Instructions

Set Up: Prepare for the Activity

Gather information on discussion participants’ discussion styles and needs using the Evaluating Your Discussion Style Questionnaire.

Step One: Share Group Assessment (30 min)

If participants completed the survey in advance, share the group’s assessment of their discussion styles (do not share individual results). Share a visual of the general tendencies and trends you see in the collective results. Discuss:

• How do most people in this group self identify? Does this surprise you?

• According to our collective feedback, how do most of us like to organize in groups? Does this surprise you?

• What are some general discussion participation trends?

• What are some common fears or points of anxiety? How could we anticipate and address these as a group?

• How can we best support all members in this group?

If participants did not complete the survey in advance, then distribute hard copies of the Evaluating Your Discussion Style Worksheet and invite participants to discuss:

• How did these questions encourage self reflection on your own discussion styles?

• Were you surprised by any of your responses?

• Not knowing how other people responded, how might we use this activity to help us create a more inclusive discussion space?

Step Two: Create Space for Quiet Reflection and Writing (5 min)

Prompts:

• What stands out most to you when reviewing our group responses or hearing how group members shared their thoughts about creating an inclusive discussion space?

• What can you take away from this peer feedback?

Step Three: Share Discussion Styles (10 min)

In pairs or small groups (3-4 ppl), ask participants to share the three most important things that they would like others to know about their discussion style. Note that they only need to share what they are comfortable sharing and they may not have three items. Invite pairs or small groups to decide how they will share this information: verbally, real time writing, asynchronously after some time to process, etc.

Step Four: Debrief as a Full Group (10 min)

Discuss:

• What surprised you most about the group survey feedback?

• What similarities or differences stood out in your small groups?

• Again, what can we do as a group to support different discussion styles? Why does this matter?