Introduction
We all must have participated in or witnessed debate competitions and group discussions during our school and college days. Not just academic lines, but debates and group discussions are also conducted in workplaces, live tv news, communities, and societies to understand the different viewpoints on a topic and come to a general conclusion.
Group discussions and debates are two types of group communication. Both of them are great tools for the exchange of information regarding a topic. However, they vary from each other.
Group discussion is collaborative. It is the discussion on a given topic by a group of people to come to a consensus at the end of it.
On the other hand, a debate has a different approach. It has two groups of people set as oppositions trying to prove their point against the other group. A debate is a competition between two groups who either are for the motion or against the motion of a topic. Likewise, group discussions and debates have many other differences.
Group Discussion vs Debate
Group discussions and debates are essential tools that help to groom ourselves and understand a topic from a broad perspective.
Group discussions involve a group of people communicating with one another about a given topic; group members share their ideas and views and agree at the end.
Debate, however, is different from a group discussion. It involves two groups of people opposing the other on a given topic. The group that delivers stronger points wins.
Difference Between Group Discussion and Debate in Tabular Form
| Parameter | Group Discussion | Debate |
| Definition | It is a process of group communication that involves sharing of information and ideas on a specific topic. | It is a formal discussion on a concerned topic that involves two groups; one that is against the motion and the other that is for the motion. |
| Nature | It is cooperative and collaborative in nature. | It is competitive in nature. |
| Aim | It aims at exploring and understanding a topic. | It aims at proving or defending a point. |
| Taking Turns | Participants can speak up at any given time in group discussions. | Participants have to wait for their turn to speak. |
| Competition | It is not competitive but collaborative. | It is competitive. |
| Opposition | It does not require opposing opinions to be conducted. However, one can share opposing opinions if they want to. | It requires an opposition team to be conducted. |
| Audience | It may or may not have an audience. | It mostly has an audience. |
| Structure | It is semi-structured, as the time frame is not set strictly. The participants can take their time in expressing themselves, but it has to go along with what is being spoken about. | It is structured as it has a strict time frame, and the participants have to wait for their turns to speak. |
What is Group Discussion?
Group Discussion is a systematic form of communication that involves a group of people sharing their views and exchanging information about a topic.
This tool is often used by schools and colleges during admissions and by recruiters to check if a candidate is a suitable one. Group discussions are also used as communication tools in communities and societies to understand the viewpoint of people regarding a certain issue.
Group discussions do not follow a stringent rule and anyone can add or oppose to a point at any time during the discussion. It is collaborative in nature and there is no competition among the members. It requires a facilitator who would guide the members to start the discussion, encourage the individuals to share their opinions, and also conclude the discussion after arriving at a consensus.
Group discussions help in understanding various perspectives on a given topic. It helps to understand an issue in-depth and plan strategies to solve it.
Types of Group Discussion
Group discussions may be divided into the following categories:
- Factual Group Discussion – This kind of discussion is based on facts. Here, the participants can only exchange facts and information that have evidence. Subjective opinions are not taken in this kind of discussion. This type of discussion is essential in settings that require facts for their decision-making. Academic institutions, development organizations, scientific research, or policy-making require factual-based discussions.
- Opinion-Based Group Discussion – This type of discussion involves sharing opinions and experiences on a given topic. It requires understanding the viewpoint of the participants to undertake this kind of discussion.
- Case Studies-based Group Discussion – In a case study-based group discussion participants are given a case study based on real-life events or made-up scenarios. The participants have to look into the case study, identify the problems, and discuss the solutions to tackle these problems. This discussion is mostly used in the field of social work, law, and even business.
- Abstract Group Discussion – In abstract group discussion the participants are given a random topic without any base. The participants have to think creatively and share their opinion on whatever they think about the topic. The purpose of this discussion is to encourage creativity and innovative ideas among the participants. This kind of discussion is mainly used in fields such as - literature, design, innovation, etc., where creativity is a necessary skill.
Process
To conduct a group discussion, we have to follow some steps. They are:
- Purpose - The purpose of the group discussion must be clear. It helps guide the discussion and not let it go out of its track.
- Decide Group Members - We cannot ask everyone to participate in the group discussion as it will cause chaos. We must select the number of participants required and judge who should participate in the discussion.
- Place - We must decide on a place before the group discussion. The place must be spacious, comfortable, and quiet.
- Provide necessary Instructions - The moderator must provide the required instructions to the participants before conducting the discussion.
- Announcement of Topic - The topic of the discussion is announced, and the participants are asked to share their views on it.
- Discussion Time - Any participant can commence the group discussion, and the others can continue it. One of the participants, or in some cases, the moderator commences the discussion after the participants arrive at a consensus.
