Techniques for Group Discussion Learning how to participate in group discussion could be one of the most important skills you can acquire in college. The following suggestions will help you improve your discussion techniques. Ⅰ. Be willing to speak (1) Many students are afraid to speak extemporaneously in a group. To take an active role in your education, you must learn to overcome "speech (2) ". Ⅱ. Be willing to listen. Attentive listening is not (3) hearing, the sort of’ one-way receptivity we habitually experience when we tune in to our radio, cassette players, and television sets. Perhaps a good discussion depends on good (4) . Ⅲ. Be willing to examine all sides of a topic. Complex topics are (5) ; we should see them from a variety of angles. Discussion is an excellent way to broaden our (6) and deepen our insight into complex ideas and issues. Ⅳ. Be willing to (7) judgment. To explore ideas in a free and open manner, you will need to develop a receptivity to the opinions of others even when they (8) your own. Discussion is not debate; its primary purpose is communications, not (9) . Ⅴ. Be willing to prepare. Effective discussion is not merely impromptu conversation. It demands a certain degree of (10) .