Embracing Group Work:
Not every student enjoys group work. For many, sharing ideas with others can be a challenging or intimidating experience; however, there are ways to make group work more enjoyable. For instance, you might participate by explaining the usefulness of another member’s idea. Likewise, you might consider adding to the comments of another member, or drawing connections between the comments of several members. Alternatively, you might relate a member’s comments back to the objectives of your assignment or course. To see these strategies at work, watch this video produced by the UMN College of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Watch “Five ways to comment in discussions:”
Preparing for Group Work:
To participate confidently in group discussion, you might consider preparing some general phrases in advance. If you need more time to think through your ideas, you might consider using a hesitation phrase (“That is a very good question…”), clarification phrase (“Might you explain further what you meant by…?”), or else request additional time to take notes (“I just need to finishing jotting down that last idea”). You might even volunteer to take notes as a means to meaningfully contribute to your group. To see students demonstrate strategies for requesting more time to think and participate in group discussion, watch this short video produced by the UMN College of Continuing and Professional Studies:
Watch “Preparing for group discussions:”
Phrases to ask for clarification:
If a group member speaks too fast, you can always ask for clarification:
- “Could you please [ repeat / explain ] that part?”
- “Excuse me, what does [word / phrase] mean?”
- “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what you meant by [word / phrase]…?”
You can also ask these questions to confirm that you understood a group member correctly:
- “By X, do you mean…?”
- “So, what you are saying is…?”
Phrases to politely redirect the discussion:
One challenge that typically arises during group work is the need to redirect the discussion back to your assigned task or topic. Likewise, another challenge that emerges is the need to express polite disagreement with the comments of a group member. While refocusing attention or expressing dissent can seem daunting, both strategies are important for ensuring the efficiency and cohesion of the group work produced.
To return to a topic of discussion, you might consider asking…
- “Returning to [topic], I wanted to ask…?”
- “Going back to [topic], I wondered if…?”
- “Revisiting [topic], I had an idea about…?”
Here are some phrases you might use to express polite disagreement
- “While I agree that […], I wonder if…?
- “Well, I understand […]; however, I am not so sure about…?
- “Might it not also be a question of…?”
Phrases to establish consensus:
To solicit the opinions of group members, you might consider asking…
- “What does everyone [think/ feel] about…?
- “Does anyone have any [thoughts / ideas /comments] on …?”
To offer helpful suggestions to group members, you might ask one of the following questions:
- “How about if we…?”
- “What if we…?”
- “Perhaps we [could/should]…?”
Phrases to ensure others have understood you:
Sometimes group members might have trouble following what you have said and you might have to pause and ask your group if what you said was clear:
- “…, if you see what I mean?”
- “…, if that makes sense to you?”
- “…, if you follow my thinking?”
Five tips for successful group participation:
Contribute your strengths. Think about what skills you can contribute to meaningfully support your group.
Join group discussions early. Participate in group discussions right from the start. The more you join in the conversation, the more comfortable speaking will become. To begin, you might consider asking a specific question about the group assignment, for example.
Connect with a supportive peer. If participating in a group worries you, you might consider befriending a supportive member of your group. This ally might encourage group members to slow down or might intervene to ensure that each member has an opportunity to speak.
Ask for clarification. Your group members won’t mind if you ask questions. If your group assignment is confusing, or if a member’s comment is unclear, your group will appreciate it if you ask for clarification. Chances are another group member might be just as confused as you!
Remain open-minded: Assignments with group members provide important opportunities for connecting with others, producing collaborate work, and growing from each experience. Try as best you can to embrace the opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with group members.
Created by Emily Arvay and Jing Mao© 2021, University of Victoria. Adapted from UMN College of Continuing & Professional Studies (2019). Any other use may be infringement of copyright if done without securing the permission of copyright owners.
