There are many ways to teach or train someone or a group of people and many of them can be learnt on our Train the Trainer training course. One of the methods most commonly used is that of the group or class discussion. This could mean that you set an open forum at the centre of the classroom so that everyone can offer questions and opinions or you could have divided the class into smaller groups so that they can discuss it amongst themselves.
Either way this technique can be very effective at helping to involve people and give others a chance to get involved who otherwise would not have. One of the main theories behind having a class discuss an issue or project is that people will learn more if they are more involved and feel that they have come to the correct conclusion on their own. This not only helps people to understand what you are talking about but also it helps to generate enthusiasm.
However there are some drawbacks. For one it can take a long time to describe what you want to happen and to then set it up, especially if you have chosen to split the class up into smaller groups. The process itself is also time consuming, as it might take a while for people to come to the right conclusions and although this can be sped up by giving them assistance it can still sometimes take a while.
With discussions it can also be difficult to monitor and maintain order, as it is easy for people to get distracted when left to their own devices. So when you do set up a discussion group keep an eye out that they are keeping their eyes on the ball. It is also worth noting that a few people can often dominate the discussion alienating others who might wish to be more involved and causing the debate or discussion to become very one sided. It is your job as the trainer or teacher to try and maintain the balance in a discussion and try to involve as many people as you can.
Discussions can be a powerful tool to train with, however in order for them to be so you must make sure that they are done correctly.
