Expressing views in discussion/seminars
Skills involve in discussion
Taking part:
Allow others to finish, without interrupting
Everyone contributes by saying something
Giving opinions
Give our opinions
Support the opinion by giving reasons and evidence
Agreeing & disagreeing
Acknowledge their opinion before saying why we disagree
Clarifying
Ask questions to check our understandings
Repeat or paraphrase what the speaker has just said
Other skills
Give suggestions (I suggest that ...) or express certainty/uncertainty (It could be that ...)
Effective discussion
Individual actions
Be willing to listen to others
Build on what other people have said
Be willing to change our own opinions
Not be afraid to give our honest opinions
Support our opinions with evidence
Group actions
Everyone knows what the outcome of the discussion should be
There is time at the end for summing up what has been agreed or decided
Only one person speaks at any one time
Everyone contributes by saying something
Improving discussion skills
Prepare: Prepare and understand the topic well, do further reading, attend lectures and complete assigned readings
Listen: Focus on what other speakers are saying, try to identify the main ideas
Participate: Agree with someone else's opinion, asking for clarification, prepare a question beforehand and try to ask it during discussion
Clarifying: Make sure to understand the discussion