Initiate and manage discussion

Social

adjective

so·​cial | \ ˈsō-shəl  \

: relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other

: liking to be with and talk to people : happy to be with people

: of or relating to people or society in general

Social

 noun

: an informal social event for members of a group

  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Setting

noun

set·​ting | \ ˈse-tiŋ  \

1: the manner, position, or direction in which something is set

2: the frame or bed in which a gem is set also : style of mounting

3a: the time, place, and circumstances in which something occurs or develops

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Social Setting

The surroundings or environment in which social activities occur.

  (NCI Thesaurus)

EXPRESSING OPINIONS/ SENTENCE STARTERS

I prefer

I think

I feel

I know

I believe that

In my opinion/ In my experience

Personally, I think

As far as I'm concerned..

1. Asking about or for an opinion

Could you tell me ....? What do you think about/of ....?

What’s your opinion about ...? Do you think/feel ....?

How do you feel about ....? May I ask you ....?

2. Asking for an explanation

Could you explain to me ....? Could someone please tell me ....?

Just tell me the reason why ....? I don’t really understand ....?

I just don’t see why/what/how .... Are you saying that ....?

What do you mean by that? I beg your pardon?

I didn’t quite get that. Excuse me, did you say that ....?

3. Giving your opinion

In my opinion/view .... If you ask me ....

As far as I can see/I’m concerned .... It seems to me that ....

I have the/a feeling that .... I think/feel/reckon/believe ....

Well, I’d say .... If you want my opinion ....

You can take it from me that .... First of all/To start with I’d like to point out ...

What we have to decide is .... There can be no doubt that ....

It’s a fact that .... Nobody will deny that ....

The way/As I see it Everyone knows ....

Let me put it this/another way .... Let’s get this clear (first) ....

Sorry to interrupt you, but .... The point I’m trying to make is ....

Personally (speaking) I think .... I’m absolutely convinced that ....

My view/point of view is that .... The way I look at/see it is this

What I actually meant was ....

4. Giving an explanation

Look, it’s like this: What I mean is ....

The reason for this is .... The main problem is ....

Just let me explain .... Well, the reason is ....

Well, the thing is .... Above all we must keep in mind that .... 

You can start with a simple greeting, using phrases such as:

“Good morning / afternoon” “Let's begin” “I'd like to welcome everyone” “Since everyone is here, let's get started” “I'd like to thank everyone for coming today”

Small Talk: Conversation Starters

Beautiful day, isn't it? Can you believe all of this rain we've been having? It looks like it's going to rain. It sure would be nice to be in Hawaii right about now. I hear they're calling for thunderstorms all weekend. We couldn't ask for a nicer day, could we? How about this weather? Did you order this sunshine?

WRAPPING UP @ Moderator

Use the final moments to summarize and reflect to the main points.

Summarise all the points that you have discussed in brief

Be concise, make sure that you don’t drag your conclusion. Keep it as short as possible and try to mention the points clearly. Make the closure around the main idea of the topic and be direct.

Thank panelists for their time and input.