Guide for Discussion Leaders
How
to Lead Discussion:
The Informal Discussion Group
Under thoughtful and effective leadership informal discussion is the best of all methods of attaining the objectives outlined in Section I. This is true because the small and informal group encourages participation by every member. Maximum learning of facts and exchange of viewpoints is possible. Morale is built up in each individual who feels he has had a direct share in the proceedings. Furthermore, the best way to learn is by doing. If, therefore, one of the goals of discussion is training in exploring facts and opinions related to important public issues, informal discussion groups will provide this training for a much larger proportion of group members than the more formal methods suitable when attendance is large.
Informal discussion groups may profitably be limited in size. Give and take of question and opinion between all members normally will not be attained in a meeting of much more than twenty or twenty-five persons. Fifteen or sixteen is an ideal size, though only six or eight are needed for a lively discussion. In order to attain a desired size, it is often practical to organize two or more groups which meet at different times or places. At a large camp where distances are great it is a good idea to hold several meetings at various locations which will enable personnel to attend without having to walk long distances.
A good leader can make big contributions to the success of informal discussion. If he is tactful and friendly in personality, he will probably be able to draw out the best in the men who make up the group. It is a very helpful thing in a lively discussion to have a tolerant leader who accepts a participant’s opinion as something to be considered thoughtfully instead of jumping in at once to refute a view that disagrees with his own.
The leader should be able to think quickly and to express himself clearly and with economy of words and time. If he has a good sense of humor, he will be able to ease tension from time to time by joking remarks. The better he likes his job and the deeper his interest in the subject under discussion, the more successful the whole affair is likely to be. That of course does not mean that he should adopt an air of artificial heartiness, but rather that he should have a genuine friendly interest in his group and its problems. Such a leader will want to feel confident of himself in handling the particular discussion technique that is used, and he will want to be as familiar as possible with the subject that is chosen for study.
These may seem very high qualifications, but it is a rare command that will not produce many men who can meet them. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that skill develops by practice. Sometimes men can be found who already have had practice in leading group discussions. Others will find that their skill will increase as the discussion groups continue. And, as will be shown later, even a leader without experience can do a good job if he takes the trouble to prepare carefully for his meetings.
a. Relation of the leader to the group: The relationship of a discussion leader to his group differs from the conventional idea of military leadership. Unlike a commander, a discussion leader does not lead by example or attempt to inspire confidence in himself as an expert. He must not be a propagandist. On the contrary, he must himself be an inquirer. He wins confidence in his leadership by his acquaintance with the background of the discussion and by proposing a way to the next step in the discussion. He does not take the next step and expect the other members to follow. He is in essence a good teacher rather than an academic lecturer.
The skillful leader opens the discussion with a brief statement of the question and the salient facts related to it. This takes perhaps five minutes. Then he starts the discussion with a pointed question. He keeps the discussion alive, if it falters, by summarizing points made or issues considered and by asking a question that redirects the talk. At the end he summarizes all major points that have been considered, without attempting to state the “sense of the meeting.”
This last point is important. The leader must avoid the temptation to clinch the discussion with some stated conclusion. He must remember that one of his chief duties is to leave all conclusions to the individual.
The success of a discussion depends upon the thoughtfulness, breadth, and openmindedness of the talk that takes place—not upon such tangible results as conclusions reached. If an enlisted person is selected as leader, it is wise whenever possible to have an officer present at the meeting. Since off-duty education is a function of command, a representative of the commander should see that the objectives of discussion are attained as outlined here.
The leader, of course, need not feel that he should never state his own opinion. There are many occasions when he can do so in a manner that will not jeopardize his standing as chairman of the group. He expresses his own opinions as the others do when the opportunity occurs, but he is usually more successful in his leadership as he reduces the amount of discussion time which he personally uses.
Many leaders assign the opening statement or final summary or both of them to members of the group—a device which is particularly useful when some group members are even better informed on the subject than is the leader. This is an illustration of how the leader can both simplify his job and get valuable educational results by delegating certain tasks to others. As a further example, at one meeting the leader might ask one individual to give the introductory statement of facts and request a second to take minutes and make the summary which closes the meeting. In this case the leader would be responsible for the opening question and for guiding the course of the discussion with necessary questions and interim summaries.
b. Preparation by the leader: The leader must prepare for each meeting thoroughly. This is far more important than that he be facile in the conduct of the actual meeting. By careful preparation a leader can do much toward assuring an interesting meeting even if he is not an experienced chairman. The necessary preparations can be briefly stated, but they require time and thought.
