Participating in Discussions

UNIT 13 PARTICIPATING IN DISCUSSIONS

Structure
13.0 Objectives
13.1 Warm Up
13.2 Reading Comprehension: Discussion Basics
13.3 Vocabulary
13.4 Listening Comprehension: The Anatomy of a Discussion
13.5 The Language of Discussions
13.6 Writing and Speaking: A Dice Game
13.7 Grammar: Verbs Followed by a Participle and Infinitive
13.8 Let Us Sum Up
13.9 Answers

13.0 OBJECTIVES
This unit will help you to
• understand the purpose of discussions in the recruitment process
• identify the skills and attitudes needed when participating in a discussion
• practise the language of discussions
You will also be provided with
• vocabulary inputs
• quick tips for discussions

13.1 WARM UP
Think about these questions before you begin.
1) How often do we get into discussions with strangers?
2) What are the usual topics for discussions?
3) In a group discussion who is considered impressive or identified in an
obvious or subtle way as the leader?
4) What kind of conflicts can happen in a discussion?
5) How do people infer that the purpose of the discussion has been achieved?

13.2 READING COMPREHENSION: DISCUSSION

BASICS
Read this feature article and answer the questions that follow:
Who would say ‘no’ to an invitation to share ideas! Almost everything starts out
with “Let’s discuss this, shall we?” “Oh yes.” We love to talk. It brings out the
best and the worst in us. People spend significant amount of time interacting
with each other and quite a part of it interacting in groups. Politics, food, sports,
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Skills for the Workplace-II music, neighbours, family and philosophy along with everything under the sky
and beyond has been spoken about, argued upon and discussed.

Discussions and Recruitment

Recruiters coming up with discussions as an assessment tool must have been the
brainwave of management gurus, panicky HRs or psychologists. Whoever thought
of it, hit the nail right on the head! Nothing reveals attitudes, behavior and skills
as when unlike minds sit down for a discussion.

What are they looking at?

A discussion by its very structure integrates skills that are essential in the
workplace – teamwork, leadership skills, goal awareness, task completion and
problem - solving skills, to name a few. Let’s take an example: if Jamal shouts
his rival down in a group discussion is he likely to do the same in a departmental
brainstorming session? If Asmit feels that a single idea said in ten different
ways helps her keep up her end of the discussion, is she going to be an asset
when the creative team of the company meets? If I refuse to listen to a different
opinion or “put down” every argument with relish and panic when I am “losing”,
am I going to be the same with customers? The answer to all these questions is
YES. Imagine the recruiter knowing all of these things about you in the selection
round before you have a face-to-face interview! Would they want you in their
company? Obviously not. A discussion is a powerful tool because it reveals far
more about you than you would imagine.

How to do it right
This is where everyone has an expert opinion. The way I see it, there are things
that you must not do – get aggressive for one. Most employers prefer somebody
who can manage conflict calmly and productively.

Then again, speaking more doesn’t necessarily mean making sense, so keep it
brief; get to the point. This of course, doesn’t mean using single line statements
without any explanations nor does it mean speaking in monosyllables.
Competitive discussion groups will not give you time for wordy explanations,
it’s better to make a point with an impact and make it fast.

The next roadblock is purely your own perception of situations, and that’s what
makes the difference between a leader and the crowd. It’s not you against the
group; it’s you and the group. The more opponents you see the fewer colleagues
you will find.

Be seen and get heard

What happens when there are more than 20 people participating, does everyone
get profiled in detail? Not exactly. Watch a football game. When the camera
pans the crowd, you can see screaming fans, painted faces and dancing crowds.
Some of them stand out- we notice them and remember them. That’s recall value.

The lesson is, in bigger groups you need to be able to stand out, be noticed and
be recognized as worthwhile competition (and not because of a painted face or
hysterics). Discover ways of creating recall value – a good initial statement,
effective conflict management and presenting a relevant and interesting opinion
6 are just some of the ways.
In terms of attitude, focus on positive body language, clarity of expression, voice, Participating in Discussions
choice of words, analysis, team building skills, social adaptability, creativity and
a certain amount of leadership skills as well.

