Group panel discussion encourages effective group discussion, which maximises the platform for panel members to exchange

their thoughts and ideas where different ideas were heard and discussed (Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.). However, the nature of the panel discussion increased the challenge of each panel member through anxiety inducing factors such as being informed of crucial information, for example, the discussion theme and fellow panel members, only on the day of discussion. According to Kurt Lewin (as cited in Johnson & Johnson, 2006), a change in the state of any member changes the state of any other member, therefore positive social interdependence is especially important in such a discussion where the actions of each panel member promote the achievement of joint goals. The unpredictable nature of discussion challenged our abilities in conducting a lively discussion by exploiting the strong traits of each panel members in order to avoid an overheated discussion, which tends to hinder the exchange of ideas. I felt that given the short preparation time, my fellow panel members and I were considerably stable and cooperative during the discussion. Being paired up with members that I was not familiar with, it was only possible to react based on their actions. At times where the discussion gets slightly heated up between members, I felt the need to project a calm tone such that the discussion could be carried on without hindering the discussion process. However, there are plenty of room for improvement in terms of gaining the courage to speak up more often. There were instances where the discussion deviated from planned due to time constraints. This restricted my chain of thoughts, as I was not too comfortable in the theme covered, which prevented me from participating more actively than I should have. More could have been done in terms of secondary research so that I could convert them into my personal knowledge thus expressing more freely and comfortably during the discussion. By being more familiarised with my contents, I would also improve better in my participation by elaborating on my fellow members inputs. Having experienced panel discussion, I learned that it is very difficult to sustain an effective group discussion with my own abilities, as cooperation within the group is important in achieving the goals. Also, knowing my traits well and maximising them to my best ability allows myself to enjoy the discussion process better. (400 words, including in-text citations)

Reference 1 Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Discussions. Retrieved from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/discu ssions.html

Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (2006). New Developments in Social Interdependence Theory. Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/6609956_New_developments_in_soc ial_interdependence_theory/file/9fcfd513df5f68feef.pdf