Speaking in Groups

Responsibilities of leaders

Responsibilities of participants

Team presentations

Responsibilities of Leaders

1. Establish an agenda

Responsibilities of Leaders

Establish an agenda

• It is a list of items that need to be covered in a meeting.

• When there is no agenda, groups often waste time on irrelevant matters.

Responsibilities of Leaders

Establish an agenda

• As leader decide in advantage what issues should be discussed.

• Then write out an agenda. Ranking items from most important to less important.

• Make sure that group members receive the agenda well before the meeting, so that they can be prepared.

Responsibilities of Leaders

2. Start the meeting on time

Responsibilities of Leaders

Start the meeting on time• Do not wait for delay people. This is a mistake for

two reasons:

• You are being discourteous to those who were punctual.

• You are setting a bad precedent for future meetings.

• If the people who arrived on time see you wait latecomers, they will perceive you as a leader who starts meetings late. So they probably will arrive late for the next meeting.

Responsibilities of Leaders

3. Make sure all participants knows the purpose of the

meeting

Responsibilities of Leaders

Make sure all participants knows the purpose of the

meeting

• Even if have circulated an agenda in advance, you should still review the purpose of the meeting.

• Some participants may not have read the agenda carefully or correctly.

• Others may have forgotten what it contained.

• Make sure everyone knows the task that the group faces.

Responsibilities of Leaders

4. Encourage participation

Responsibilities of Leaders

• In some groups the leader does all the talks. This is a waste of time.

• When you are the leader, guide the discussion, but do not dominated.

• Encourage the free flow of ideas from all members of the group.

• Group-created decisions are usually better than leader-dictated decisions. People tend to support what they have helped create.

Encourage participation

Responsibilities of Leaders

5. Never exceed one hour without a break

Responsibilities of Leaders

Never exceed one hour without a break

• Most small-group meetings should last no longer than one hour.

• Anything longer should cause fatigue and a drop off in the groups effectiveness.

Responsibilities of Participants

1. Prepare for every meeting

Responsibilities of Participants

Prepare for every meeting

• Find out in advance what is going to be discussed at the meeting and then decide what contributions you can make.

Do whatever research, background reading that may be necessary to make you well-informed.

Responsibilities of Participants

2. Arrive on time

Responsibilities of Participants

Meetings cannot work effectively if some participants straggle in late.

Make sure to arrive a bit early; this will give you a chance to chat informally with the other participants and create a mood of friendliness.

Arrive on time

Responsibilities of Participants

3. Participate in group discussion

Responsibilities of Participants

Participate in group discussion

Do not sit back and let the others do the work.

Join the discussion and contribute your ideas and opinions.

You can enter the discussion by asking questions.

Responsibilities of Participants

4. Exhibit positive nonverbal behavior

Responsibilities of Participants

Exhibit positive nonverbal behavior

• Nonverbal cues, such as:

• Clothes• Facial expression• Posture • Eye contact

speak as powerfully as words.

• In a meeting, avoid slumping in your chair. Instead, sit in an alert but relaxed posture that shows you are both confortable and confident.

Responsibilities of Participants

5. Do not monopolize the meeting

Responsibilities of Participants

• Give others a fair chance to state their views.

Do not monopolize the meeting.

Responsibilities of Participants

6. Stick to the point

Responsibilities of Participants

Stick to the point

• A common problem in meetings is for participants to stray off the subject and get bogged down in irrelevant matters.

• Before speaking, ask your self if what you plan to say is truly related to the purpose of the meeting.

Team Presentations

Team Presentations

Team Presentations

Team Presentations

• While most group work is done private, there are some occasions when a team makes a presentation to an audience.

• Two popular forms of team presentations are: • The Symposium and The Panel Discussion.

Team Presentations

Symposium & Panel Discussion

Team Presentations

• SYMPOSIUM:

• A Symposium is a series of brief speeches on a common topic, each usually discussing a different aspect of the topic.

• In some cases, the speaker might be members of a problem-solving group who present their ideas and conclusions to a larger group.

• PANEL DISCUSSION:

• In a panel discussion, a team converses on a topic in front of an audience. A panel is usually made up of three to eight team members and is led by a moderator.

THANK YOU!

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to success is always to try just one more time.”

Thomas A. Edison