Activity 1

1) Choose the most suitable alternative to complete the sentences.

i) Discussions have gained importance as an assessment tool because…
a) they are fun to watch and participate in.
b) they make the selection process simpler and more streamlined.
c) they test integrated workplace skills.
d) they test knowledge.
ii) Discussions predict…
a) how a candidate is going to function in the workplace.
b) the success rate of the participant.
c) how obedient an employee the participant is going to be.
d) who is going to be liked by the boss.
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Skills for the Workplace-II iii) The wrong set of participant behavior would be…
a) competitiveness, leadership skills, shouting a rival down
b) recall value, being noticed, being assertive
c) aggressive, overly competitive, opinionated, panicky.
d) Calm, quiet, submissive
iv) The best way to be heard is to …
a) speak loudly
b) create recall value
c) argue
d) reach a consensus
v) It’s not enough to have an opinion,
a) it’s important that everybody agrees with you
b) it’s important to lead every discussion
c) it’s important to defeat the opponent
d) it’s important to express it effectively
2) The discussion checklist
According to the writer the behavioural requirements for a discussion are:
....................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................

13.3 VOCABULARY
Activity 2

1) Pick out words from the passage that mean the same as the following:
i) Scared
ii) People in charge of hiring new employees
iii) A brilliant idea which occurs suddenly
iv) A phrase meaning ‘knowing what the ultimate aim is’
v) A phrase referring to ‘a meeting to discuss lots of ideas and collectively
choosing the best one’
vi) Responding with single words like yes, no, ok, all right; also referring
to words with one syllable
vii) Something that obstructs progress, stops us from getting ahead
viii) Remembering something afterwards
ix) Starting something
x) Creating a team
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 Participating in Discussions
13.4 LISTENING COMPREHENSION: THE
ANATOMY OF A DISCUSSION
This section deals with how group discussion works as a selection tool – its
structure and the assessment criterion.

Listen to the presentation by Ahmad Raja Khan, the HR Director of a management

consultancy firm about how a discussion moves and is assessed. Then read the
questions given below and listen once again.

Activity 3

1) Identify the incorrect statements and correct them

i) There must be consensus at the end of a discussion.
ii) It’s enough to contribute meaningfully and not come into the limelight.
iii) We must wait for a chance to speak.
iv) Wide reading and extensive knowledge is necessary for active
participation.
v) Participants need to talk loudly and keep talking to make themselves
heard.
vi) Quantity is more important than quality.
vii) We only need to know what we are about to say. A contradictory idea
is not worth thinking about.
viii) The more we can dominate the group the better are our individual
marks.
2) Match the following and complete the sentences on the left

i) If the discussion progresses a) it does not create order and

logically and every point is not a positive feature
reinforces or leads out from
what has been said before

ii) If the participants interrupt each b) the purpose of the discussion

other too often

iii) An uninvolved, laid back and c) but also needs to be deeply

uninterested style analyzed

iv) It’s important to achieve d) is listless and is marked low on the

scale.

v) Information shared needs to e) the group displays a sense of

be not just the obvious and the direction
surface understanding of the issue

13.5 THE LANGUAGE OF DISCUSSIONS

Look at the following language structures that you would need to use in a
discussion. 9
Skills for the Workplace-II Sample topic: Advertising is glorified lying

Initializing a topic Good morning/ hello…

Starting the discussion

General statements
I’d like to inform you about / share with you …
We’re here to talk about…
It is said that/generally believed that…
Let’s begin with …
Questions
Did you know that advertising…?
What makes advertising succeed?
Why do people see ads?
Shock Value
Here’s an interesting fact…..
A little known fact about advertising is……..
It is interesting to note that………
The main body of the discussion includes functions like the ones given below

Inviting responses Expressing opinions/ beliefs/

making a point

We’d like to have your opinion on this… In my opinion/view… …

What do you think … I believe…
How do you think this happens … I’d like to say / to add…
Is this what you meant…. I tend to think…
I (really) think…
It seems to me …
It’s obvious that…
Clearly…

Moving the discussion on Can we go on to think about…

I think we should also consider…
How about…
What do you think about…
There is another aspect to this issue…

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 Agreeing Disagreeing Participating in Discussions

I completely/absolutely/totally agree… I completely/absolutely/totally

disagree…
I must agree/ have to admit… I disagree entirely…
I agree entirely… I don’t agree at all…
I couldn’t agree more… I must /have to disagree…
I quite agree… I think quite differently on this…
I think you’re right… I don’t entirely/exactly
agree/believe that…
I agree somewhat… I’m afraid I cannot agree/don’t
agree…
I partially agree… I have some reservations about
this idea…
That seems okay but… I can’t say I believe that/ agree to
that…

Confirming/checking information/
restating for clarity

Is this what you meant…

Are you trying to say
If I get you/understand you right… that/are you saying
In other words… that…

