PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION AND TECHNICAL WRITING
LESSON 32:
TECHNIQUES OF CONDUCTING GROUP DISCUSSIONS
Each one of us belong to various groups. We form our own groups on
the basis of certain common factors between the members of the group.
These factors may arise out of common social backgrounds, similar
interests, same age etc. When you are part of a group, say all of you
spending time in the college cafeteria, what do you do? Think
of a time when you were with your friends and there was no conversation.
Surely, there may never have been such a moment. There is always an
exchange of ideas and experiences. Your family too is a group of its own
kind.
Marvin Shaw defines a group as “persons who are interact-
ing with one another in such a manner that each person
influences and is influenced by each other person.”
Say for example, Parneet suggests that his group go out for a movie on
Friday. All agree to watching the same movie but Chinmay and Mihir
think that they should go for the movie but on Saturday. After a lot of
consideration it was decided that they shall watch the same movie on
Saturday. So what happens in this group discussion ? Parneet influences
others for a movie, Chinmay and Mihir influence others regarding the
day and each one in the group gets influenced.
Group may have any number of persons. Even two persons
can form a group. According to Bartol and Martin a group is
defined as, “two or more individuals who interact and
influence each other in collective pursuit of a common
goal.” At a formal level the size of the group is on the basis of
the objective or goal of the group. During your science assign-
ments the group size is usually restricted to 2-5 persons.
Committees and conferences are formed with smaller groups,
Meetings are with larger groups. The objective for which a small
group is formed could include :
• Decision making
• Problem solving
• Idea generating
• Therapy or cure
• Education or learning
Compare your business group to your family (neutral or joint).
Every family member acts as a strength and support to the
other, at the same time we are known to display disagreement,
differences and resentment towards are own parents and
siblings. Let us consider our business group to be a family.
Similarly, there will be advantages and disadvantages during
group discussions.
A meeting that is not conducted well and does not end
fruitfully is oftendefined as “a table where a group of people meet to
decide when and where they should met again”. Meetings are a strange
phenomenon. Everyone calls them; everyone attends them. Yet
nearly everyone is highly critical of them.
Advantages of Group Discussion/Communication
Working as a team is always considered as a positive work
culture. It has tremendous advantages. There is tremendous
amount of information and knowledge in every field. Activities
are complex and difficult for one person to handle tasks which
have several aspects. Discussion permits a multiple point of
view; it enables an organization to benefit from the expertise of
specialists.
• Group activity provides social and emotional support to
the participants. Employees who have a chance to
contribute and take part in decisions are known to be more
loyal
• Discussing ideas and problems in a meeting is a democratic
way of functioning. It shows respect for individuals and
their opinions and views.
Problems of Group Discussion/Communication
To get the best out of working in a group, every member of the
group must display team spirit of the highest order. There can
be problems in communication even when only two persons are involved.
The aim of working as a group is to benefit from the exchange
of ideas. But not always do we accept others view easily. Also,
lot many debates and arguments makes the entire process time
consuming and tedious. Matters can become extremely difficult
if one were to encounter any/all such situations. Group
discussions have their own series of problems and disadvan-
tages. Let us point out these problems.
Meetings become wasteful due to any of the following factors
• Poor preparation by convenors and attendees
• Failure to maintain and folloiw up maaetings
• Incompetent chairmans
• Hidden agendas and shadow boxing by attendees
• Committees with too many members
• Absence of key players
• Too big an agenda
• Problems relating to the chairman: He may be either
too weak or too domineering. In either case there is
indecision and confusion. Chairmanship is an art. The
chairman, has to guide the discussion and not allow it to
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 become confused by side issues and random talk. The
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION AND TECHNICAL WRITING
chairman must provide drive and purpose so that the
members present feel that some headway is being made.
