The facilitator can also restate points for verification or rejection by the participants, or give enthusiastic nonverbal cues and patience. Join on time (or early). Joining Together: Group theory and group skills. Suggestions for Leading Small-Group Discussions, prepared by Lee Haugen, Center for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State University, 1998. Maths in Our School Environment for Junior & Senior Infants Booklet. Ask dominant participants to allow others to speak. If you have time to prepare beforehand, there are a number of things you may be able to do to make the participants more comfortable, and thus to make discussion easier. What's said at group stays at group. That reaction not only leaves the conflict unresolved and therefore growing, so that it will be much stronger when it surfaces later but fails to examine the issues that it raises. The facilitator can take a strong position as moderator, preventing participants from interrupting each other or speaking simultaneously. Well begin by looking at what you might consider if you have time to prepare. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. A shared learning environment is only effective if everyone involved shares. The materials are broken down into "modules" and facilitation trainers can use some or all of them to suit their needs. 1. Over-generalize behavior or have stereotypical expectations of participants (tokenism). If youre asked your opinion directly, you should answer honestly. Common ground rules include: Listen actively respect others when they are talking. Feedback could be positive, negative, or merely clarifying or correcting factual questions or errors, but is in all cases delivered respectfully. Provide sufficient time and space for participants to gather their thoughts and contribute to discussions. Ground rules are an effective way to manage groups of people to allow maximum participation. Dress appropriately so you can be taken seriously. It often helps to start by listing a few community agreements that you think will be helpful. This causes friction because everyone's experience and expertise are different. Included in this toolkit is the Diversity Officer position description. How? A group leader or facilitator might be directive or non-directive; that is, she might try to control what goes on to a large extent; or she might assume that the group should be in control, and that her job is to facilitate the process. for Racial Justice in Higher Education Participate to the fullest of your ability community growth depends on the inclusion of every individual voice. 1. Respected community members. E.L.M.O stands for "Enough, let's move on" and can be established as a meeting rule to cut unnecessary discussions. Here are several solid ground rules for virtual meetings: 1. It's not just for Las Vegas. Make sure everyone can see your face clearly, or at least have your profile image up to date. Techniques for Leading Group Discussions, Chapter 16. Ask students to think about the best group discussions they have been a part of, and reflect on what made these discussions so satisfying. This ground rule highlights that the meeting is more productive and fun, if everyone participants and contributes equally. You have some choices about how you do that, however. Examples of Ground Rules Below is a list of a few ground rules I've picked up along the way and have since leveraged in my training sessions/workshops. Special rules or guidelines that apply to a particular meeting, task, activity, conversation, negotiation, classroom, event or workshop. Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment Guidebook, Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (University of Wisconsin-Madison). While many public organizations use parliamentary procedure as a form of ground rules, such formal rules may not be sufficient or appropriate for guiding public discussion. Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks focus on ideas. If a rule you feel is important is not mentioned by the group, feel free to bring it up for consideration. at any time to indicate that it is time to move on to the next topic. 3. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race. Conversation ground rules can be found here. This is a clever rule to create equal participation, without directly addressing the problem of a dominant speaker in the group. If the situation is particularly difficult, a directive leader might be needed to keep control of the discussion and make. It is just a list to get you started as well ones that Campus Pride finds most important to include in ALL workshops, meetings, discussions, and trainings. Show up on time and come prepared. If the group meets multiple times, repost rules at each meeting to orient new participants and remind others. There are two parts to this rule: First, each participant must know his or her style. Medical Education, 38:286-293. Group and Organizational Studies, vol. If you think you can wing it with aggression, you are mistaken. (8th edition). This category could include anyone from professional community organizers to average citizens who care about an issue or have an idea they want to pursue. The facilitator might say, What Im saying is, but now I'd like you to share your perspective. Turning the question back to the questioner forces him or her to take responsibility for his or her opinion. Sometimes we are tempted to begin formulating what we want to say in response, instead of giving 100 percent of our focus to the speaker. Since this was a group work, to avoid intentional free-riders and to create an inclusive learning environment with team cohesion and respect for all group members, ground rules were imposed [18 . Start on timeand end on time. For most group discussions, the facilitator role is probably a good ideal to strive for. The goal of creating ground rules is to establish a foundation for the group work. Developing Facilitation Skills, Section 3. For further guidance on developing . is a detailed and engaging textbook and professional development resource presenting the key concepts in social justice education. Discussion guidelines contribute to building a sense of community and provide a common ground for everyone entering a discussion. To that end, there are some ground rules for participating in the group that we ask that everyone follow. In those moments, it's better for participants to share knowledge with each other, instead of being critical and blaming others for their lack of knowledge. Group members can receive and respond to respectful but honest and constructive feedback. Its less formal, and may have no time constraints, or structured order, or agenda. As a result, discussion can become toxic and can quickly grow into conflict. Be present, and don't attend to non-meeting business. 2023 In general, meetings are better if more people participate and take responsibility for discussions and decisions. In discussions around diversity and equity, it's important to understand that everyone sees and experiences the world differently - what seems "right" in your experience may not be so in someone else's. This is the new edition of the award-winning guide to social justice education. University Library701 Morrill Rd Accessible to students from high school through graduate school, Is Everyone Really Equal? Ames, IA 50011-2102, Copyright 1995-2019 Be willing to share information. Openly and honestly communicate with everyone. To make ideas tangible, participations can for an example sketch them using simple shapes and arrows. (2007) Allowing Not-Knowing in a Dialogic Discussion. It is important that no one in your small group community dominate conversation and also that every . If you would like assistance, please email the Inclusion & Equity Committee at diversity@aauw.org. _____________________________, Library Book Discussion Series, Fall2021. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Facilitators might also ask one or more members of the group to act as observers for a few sessions, reporting back their observations to the group. Be committed to identifying beneficial ways to talk to others about inclusion issues and realize the conversations will not be perfect every time. Respect your spouse's privacy - During your Group . Ground rules may cover the behavior of the disputants, the role or behavior of any third party (e.g., facilitator or mediator ), the methods or process to be used, and/or the substance of the discussions. Use (or allow others to use) disrespectful language or tone, or disrespectful non-verbal communication. Weekly Discussion Guides. IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED and need to talk after this discussion, YWCA is here to help. No one wants to find out he or she has been the subject of gossip or well-meaning "prayer discussions." This is probably the most important ground rule of all. Allow participants to introduce themselves you can even set up an ice breaker to have pairs of students introduce each other. The first thing you need to think about is leadership style, which we mentioned briefly earlier in the section. It may not have a specific goal many group discussions are just that: a group kicking around ideas on a particular topic. Mitchell, B. and Cornelia Gamlem. Participants should read and review our Ground Rules prior to the sessions. This is not meant to make you the expert, but rather to allow you to ask good questions that will help the group generate ideas. It's everyone's responsibility, to find ways that everyone can contribute their ideas and thoughts to the meeting. Share, even if you dont have the right words: Suspend judgment and allow others to be unpolished in their speaking. Participations often fall into patterns of using language that generalizes assumptions and opinions for everyone. Come to class with assignments completed, prepared for discussion. Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups of people (stereotyping). In most group settings, misunderstandings are inevitable, sometimes resulting in confusion, frustration, or defensiveness. Be prompt in arriving to the meeting and in returning from breaks. This guide covers a lot of ground. Ground rules should be sufficient but not excessive. This list is not a complete list! Half the preparation is about knowledge. Information and publications related to study circles, participatory discussion groups meant to address community issues. 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