- Assessment/Evaluation - The qualities of the participants are assessed. This may include group behavior, critical thinking, communication skills, subject knowledge, etc. An assessment is done for selecting a candidate for admission at an institution or recruitment in a job. In group discussions conducted to discuss a problem and its solution, an evaluation has to be done to understand how useful the group discussion was.
What is Debate?
Debate is a form of communication that involves two opposing groups arguing against each other on a given topic. It is a competition between two teams in which the team that makes the better argument wins. Sometimes the competition can come to a draw as well. Each candidate gets their turn to speak and one has to make the most out of the given time frame.
Since it is a competition the participants have to be alert and listen to every detail of the argument being made by the other team. They have to spot the flaws in the points made by the opposition to tackle them with a stronger argument.
Types of Debate
The debate can be categorized into four types according to how the topics are approached. They are:
- Empirical Topics – Empirical debates are known to be simple debates since the topics set for empirical topics can either be proven by one side or disproven by the other. Either side must have evidence to make an argument. Empirical topics are topics about how the world is. For example – AI technology is bad for the world.
There may be several points towards this topic and several against it.
Both sides of participants in an empirical debate must have their criteria to prove or disprove the topic. We must remember that simple topics do not mean it is easy. It requires a lot of knowledge and critical thinking to go with or against these topics.
- Comparative Topics – Comparative topics in debates are based on two related things and questions about which one is better. In this kind of debate, the participants from both sides need to prove that the concept they got to defend is better than the concept the other team got to defend. Each team must discuss both concepts as they cannot prove their argument without comparing. An example of a comparative topic is – Yoga is better than better than exercise.
- Model Topics – A model topic presents an idea of change; one side of the debaters supports the change, and the other disapproves of it. An example is – Tobacco products should be banned.
We must note that the team that is for the motion must not only prove that change is required but also demonstrate how it will be enacted. The opposition would argue that the change is not desirable and why.
- Abstract Topics – Abstract topics are tough to debate as the literal meaning of the topics does not make up for a sensible sentence. A debater must be able to make out the real meaning behind the topic. However, different people have different ways of perceiving situations or things. The same way all the participants may not look at the abstract topic the same way. Hence, it is hard to predict what the other team must have made out of the topic or even what the other teammates have to think about it.
An example of an abstract topic would be – If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Process
A debate has to follow the following steps:
- Divide the candidates into two teams – This step depends on who the participants are. A debate competition may already have previously divided teams. An interschool debate competition may have students representing their school as a team which was pre-decided and announced by the organizing committee. In other cases, the students from all the schools are equally divided into two teams just before the debate.
- Announcement of the rules – The rules of the debate must be announced so that the participants do not go overboard with their arguments.
- Announcement of the topic – The topic of debate may be announced on the spot or before the day of the competition.
- Select which team will go for the motion and against the motion – This can be done by lottery system or any other way that gives both teams a chance to have any of the sides.
- Set a time frame for each candidate – Each candidate must get an equal time frame to share one's opinions and views.
- Start the debate – The participants are asked to start and continue one by one. Each participant gets a chance to speak out their views and opinions about the topic.
- Assessment – The panelists assess the competition and then decide who the winners are.
- Announcement of the winning candidates or team – Sometimes, the winners would be the candidates who did exceptionally well in presenting their points. Other times one of the teams which did better is announced as the winning team.
Main Differences between Group Discussion and Debate in Points
- Group discussion is interactive in nature, whereas debate is competitive.
- Participants in group discussions express their opinions and view, however in debates, participants argue and defend their viewpoints.
- Group discussions need only one group, whereas debates need two teams.
- The result of a group discussion is a group consensus, whereas the result of a debate is an outcome based on voting.
- Group discussion does not involve rivalry, whereas debates have rival teams.
Conclusion
Group discussion and debate are pretty much different from each other, and there are a lot of variations between them.
Despite the differences, both debate and group discussions are great forms of communication. Both play their part in getting people to interact with each other on topics they may or may not have thought of in-depth before.
Debates and group discussions in schools can help students to develop critical thinking and good communication skills. In job recruitment, group discussions help the recruiters to choose the right candidate. In societies and communities, a group discussion is a good tool for understanding various perspectives regarding a problem and to plan the next move to solve it.
Group discussions and debates are a good source of information for the audience. They help people understand a subject area or topic from a different perspective than their own.
Therefore, group discussion and debate are just different forms of communication, and both have some essential qualities.
References
- https://www.debating.net.au/post/4-types-of-debates
- https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/articles/what-are-different-types-of-group-discussion/
- https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/articles/difference-between-group-discussion-and-debate/