The chairman should know how motions and resolutions
are to be introduced and passed at meetings, how
amendments are to be taken up first, and how to deal with
points of order that might be raised by members who
perceive an irregularity. The formal agenda is placed before
the meeting by the secretary and its items are discussed at
an “intellectual level”. The chairman should have the ability
to deal with the “Hidden agenda”. The chairman asks for
volunteers in the meeting to take down the minutes of
the meeting.
• Expensive and time consuming: It is not easy to get
people together and make them sit down to discuss,
consult or decide.
• Compromises have to be made: In the interest of
harmony, members of the group tend to accommodate
one another and compromises, not in the best interest of
the organization, have to be made.
• Appearance of indecision and delay: Group
communication takes time and outsiders often get the
impression that the leadership of an organization is
indecisive.
• Lack of responsibility: As many people are involved in
talking and taking decisions, responsibility gets diluted and
improper decisions may be taken.
• Obstruction and silence: In group communication some
people tend to be negative and obstructionist just to satisfy
their own egos, while others are shy, diffident and keep
silent even when they know better.
• Clash of egos: The interest of the organization are lost
when members quarrel and there is a clash of egos.
• Poor knowledge of Procedure: To be meaningful and in
order to produce result, meetings should be conducted
according to definite rules and procedure. When this is not
done the result is aimless discussions and confusion.
• Dealing with problem participants: There are 3 types of
problem participants.
Commentator- who distracts attention by whispered side
conversations while the meeting is in progress.
Monopoliser- who does not allow others to speak
Reticent- who does not utter a single word. The chairman
should be able to handle all three.
• Physical and Psychological environment Improper: If
the participants in a group communication are not
comfortable and in the right frame of mind a meaningful
exchange of views is not possible
• Numbers too large or few: Too many people taking part
in a group communication session will make it impossible
for each member to be heard and to obtain feedback. If
there are very few the exercise will be a waste of time.
• Theoretical, Practical and technical skills are ignored
at meetings: Only people with good debating and
communication skills get heard and often have their way.
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Objectives of Group Discussion/Communication
As we move along this section, like before compare the
situation within your family.
The aim of group discussions may be any of the following –
• To arrive at a consensus (choosing the right
college)
• To get feedback (consulting your family
for advice)
• To solve a problem (improving your academic
performance)
• To collect ideas (learn from the experience
of elders)
• To understand the situation (confusion regarding
choice of a career)
• To learn and train (guide your sibling
younger than yourself)
• To inform and explain (inform and explain the
outcome of the day)
Meeting is a form of group discussion. A meeting is a coming
together of a number of persons at a certain time and place for
discussion. Defined in a different way, “it is gathering of
two or more persons in order to discuss matters of com-
mon concern, in order to arrive at a decision or
promulgate a policy.” Thus, there may be political meetings,
religious meetings, educational or social meetings. We are going
to discuss only “organizational meetings’’. Official business
meetings have three requirements-
• They should be called by an authorized person by giving a
proper notice
• There should be a quorum, a chairman, and a secretary to
take notes
• They should be conducted properly, according to the rules
or bye-laws of the organization.
Group discussion meetings can also be classified on the
basis of the purpose for which they are held.
1. Discussion or Meeting
Committees, boards of directors, and specially appointed
bodies with powers to take decisions on behalf of the parent
body or appointing authority, hold decision-making meetings.
2. Executive meeting
Some committees like the Board of directors or the executive
council have powers to implement decisions; they may review
recommendations of other bodies, or take decisions on their
own.
3. Consultation meeting
An advisory body, which may consist of experts, holds
meetings to discuss and advise other bodies. They do not have
powers to take any decisions or action. Joint consultations
between different departments, sections, or other related
bodies/groups are an example of consultation.
4. Briefing meeting
Giving information is the main function of a briefing session.
A prepared note of briefing may be read out and questions or
requests for clarification are answered; but there is no discussion
at briefing meetings.
5. Problem-solving meeting
A meeting of all those concerned with a particular activity where
problem is found may be called for the specific purpose of
solving the particular problem. Everyone contributes by
looking at the problem from his/her point of view and task.
