Planned and spontaneous group discussions

There are many names for planned discussions with several people in companies: Session, meeting, workshop, conference. At such events, information is provided, decisions are made or something is worked out. In companies, these discussions are usually led by line managers or project managers. More and more often, however, leadership is delegated to employees. They take turns in moderating the meetings. This course is not just about chairing such meetings, but also about what you can contribute to their success as a participant.

While many group discussions are planned and prepared, there are also spontaneous ones. Imagine something unexpected happens, such as an accident or a machine comes to a standstill and several people are affected. They are now faced with an unexpected task. Ideally, they first talk to each other to coordinate before everyone starts to do something or remains passive in the hope that the others will step in.

Planned group discussion

With an invitation, with defined participants, with a fixed date, defined time period, location, with a known goal, with agenda items, the moderation is assigned

Spontaneous group discussion

Nothing on the left is planned – it all happens spontaneously or the group creates it spontaneously