13 group discussion skills

1 Asking for ideas and/or opinions

• That’s a good idea.

• Pardon me. I didn’t catch that. Could you speak up, please?

• What do you think, ^ ?

• Excuse me, may I interrupt?

2 Giving encouragement

• I’m not sure how to say this in English. Do you know what the word is?

• That’s a good idea.

• Brilliant! I hadn’t thought of that.Well, let’s move on to …

3 Encouraging others to speak up

• Pardon me. I didn’t catch that. Could you speak up, please?

• Sorry, would you mind speaking a little louder, please?

• I wasn’t able to catch that. Would you mind speaking a little louder?

• All of the above

4 Polite interruption

• Would you mind if I made a quick suggestion?

• I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’d like to add that …

• Do you have any other suggestions, ^ ?

• What I mean is (explanation/description).

5 When you are at a loss for words

• Excuse me, may I interrupt?

• Well, shall we move on to the next point?

• I like your idea.

• Do you know the word for (explanation/description)?

6 Refocusing the discussion:

That's a good point/idea, _____ I think we should be talking about …

7 Moving on to the next point

• Well, let’s move on to …

• Well, shall we move on to the next point? I think we’ve covered that point.

• Actually, your suggestion is better than mine.

• Excuse me, could I just finish my point first?

8 Self-correcting

• Oh sorry, what I wanted to say was …

• You have a good point.

• I'm sorry. May I finish what I was saying?

• I'm sorry, I didn’t explain that very well. What I meant was …

9 Changing stance

• You have a good point.

• Actually, your suggestion is better than mine.

• I hadn’t considered/thought about/thought of that.

• All of the above

10 Persuading others to accept your suggestions

• I think you may have a point there, but have you thought about/considered …?

• I still believe that …

• I see what you’re saying, but what if …?

• I hadn’t considered/thought about/thought of that.