7 Ways to Use Questions and Manage Discussion

7 Ways to Use Questions and Manage DiscussionDiscussion can encourage deeper thinking and application beyond content delivery. The following tips will help you to prompt and manage discussion:Arrange the group intentionally such that members may sit at a table or at desks or chairs in a circle. This indicates that you want the whole group to be involved.Arrange the group intentionally

Make sure members have the information necessary for the discussion either from prior readings or assignments. They will be more likely to participate and even to lead.Make sure members have the background to discuss.Begin with material the members are comfortable with. They may use general experience or basic subject content to answer.Once members are warmed up, ask questions requiring them to explain relationships among pieces of information or to form general concepts.Let the discussion progress by asking questions that require application of concepts.Redirect a follow-up question to members to clarify, add depth or to elicit a more correct answer. Ask them to elaborate answers rather than immediately correcting them yourself.Use questions to elicit different levels of thinking.Leave sufficient wait time after asking a question before answering it yourself, repeating it, rephrasing it, or adding further information. Resist the temptation to fill silence with your own voice. Members need time to process what they have heard and to formulate new thoughts.Leave sufficient wait timePositively reinforce members for responding to questions or participating in discussion. Whenever possible, attribute specific comments to the members who made them. This shows you are engaged in the discussion and value each contribution, creating a safe environment for them to speak.Positively reinforce members for responding.Dont let discussion ramble and digress too much. You must guide the discussion carefully and have a well-established format (at least in your mind) to cover the appropriate material.Dont let discussion digressSum up the discussion whenever you shift topics and certainly at the end of the discussion.Sum up the discussion