266 Appendix A^ Speaking in Small Groups
After everyone has contributed, begin to evaluate each idea against the criteria you
decided upon earlier. Your brainstorming session may lead you to rethink your criteria,
so don’t hesitate to go back and make necessary revisions.Step Five: Select the Best Solution
The final step is to select the best solution. Evaluate the suggested solutions against
your criteria. You’ll easily eliminate some ideas because they’re too expensive, too time-
consuming, or don’t fit your criteria for obvious reasons. After you have pared down
your options, analyze and weigh the merits of those that remain to find the one that
group members can agree on.Presenting Your Group’s Findings
In general, there are three basic ways to present your conclusions: a symposium, a panel,
and a final report. To illustrate, we’ll look at ways a group that formulated a new night-
time campus parking policy might present their recommendations.A Symposium
In this format, each group member selects one aspect of the issue and presents it in an
organized speech. After everyone has spoken, the moderator opens up the floor for a
question-and-answer period. For example, group members divide the campus parking
topic into subpoints, and assign each person one topic. The first speaker describes
the problem; the second overviews possible solutions. The third explains the chosen
solution, and the fourth relates a case study of a college that implemented a similar
policy. The final speaker provides a summary. After they finish, a moderator invites
audience questions.A Panel Discussion
After group members have formulated their recommendations, they then plan sev-
eral discussion questions. During the actual presentation, the entire group appears
together. A leader or moderator asks a series of questions, and members take turns
providing insights, with everyone contributing information and opinions in a
free-flowing, dialogical manner. Afterward, the moderator may open the discussion
to the audience and encourage listeners to talk with panelists during a question-and-
answer period.A Final Report
In this format, one member presents for the entire group. To communicate with both
the college leadership and the public, the task committee collectively writes a final report
that details the group’s procedures and gives the underlying rationale for the proposed
policy. A designated speaker then presents it to the governing boards for approval.
A press release generated from this report goes to area news sources. Television stations
might pick up the story and send reporters to interview the committee spokesperson,
who provides additional information as needed. (Although this format is common in
businesses and organizations, most instructors don’t assign it because speech classes are
settings where everyone is expected to speak.)Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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