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Program tool 6. Tips for leading a discussion group

Discussions are a helpful way for older adults to learn about falls prevention or active living from a personal point of view. This tool can help you prepare to lead discussions. Sample discussion activity tools (Bathroom Safety and Stair Safety) are included in Activity tool 1: Use your sea legs in the bathroom! and Activity tool 2: On the stairs and outdoors, keep a firm footing!

A discussion can help participants to:

• Become aware of the issue
• Develop knowledge or skills
• Develop confidence that they can make some changes
• Develop some action plans

Topic
Choose your topic based on the interests and needs of your group.

Scheduling
Think about the best time to have the discussion. It may be during a regular meeting or as a separate 'program'. A discussion may be just a 'one time' event or several sessions

Organizing and managing the discussion
The following sample outline may help you plan for a discussion program. The time you spend on each part of the program depends on your group, the topic and the amount of time you have.

Sample discussion group outline

Gathering time 5 - 30 minutes. Before the program actually starts can be a time to welcome people as they arrive. You can answer their questions, give handouts, have people 'sign in' or just simply have a friendly chat.

Welcome 1-5 minutes. This is the time to get the group's attention, welcome everyone and to explain the purpose of the discussion group.

Announcements 1-5 minutes. Tell people about the time frame for the discussion, washroom locations and refreshments. You may want to let the group know about other programs at your centre or in the community.

Introductions and getting to know one another 2-30 minutes. Take time to have an activity to help people get to know each other. It may be as simple as people standing up and introducing themselves. It is also the time to introduce the guest speaker.

Introduction to the discussion topic 1-15 minutes. Introducing the topic can be done with activities such as a quiz, article, video, picture, quote or guest speaker. It is an opportunity to start learning and thinking about the topic.

Discussion 10 minutes - 1 hour (or longer). This is the 'heart' of the program. Thoughtful discussion questions can help your group explore their own experiences, questions they have about the topic or actions they might take.

Wrap up 2- 5 minutes. Summarize the discussion briefly: What did we learn? What do we want to know more about? What do we want to do as a result of our discussion? You can either do the summary or ask the group those questions.

Closure Thank everyone for participating. Make announcements about future programs.

Adjournment

More tips about managing the discussion:

• Start and end on time unless the group agrees otherwise.
• Take a ten minute break for approximately each hour of discussion.
• Do what you can to make the setting pleasant and comfortable. Consider temperature, seating arrangements and lighting. Offer refreshments. Make sure your participants have access to washrooms.
• House rules or ground rules are often very helpful for groups. For example, you can have the group agree to:
  • Listen to others without interrupting.
  • Not use 'put downs'.
  • Accept that participants may 'pass' (not speak) if they wish.
  • Make sure that everyone who wants to has a chance to speak.
  • Respect confidentiality of people's thoughts and experiences inside and outside the group.
  • Stay on topic.
• Plan what questions you will use to help people participate. To share experiences, ask questions like:
  • What are our experiences?
  • How does this affect each of us?
• To look at what can be done, ask questions like:
  • What do we hope to achieve?
  • What stops us? What helps us?
  • What resources can we use? What do we want to know more about?
  • What first steps will we take? (as individuals, as a group)
• Remember, if the group is finished discussing the topic, it's ok to end early.

Tips for organizing seating

Circles
Circles allow everyone to see and hear each other easily. A big circle is good for a discussion group of 10-20 people. If you have more than that, use smaller circles or chairs in rows.

Whole group discussions
Keeping your whole group together to discuss a topic can allow everyone to be focusing on the same topic at the same time. Some people may not be comfortable speaking in front of a larger group. You can encourage participation by going in order and having each person speak very briefly. This is often very helpful to do at the beginning and at the end of the discussion.

Small group discussions
Dividing a large group up into smaller groups can allow participants to see and hear each other better and give them more time to speak. Some people may be more comfortable speaking up in a small group. You may also want to use small groups in order to assign different discussion topics. If you use small groups, it is helpful to ask someone from each circle to make a brief presentation of key points back to the whole group at the end of their discussion.

Discussion pairs
Talking with just one other person allows people more time to express their thoughts. Discussion pairs are also a good way for people to get to know one another. It is helpful to provide two or three questions for them. Let the group know how much time they'll have to discuss with their partners. Watch their discussions, if one third to one half of the pairs are 'finished', bring them back to the whole group.

Theatre style set up
This set up allows for rows of chairs and a larger number of people to be in attendance. It is more formal than circles and may require formal guidelines. For example, ask people to raise their hands when they want to speak. Make a note of the order of names. Call out the order of speakers a few names at a time. Let people know approximately how much time they have to speak. Someone can be a timer and notify you and the speaker when their time is up.

Tips for responding to questions and comments

• Respond positively to questions and comments. Use phrases like:
  • "That's a good comment."
  • "It's helpful to look at it from that point of view."
  • "Thanks for bringing that up."
  • "Good point-what do others think?"
• Encourage others to give their opinion and share their experience. Use phrases like:
  • "What do others think?"
  • "Has anyone else had that happen?"
• If you don't have an answer to a question, say so. You can ask "Does anyone else have an answer?"
• Gracious humour is a wonderful tool to help get back on track.
• Don't interrupt people while they're talking. (see exceptions in 'what to do if...")

Tips: What to do if...
Groups may have individuals with a range of interest, knowledge, attitudes, energy and confidence. At times, your group may have some behaviours that are less helpful to the discussion. For example, you might see:

• Someone monopolizing the discussion
• Someone who is quiet all the time
• Someone making negative statements frequently
• An individual or the group going off topic
• Discussion lagging
• Conflict between participants

As the discussion leader you can help individuals and groups contribute helpfully to the discussion. Some of the strategies you might use are:

• Ask people to do what's needed ("Let's stay on topic", "Let's listen to each other", "Let's have one person talk at a time", "We haven't heard from a few people... do they have something they'd like to say?")
• Ask the group what would help. ("Is this question clear?", "Do we need a break?", "Shall we try the next question or stop now?", "We're near our finishing time-would you like to end now or continue?", "Perhaps this topic isn't of interest to you, is that right? That's ok-we can switch or stop.")
• Take a break for a stretch, refreshments, toilet time or just time out.
• Ask another question, or clarify the question you've just asked.
• Change the set up-for example, go from a large discussion group to smaller ones.
• Talk to the individual aside from the group to find out what's happening. Help them to 'help themselves' find a solution. They may need something to eat, take a rest, take a break or get some help because they're feeling ill. You can also ask them to help out-a for example, talk less so others can have a chance to speak, stay on topic.
• Make a decision. For example: If the group is drifting to other topics, say "We're going to a different topic folks." and then decide whether or not to switch to the other topic.
• Keep track of time. Say, "We're near our finishing time, we can either continue as a group, or end now. Those who would like to can stay and discuss this some more."

Tips for learning more about leading discussions

• Notice what activities encourage people to speak up.
• Think about what you learn from each group.
• Ask participants what they enjoyed, what helped them learn and suggestions for how to lead the questions.
• Watch how others lead discussions.

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Program tool 5

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Program tool 7