(1) The leader must, if possible, learn in advance the interests and points of view of the individuals in his group. If he can talk informally with them before the meeting, he can learn the general point of view of each and at the same time help each to become acquainted with him. This will tend to break down any stiffness which may be natural in the first meeting of the group.
(2) The leader must familiarize himself with the subject for discussion to the extent necessary for intelligent leadership. This does not mean that he is obliged to make himself an expert on any subject that may come into his program. To do so would be pretty obviously impossible. But he must know enough about the important issues to enable him to keep the train of talk on the track and moving forward. Like a good instructor he must not hesitate to admit lack of information. When a question arises, his normal procedure in any case is to direct it to some group member for answer. If no one sufficiently informed is present, he can with a feeling of perfect assurance suggest a source from which the missing facts may be secured.
(3) The leader should prepare an outline of the course of the discussion as he foresees it. He will, either as part of his outline or separately, prepare a list of questions which may or should be asked. He must not, however, permit his prepared outline to become a strait jacket for the discussion. The actual discussion can be expected to follow a different course from the one planned in advance, but an outline will assist the leader in his personal preparation. It will also help him to distinguish between major issues, which should be developed when they arise, and minor or unrelated issues, which should be quickly passed over.
(4) The leader must decide in advance whether he will use assistant leaders, and must see that they too are prepared.
(5) The leader must decide whether he will use such aids to presenting his basic facts as a blackboard, charts, diagrams, or other visual aids. He must have any such desired materials ready for use.
c. Conduct of the meeting: In describing the duties of the leader much has already been stated or implied about the conduct of the meetings. Here is a summary of a number of additional details which the leader must have in mind:
(1) Physical surroundings should be as comfortable and informal as possible. Whether the group is seated outdoors or in a library, day room, service club, or tent, the members should arrange themselves so as to be able to see each other. Smoking should be permitted. If the meeting is held indoors, the leader should be careful that the room is properly ventilated.
(2) The length of the meeting should be rigidly limited. An hour is about the right time. It is better to close a meeting while the interest in the subject is high than to risk boredom by allowing it to continue overtime in order to attain some aim or conclusion preconceived by the leader. Many of the best radio forums close in the very middle of lively discussions. It is not necessary to exhaust the subject—and the audience.
(3) To a newly organized group the leader should announce briefly the procedure to be used; that personalities are not to be discussed and that comments or questions must bear on the subject or be disallowed.
(4) Stimulating and guiding the discussion is the most important job of the leader during the actual meeting. He should guide almost entirely by asking questions, by briefly citing a specific case followed by a question, or by summarizing. His questions should ask for reasons and causes (why?), for facts (what?), for circumstances under which certain things may be true (when?), for expressions of opinion (what do you think?), and for common ground upon which some agreement may be reached. The leader should avoid rhetorical questions and any question so obvious that it can be answered simply by “yes” or “no.” These usually block discussion.
Very occasionally a question requiring “yes” or “no” for an answer, however, can be used effectively. A leader for example will state briefly a definite position that can be taken with respect to an issue. He will then ask a member whom he points out: “Do you agree with that or don’t you?” The member’s “yes” or “no” under the right circumstances will start a lot of protests on the part of those who disagree with him, and the discussion is off to a new start.
Skillful leaders will ask questions only when necessary. Many good questions will come from the group. They should be encouraged by friendly comment: “That is a good question. Who can answer it?” The leader usually needs only to start, to change the direction of the discussion, to bring the members back when they wander too far, and to bring out different points of view.
(5) Both controlling and encouraging participation by all members requires understanding and tact. The talkative member should be allowed only his share of the time, and then should be thanked for his statement and reminded that everyone must have his opportunity to speak. The silent member can be encouraged to speak if the leader will ask him a direct question about which he is known to possess information or to hold an opinion. The opinionated member must be led to understand that positions different from his are reasonable and that thoughtful persons do change their opinions. When the anecdotal member launches forth into his personal experience at great length, he must be handled as the talkative member. The impatient member is looking for a quick, cure-all solution and is perhaps too lazy to think a problem through. He needs to be told that the process of discussion consists, not of giving, but of carefully searching for conclusions upon which each individual usually must decide for himself.
(6) When the discussion wanders too far from the subject or when it gives signs of flagging, it is a good thing to summarize the chief points made up to that moment. The discussion can then be redirected by another question from the leader.
(7) Announce the subject, time, place, and special speaker (if any) of the next meeting in a series. If a subject for the next meeting has not been decided upon, take the last minute or two to secure suggestions from the group. Find out if the group would like to continue discussing some issue that has been raised, but has not been explored thoroughly during the meeting. Or ask for a show of hands on two or three other subjects which may be interesting to the members.
