Discussion Etiquette

Discussion Elements	Looks Like	Sounds Like
Active Listening	Eyes on speaker  Hands empty  Sit up  Mind is focused  Face speaker	Speaker's voice only  Paying attention  Appropriate responses  Voices low  One voice at a time
Active Participation (respond to ideas and share feelings)	Eyes on speaker  Hands to yourself  Hands empty  Talking one at a time  Head nodding	Appropriate responses  Follow off othersí ideas  Nice comments  Positive attitudes
Asking Questions for Clarification	Listening  Hands empty	Positive, nice questions  Polite answers
Piggybacking Off Others' Ideas	Listening  Paying attention	Postive, nice talking  Wait for people to finish
Disagreeing Constructively	Nice face  Nice looks	Polite responses  Quiet voices  No put downs
Focused on Discussion (body posture and eye contact)	Eyes on speaker  Hands empty  Sit up  Face speaker  Mind is focused	Speaker's voice only  Appropriate responses  Voices low
Supporting Opinions with Evidence	One person talking  Attentionon the speaker	One voice
Encouraging Others	Prompt people to share  Ask probing questions	Positive responses

adapted from litcircles.org