Try these tips and make the most of group learning
If many students are honest, they’ll admit that meetings make them nervous. From one-on-one check-ins with an advisor to a room-filling seminar that surrounds them with their peers, it can be daunting to overcome the initial feelings of self-consciousness and become an engaged — and active — participant. Here are some simple steps to reduce that anxiety and make yourself a star attendee.
Contributing in classes and seminars starts before you walk in the door. Make sure that you read the assignment well in advance. Once you’ve had time to digest the material, summarize it and note what you agree or disagree with, or points you found particularly interesting. Use this information as a jumping-off point for participating in the discussion. Having these notes to reference will make it easier to contribute, and you won’t feel that you’re being forced to come up with something on the spot.
If you know the material but find that speaking up in front of others still gives you anxiety, look for ways to calm your nerves and reduce any pressure you are putting on yourself. Practice breathing exercises, repeat positive thoughts to yourself, or carve out time to do something you enjoy before heading to class. Giving yourself time on a regular basis to relax will help you remain in that state once you enter the classroom, and will make it easier for you to contribute when the opportunity arises.
Another benefit of putting in the time to prepare: there’s a good chance that someone will ask a question you can answer. Becoming engaged in the conversation also can be as simple as agreeing with someone else’s point, and providing additional evidence to support your claim. You can also ask for clarification or confirmation that you understand a comment. Don’t go on forever, keep your comments on point, and you just may find that the experience can be fun — and informative.
Here’s another trick to remember: It’s often easier to contribute to meetings or seminars earlier in the discussion. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to second-guess your opinion or overthink a comment you intended to make, and the harder it will become to speak up. You also run the risk of having someone else ask the same question that was rattling around in your head. Plus, once you get that first statement out of the way, you’ll find it does become easier to feel engaged.
Making meaningful contributions in a group is something that students struggle with every day. Remember that you’re not doing yourself any favors by waiting for the person next to you to speak up. That decision can affect your grade, and it detracts from making the most of your opportunity to learn. Give yourself time outside class to relax, review the course material and make notes ahead of time, and speak early on to give yourself the best chance at success.
On Topic
Anna Jacobson Eckert, Bad River Ojibwe, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. In addition to serving as president of the AISES College Chapter at RIT, she is a building performance intern at Sustainable Building Partners, a Virginia-based provider of energy-efficient and sustainable solutions for new and existing buildings. Here Eckert discusses the importance of actively participating in a group and offers tips for making meaningful contributions.
Why is it important to participate in meetings and seminars?
The purpose of most meetings and seminars is to prepare you for something that you’ll do or work on later. It’s a good idea to participate so that you can leave with the best chance of independently succeeding. Know that going can get you connections! If you meet the speaker afterward or get into a discussion with someone sitting next to you, you may meet them again and they might remember you. You’ll have formed a connection that may be useful later.
How can a student make participating a priority?
When I hear about a new seminar or that I’ll have the chance to meet with an advisor or professor one on one, I make the decision to participate based on what I can gain from it. Will it push me toward my academic goals or further my interest in something postgraduation? If yes, I make sure to attend. Before a meeting or a lecture/seminar, I’ll often commit to asking one or two questions — if not in front of an audience, then during downtime.
What are your top tips for participating in meetings and seminars?
- Ask questions, whether it’s for clarification or input. The presenter or other attendees may relate some points back to your question as reference.
- Volunteer. It could be as small as helping set up materials for the presentation or raising your hand to take part in a demonstration.
- If you’re working on a topic similar to what the meeting or seminar is about, you can bring it up during the discussion and compare the results or methods.
- Take notes. You never know before a meeting or seminar what useful information you can learn.
What are some ways a student can participate?
Perhaps the easiest way to create a dialogue during a meeting or seminar is to rephrase one of the points for clarification. You can do this in the form of, “So what you’re saying is … .” The presenter or attendee you’re addressing will either agree or supply additional background. If you are familiar with the subject matter, you can also reply to questions that other people ask, or even ask them a question in return. The more you ask questions, the more in tune to the meeting or seminar you become.
What can students do to avoid feeling overwhelmed and deciding not to participate?
Find out who else is going. When I first started going to non-class lectures and meetings on campus, I was anxious because I’d have to rely on only myself to get all the information. If you go with a friend or a classmate with similar interests, then you might not feel as much pressure. However, if it’s a smaller meeting, like an advising session, it helps to think of ways that the meeting may hit a snag and prepare by getting as much cleared up beforehand as possible.
What resources should students look for to help them be better participants?
It’s common for a speaker or the person you’re meeting with to utilize a PowerPoint presentation, a website, or a list of items in a spreadsheet. If you have access to a laptop or an iPad, you can follow along. Knowing what material will be covered may make you more comfortable with contributing a related point or asking a question the speaker can tie into the presentation.
What else is important for students to keep in mind as they work toward better participation?
A large meeting or a lecture may seem like a “talk at” situation, but speakers thrive on the energy of their audience. There’s a two-way dynamic. A smaller audience can motivate each attendee to engage with the speaker. A larger audience takes the pressure off each individual to interact with the speaker and can ease attendees into interacting with one another. It can also help in the long run if you pay attention to the tools the speaker uses to deliver a point — reference guides, visuals, demonstrations — so that you may use them when you lead your own meeting or seminar!
