few tips to help you excel in your group discussions. Always remember that group discussions are not debates where you can raise your voice, dominate or force others to go your way. Group discussions are brainstorming sessions where all the members work towards achieving a common goal. You should be able to respect everyone’s opinion and eventually conclude. Overall, a group discussion should be extremely healthy and must not focus on confrontations.