What are the elements of a good discussion?

• Strong participation from all members
• Healthy debate over issues
• Exploration of unknown issues
• Presentation of all alternative viewpoints; not simply try to push one agenda across
• Constantly well-directed; no loss of focus

How to construct the discussion

• Come up with a series of open-ended questions that will guide the discussion in a logical manner. 
• The first question you ask will be the most important. It's your opportunity to immediately engage the participants. 
• When formulating the initial question, do not make it too broad, or too narrow; also, make sure the lead question hits the core of the theme of the discussion you want. Otherwise the discussion will lack direction.
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    Example of too broad a question: Let’s say the discussion topic is the merit of anti-terrorism measures in the United States. If the question is, “Why are anti-terrorism measures necessary?” the answer, in most contexts, is blatantly obvious: protect the homeland. No one likes terrorist attacks.
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      Why is this bad question? Very little room for debate, answer pops into your mind too easily, people in the discussion group aren’t forced to think.
  • Example of too narrow a question: “The Patriot Act, as enacted in 2001, states that the CIA, NSA, and FBI do not have the necessary budget to currently effectively combat domestic terrorist operations. How do you recommend the budget be expanded so that these organizations can perform optimally?” 
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      Why is this a bad question? Too specific, people don’t come armed with budget proposals to a discussion; very little room to discuss core issues- instead you’d be discussing questions of budget allocation
  • Example of a good question: “Anti-terror measures have been criticized for giving powers to law enforcement agencies that violate constitutional rights. Are these powers justified because of the magnitude of the security threat?”
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      Good question because: 1) participants are forced to think 2) there is no right or wrong answer- you can argue either way 3) leaves room for follow up questions 4) can be controversial 5) leaves you, as the discussion leader, with room to read what your group’s collective personality is like and then to tailor the discussion accordingly.
• So, you’ve asked a great lead question, people’s interests are piqued, how do you determine the next steps in the discussion?
• General thumb rule to asking questions: if you know the question will not generate different responses, then it’s not worth asking. The biggest reason discussions die out is because the question does not spark debate.
• The next question should be more specific and related to your initial question. If you’ve seen X, Y, Z different types of responses, then this question should probe deeper into one of these three different responses. 
• Different methods to probe: 1) Devil’s advocate- go opposite to what has been said for one type of response 2) Challenge assumptions behind a response 3) Explore the response in further detail, more specific examples
• Example of good follow up to the initial question (anti-terror): Devil’s Advocate: “(Participant’s Name) said that measures are justified because threats are expanding every day and they are getting more technologically advanced, so we need to respond accordingly. But this begs the question: threats to security will never cease, so for how long do we bow to security while disregarding citizens’ constitutional rights?” Challenge Assumptions: “Increasing security assumes that we must always fight threats by trying to enclose ourselves against them. But alternative measures are available, such as improving our global image, and getting more support from allies to fight security threats. Isn’t it better to invest more resources in the latter direction?”
• This continues on. In general, for a discussion, you should have 3 main questions ready, 2 of which explore one theme of the discussion, and 1 that explores another theme if time permits. For each of the 3 main questions, should have at least 1 follow-up ready. If more time is allotted for discussion, you can have more questions.

More general advice for guiding the discussion:

• Do not dominate the discussion; as the discussion leader you are more of a facilitator than a participant.
• Discussions are about exploring “why,” not “what”; for every response, press the participant for reasons for giving that response (technique called warranting an argument); reasoning generates debate, facts don’t.
• Ensure that people don’t get off topic: do not be afraid to intervene if they begin to do so. Remember that you’re under a time constraint, so you’re well justified in intervening.
• If there is a point that you want to get across, do not outright state it; that’s not the point; ask pointed questions that will lead a participant or the group to the answer.
• Manage personalities: if there are quieter people in your group, specifically ask them to speak up; do not let any one individual dominate; assert restrained control.
• Always summarize the discussion at the end; there should be a take home message for everyone.