Tell me if I got you/understood you right…

Did you mean/does that mean….
To put that another way…
If I follow you correctly…
Could you clarify…

Interrupting Dealing with Interruptions

Excuse me, may I ask for a clarification on this If I may finish what I am
saying…
If I may interrupt … Sorry please let me finish…
Sorry to interrupt but… I’d like to complete what I
was saying…
If you don’t mind, I’d like to complete the thought…
Making a suggestion
I suggest that…
Perhaps we should…
(I think) We could… 11
Skills for the Workplace-II It might be worth…
What about/ How about…
Why don’t we…
Let’s look at it this way…
Moving towards the conclusion

The best conclusion, with or without consensus is one that restates the initial
proposition and summarizes the major stand/s that the group has taken.
Here are a few ways to start doing that:
So can we agree on …
We seem to have come to / arrived at a conclusion…
I think we can safely say…
Finally / Fundamentally then…
Are we on agreement on this that
I guess we can agree on …
I guess/ suppose we can agree to disagree on …
Can we / why don’t we bring all these ideas together

13.6 WRITING AND SPEAKING: A DICE GAME

Activity 4

Play this simple game with a friend. You are player 1. Then, go through each
block and write down the answer after consulting The Language of Discussions.
The startup box is common for both players. Roll a dice and move the given
number of blocks. Whichever block you stop at is the position you are at in a
discussion. Solve that and move on….
1 2 3 4
Free education till You are the second You do not agree You must add a
college is the best speaker. Discuss with the opinion of point to the ideas
way to empower our the implications of the participant who given by the
vast human resource the issue. Ask about spoke just before earlier speaker /
frame the initial line group opinion. you. Explain why. participant

5 6 7 8
There are members Restate the existing You are not very You are in
in the group who idea and introduce a sure about what c o m p l e t e
have not participated. fresh aspect. was just said. Ask disagreement with
Express your view for clarification. what is being said.
and ask for theirs. Express yourself.
9 10 11 12
You have been There’s a You need to review You agree with
interrupted twice disagreement what has been the speaker. In
and you need to between two discussed till now. fact you have a
finish what you participants and the point that
were saying. discussion has supports him/her.
come to a standstill.
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 Participating in Discussions
13 14 15 16
Add a new Make a suggestion about You feel there’s no There’s definite
perspective, what should be considered consensus. Restate consensus.
move the next. the differing views Conclude the
discussion and move towards a discussion.
ahead on a 17 conclusion.
fresh point. The discussion was
successful.
Congratulations! The
conclusion was…

13.7 VERBS FOLLOWED BY A PARTICIPLE AND

INFINITIVE
Verbs associated with three of the five senses – sight, hearing and feeling – can
be followed by either an infinitive or a participle.
I saw him jump.
Or
I saw him jumping.
I heard him shout.
Or
I heard him shouting
I feel something move.
Or
I felt something moving.
The verbs jump, shout and move in these sentences are infinitives without to,
whereas jumping, shouting and moving are participles.

The infinitive suggests a momentary and/or completed action. The present

participle suggests a continuing action. It expresses an interest in the doing of
the action (i.e. the process) rather than its completion (i.e. the final result)
She could hear her father coughing.
I watched him throwing the ball.
Activity 5

1) Complete the following sentences with a number of words which include

an infinitive or a participle related to the verb in brackets. The form you
choose will depend on the meaning you wish to convey.
i) Today I could see the peacock ………. (dance) (where?)
ii) The watchman reported to the owner that he had seen ………. (break)
(what?)
iii) During an earthquake one can feel ………. (shake).
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Skills for the Workplace-II iv) While I was sitting in the balcony I smelt………. (burn).
v) I think I know where your car key is. I saw it…....(lie) (where?)
vi) For nearly an hour we sat completely silent and motionless listening
to ………. (play) (where?)
vii) She watched me ………. (write) my name.
viii) I heard him ………. (sing) in the bathroom.
ix) I could see the child ………. (tremble) when his father shouted at
him.
x) I heard him ………. (shout) my name repeatedly.

13.8 LET US SUM UP

This unit introduces you to a group discussion as an assessment tool and provides
you with insights into its working. You are also provided with specific skills that
you would need to be successful in a discussion and language structures for
various functions and steps of a discussion. The vocabulary section reviews
relevant vocabulary and the grammar section helps you practise the verb + ing
and to - infinitive without to.

