Idea 71: Five essentials for effective discussion
To some people discussion suggests a rambling or freewheeling conversation in which people express their views or sentiments to each other â just the sort of thing to be banned from efficient, tightly controlled and brisk meetings!
But rightly understood, discussion lies at the core of all purposeful meetings. It should be differentiated from conversation on the one hand and formal debate on the other. It ought to be limited to a given theme. More often than not, discussion is a way of reaching conclusions or determining a course of action.
The actual word ‘discussion’ comes from a Latin root, discutere, which originally means ‘to shake apart’. Possibilities are sifted or shaken apart. Their ...
