If you want to do well in group discussions, you should familiarise yourself with a few rules of conduct beforehand. The first, and immensely important, aspect is active listening. In a group, it is not about cutting others off as quickly as possible so that you can set out your own point of view at length. It makes much more sense to use active listening to convey to your conversation partners that you take them seriously. This also involves checking whether you have understood them correctly.

When making your own contributions, it is also important to express yourself as clearly and unambiguously as possible and, if necessary, to ask the other participants whether they have understood everything. This helps to avoid misunderstandings and enables constructive outcomes. Furthermore, it is not only important to state your own opinion, but also to explain the motives and objectives behind it. The order in which you present your arguments can also be decisive for the outcome of the discussion. As your discussion partners will try to undermine your chances of success by focusing on your weakest argument, it makes sense to save your strongest argument for last.

It’s better to speak a little more slowly than too quickly, and make good use of the art of the pause. Please do not end your presentation with the words: “Right, that’s it.” It goes down much better if you thank the audience for their attention.