Any snags and blocks can be dealt with in co-ordination.
6. Negotiation meeting
This is characterised by the presence of two clearly competing
sides. When parties with competing interests like buyer-and-
seller, or two separate organisations which want to collaborate,
or employer-and-employer, need to settle their differences, they
meet to discuss and arrive at an agreement. It may take a series
of meeting to come to an agreement. Each side is briefed by the
authorities they represent, and their agreements have to be
ratified by the parent body of each side.
7. Conference
A conference is a meeting of a large group of persons as-
sembled for the purpose of discussing common problems or
activities. The number of participants may be anything from 0
to 100 or even more. A large conference is divided into small
groups for the purpose of discussions. The participants may be
from different organizations. The chief point of difference
between a conference and committee meeting is that the
conference is far more informal than a committee.
The advantages of a conferences are-
• Encourage the exchange of ideas and opinions
• Bring out the many facets of a problem or situation by
discussion
• Provide valuable practice in analyzing situations and help to
determine what should be done
• Like committee meetings, they provide an opportunity for
face to face communication, personal observations and
conversations.
• Provide an opportunity for consultation
• Increase employee motivation
He disadvantages of a conference type of a meeting are-
• When conferences are held often with subordinate it may
give the impression that the management is unable to
arrive at a decision on its own
• If a subordinate is called to a conference on a subject which
is outside his scope of experience it will only make him feel
frustrated and inadequate
• Sometimes, when conferences are badly chaired they might
only result in clouding an issue or complicating a problem.
Conferences may be
• Informational conference
• Suggested solution conference
• Problem solving conference
• Sales forecasting conference
• Training conference
8. Committee Meetings
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION AND TECHNICAL WRITING
A committee is a small group of persons entrusted with a
special business task appointed by a bigger group or someone
in authority. A committee is a toool of administration and
management and is expected to complete the task given in the
given time. It meets as often as required and maintains the
minutes of the meetings. It is expected to prepare a report of
its conclusions and submit it to the appointing authority.
There are several types of committee-
Sub-committee- Smaller body formed by a large committee from
amongst its own members, for completing an aspect or a part
of a larger task assigned to the committee.
Ad hoc committee- is a small group selected on the spot, some-
times during a meeting, for looking into troublesome problem;
it may have members from among those present at the meeting
as well as others. Persons who are knowledgeable about the
problem are usually chosen from the committee.
Standing committee – Membership is by position and title and
office held. The committee is permanently in existence but its
membership may be for one or two years and may change by
rotation. eg. Health counselor, labour welfare officer etc.
Special committee is appointed for handling a special task. Its
members are carefully selected for their special knowledge and
experience in the field of the task.
9. Group Discussion
It is informal can be very stimulating and useful activity in
organizations. It helps in understanding a situation, in
exploring possibilities and in solving problems as it generates a
multiple point of view. It gives a sense of participation to all
those who participate in it. It is used as a tool for selecting
candidates by judging or observing the leadership quality,
behaviour and abilities of the individuals taking part in it.
10. Seminar
Here, findings of some research or advanced study are placed in
the form of oral or written reports and then discussed in detail.
Seminars are held for specialized people on specialized topics in
order to exchange ideas.
11. Symposium
It is a getting together of specialized persons or experts who
openly discuss topics for the benefit of an audience. Each
speaker is given limited time for making his presentation. The
role of the audience separates a symposium from a seminar.
Here, there is a large audience and the members of the audience
are encouraged to interact with the speakers.
12. Panel Discussion
Papers are presented or read out. The participants speak
spontaneously, expressing their view, on an announced topic.
There is amoderator. Panel discussions are very popular on
radio and television.
13. Convention
It is a gathering of closely linked people who share a common
interest in a subject or point-of-view. Thus there can may be a
convention of engineer, biotechnologists, lawyers or any other
group of people with a common interest or a convention of a
political or religious nature at which people with a common
view-point take part.
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