Climate change, global warming, shifts in weather patterns – these were some of the topics that a group of students were pouring over. They were passionate about bringing about climate change in the world, a change towards a better future. These students came together to participate in a group discussion organized on the occasion of Earth Day. The aim was to spread awareness of global climate issues among students and elders. This group consisted of participants from diverse backgrounds – one was a student of forestry, the other was studying geology, there was a psychology student and one was a sociologist, all adept in durable skills, or call them soft skills.
This discussion proved to be a highly animated and lively one with participants voicing their opinion articulately, confidently and with responsibility. This was so because candidates were well-prepared and well-versed in the skill of discussion. Yes, discussing a topic is a skill, which in turn means that this skill can be developed. Learning group discussion skills can open various avenues as this one activity is helpful in developing multiple other crucial skills that are applicable in different walks of life, both personal and professional.
What are durable skills?
According to Durable Skills by America Succeeds, that is spearheading the significance of durable skills in personality development, durable skills consist of a combination of “how you use what you know” skills. These include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, mindfulness, leadership and a range of other skills. Each of these skills are further divided to include a number of crucial skills life skills that play an important role in building personality and helping succeed in life.
For example, critical thinking is a broad term that includes skills like problem solving, research, troubleshooting, prioritization, investigation, data analysis, intellectual curiosity, complex problem solving and analytical thinking.
What durable skills does group discussion help develop?
When we say group discussion skills we are not talking about one skill. This one term called group discussion is a medley of skills. If one needs to excel in a group discussion one must work towards polishing and refining various skills.
Thoroughness and attention to detail: Knowledge of the topic is very important. No one wants to look like a fool and not know about anything being discussed. This means that to be part of a group discussion it is very important to be well-read. Once you develop the habit of reading, observing, and studying using any medium, there is no shortage of knowledge and holding a discussion on the topic becomes a breezy affair.
Critical thinking: True, candidates come prepared for group discussions. They are provided the topic well in advance giving them ample time to read up and gather information. However, how does one anticipate what the fellow participants are going to say? In such a situation, a candidate can perform well only when they know how to think on their feet. It requires the ability to process information and respond within a couple of minutes. Critical thinking is one valuable skill that a group discussion helps refine.
Leadership: A group is a mix of different kinds of people. One may be very outspoken while another may not be very prompt and forthcoming. This paves the way for certain participants to take on leadership roles and steer the discussion in a certain direction. They may also facilitate the quieter ones to voice their opinions and resolve conflicts, if any.
Analytical abilities: When we have a group, we have multiple personalities holding varying views and ideas. This results in a flow of information and differing opinions. Being a part of this group facilitates participants to look at an issue from multiple angles and then form an informed view of their own. With so many aspects of a single topic at their disposal, the analyzing abilities of participants grows enormously. Discussing a topic like the Boston Tea Party can help analyze the event and build an independent perspective towards it.
Communication skills: Effective communication lies at the heart of a healthy discussion with participants sharing their ideas, opinions, and views. Speaking with clarity, being good listeners to understand the other’s perspective, responding with responsibility, and exhibiting the right kind of body language are all traits of a good communicator. Communication again is a skill that can be developed and refined through practice and being a part of a group and communicating with multiple people is a fine way to become a skilled communicator.
Confidence building: When a person is well-read, knows how to think critically, can put their views and opinions in front of others, can analyze thoughts and actions, and if required, take up a leadership role, it reflects one significant quality in the individual – confidence. This one activity of participating group discussions can help boost a person’s confidence and belief in self. This ability goes a long way shaping an individual’s personality.
How does AI-Humans help develop group discussion skills?
So, group discussions are good. They help develop multiple durable skills and every skill in turn helps a person navigate through life, be is a student or a professional. However, how often does one get the opportunity to engage in a group discussion? Not very often and this means not much practice. This may not be the case for long because AI is turning the wheels of change. With the coming of AI there has been a new avenue to develop skills, even group discussion skills.
AI-Human is helping develop crucial life skills by providing users, students and professionals, an avenue to practice group discussion skills, anytime-anywhere. This AI-authoring tool is a SaaS-based platform from ELDC that proves to be beneficial in a number of ways.
Realistic – Interacting with AI-powered characters on the AI-Humans platform provides a realistic experience. It is like interacting with another individual, exchanging thoughts, discussing issues and swapping ideas. The user can present a thought or piece of information, or ask a question and the virtual character will receive the information and respond appropriately.
In-depth – Every character on the platform has been trained on a massive database which means that every virtual character is a storehouse of information. Discussing issues with such characters means going in-depth into the issue at hand. Users are exposed to a variety of perspectives and viewpoints helping users develop their own individual opinions.
Analytical and critical – When users get the opportunity to engage in a healthy discussion which is rich with knowledge, opinions, perspectives and ideas, the thinking capabilities widen. This further develops the ability to analyze every aspect of an issue critically, thereby developing critical thinking skills.
Anytime, anywhere – To engage in a discussion with AI-Humans characters, there is no restriction of time and place. These solutions can be accessed on a PC/laptop and with an internet connection a user is good to go.
Performance feedback – No learning or training is complete without feedback. In order to know where and how to improve, a learner needs to know about their performance. The assessment feature displays a detailed performance report of the user, helping the user understand the pluses and minuses. Based on this the user can make a note of areas demanding improvement and work towards it.
Easy to create – From a trainer’s perspective, creating these AI-powered group discussion scenarios are very simple and easy. With some basic information, it is possible to give shape to a scenario within 10 minutes. The platform is well equipped with a number of real-world environment and realistic characters that slip into their roles swiftly.
Highly scalable unique experiences – With one scenario, it is possible to provide practice to any number of users and at any location. Once created, trainers and educators can rest assured that every learner or user is receiving a unique experience because the virtual characters adapt their responses based on the interaction with the user. No two users will get the same experience.
To navigate through the various scenarios of life with confidence requires skill. Not just one but a combination of skills. One of the most important ones is interaction with fellow humans. It takes practice to understand how to engage with others and group discussions are an effective way to develop these skills. Call them soft skills, people skills, life skills or durable skills they prove to be beneficial in all circumstances.
AI-Humans from ELDC is a SaaS-based platform that enables trainers to develop AI-powered soft skill training solutions within minutes. While all technical aspects of creating these AI-powered scenarios have been taken care of by the team, trainers can devote all their attention towards giving shape to highly effective and relevant training and provide learners with engaging and immersive training opportunities. Practicing durable skills is the best way to learn and this is precisely what AI-Humans is providing.