13.9 ANSWERS
Activity 1
1) i-c, ii-a, iii- c, iv- b, v-d
2) These are some points we identified from the text. You may add some
more:
Positive body language
Clarity of expression and voice
Relevant choice of words
Analytical abilities
Team building skills
Social adaptability
Creativity
Leadership skills
Creating recall value
Make a point with impact – relevance and immediacy
Better conflict management
Activity 2
i) Panicky
ii) Recruiters
iii) Brainwave
iv) Goal awareness
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 v) Brainstorming session Participating in Discussions

vi) Monosyllables
vii) Roadblock
viii) Recall
ix) Initializing
x) Team building
Audio Text

Let’s start from the basics. One needs to know what one’s objective in the group
is. A good definition of your objective is –to be noticed, to have contributed
meaningfully in an attempt to help the group reach the right consensus. What
does this essentially mean? The first implication is that you should be noticed
by the panel. Merely making a meaningful contribution and helping the group
arrive at a consensus is not enough. You have to be seen by the evaluating panel
to have made a meaningful contribution. What does that mean in practice?

You must ensure that the group hears you. If the group hears you, so will the
evaluator. That does not mean that you shout at the top of your voice and be
noticed for the wrong reasons. You have to be assertive. If you are not a very
assertive person, you will have to simply learn to be assertive for those 15 minutes.
Remember, assertiveness does not mean being bull-headed or being arrogant.

And most importantly, you have to make your chances. Many group discussion
participants often complain that they did not get a chance to speak. The fact is
that in no group discussion will you get a chance to speak. There is nothing
more unacceptable in a group discussion than keeping one’s mouth shut or just
murmuring things which are inaudible.

The second important implication is that making just any sort of contribution is
not enough. Your contribution has to be meaningful. A meaningful contribution
suggests that you have a good knowledge base and you are able to put forth your
arguments logically and are a good communicator.

The quality of what you say is more valuable than the quantity. There is this
myth amongst many group discussion participants that the way to succeed in a
group discussion is by speaking loudly and at great length. One could not be
more wrong. You must have meat in your arguments.

If you do not start the group discussion and are not amongst the first five speakers
and find that everyone in the group is talking for the topic, then it makes sense to
take the alternate approach and oppose the topic even if you initially intended to
talk for the topic. Second, it helps to have knowledge of how group members
who take a stand diametrically opposite to yours will put forth their argument
and to be prepared with counter arguments. Everybody else will state the obvious.
So highlight some points that are not obvious. The different perspective that you
bring to the group will be highly appreciated by the panel.

Be careful that the “something different” you state is still relevant to the topic
being debated. Also consider - Can you take the group ahead if it is stuck at one
point? Can you take it in a fresh and more relevant direction?
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Skills for the Workplace-II The last implication is that you must be clearly seen to be attempting to build a
consensus. Gaining support or influencing colleagues is the mantra adopted by
many successful business leaders. Nobody expects a group of ten intelligent,
assertive people, all with different points of view on a controversial subject to
actually achieve a consensus. But what matters is “Did you make attempts to
build a consensus?”

The reason why an attempt to build a consensus is important is because in most

work situations you will have to work with people in a team, accept joint
responsibilities and take decisions as a group. You must demonstrate the fact
that you are capable and inclined to work as part of a team.

Activity 3

1) Incorrect statements and correction

i) There must be consensus at the end of a discussion – there need not

be a consensus, although participants must try to achieve it.
ii) It’s enough to contribute meaningfully and not come into the limelight
– if you are not seen, your contribution is meaningless.
iii) We must wait for a chance to speak – we need to create an opportunity
to speak.
iv) A participant can make a meaningful contribution only if he/she has a
good knowledge base and is able to put forth his/her arguments
logically.
v) Participants need to talk loudly and keep talking to make themselves
heard – participants need to use effective language and an assertive
attitude to be heard.
vi) Quantity is more important than quality – quality is always more
important than quantity.
vii) We only need to know what we are about to say. A contradictory idea
is not worth thinking about. - Every idea is important even one that
contradicts your opinion. It will help to come to a balanced statement
on the issue.
viii) The more we can dominate the group the better are our individual
marks. A domineering attitude is marked very low on the individual
marks scale.
2) i. e, ii. a, iii. d, iv. b, v. c

Activity 5

i) dancing in the backyard

ii) Rashid break a window.
iii) the earth shaking.
iv) the toast burning.

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v) lying in the top drawer. Participating in Discussions

vi) the music playing in the room.

vii) write
viii) singing
ix) trembling
x) shout

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