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The main idea of paragraph 1 is expressed in which sentence? of life history strategies?

Life History Strategies 1. (1) Interaction, as you recall, is the back-and-forth dialogue and discussion in which participants engage during meetings. (2) Without interaction, meetings would be like a monologue, a speech, or a seminar, rather than a lively discussion. (3) But too much unfocused interaction can result in a disorganized, chaotic discussion that rambles and wobbles. (4) To keep the meeting on track, meeting leaders and participants need facilitation skills. (5) These are skills that ensure the discussion stays focused. (6) A meeting facilitator needs to be a skilled listener who is sensitive to both individual members’ needs and the over-arching group goals. (7) By listening, you can determine when you need to use gatekeeping skills. (8) A gatekeeper encourages less-talkative members to participate and limits lengthy contributions by more long-winded members. (9) Gatekeepers make such comments as this: “Ayako, we haven’t heard your ideas yet. (10) Won’t you share your thoughts with us?” or “Mike, thanks for sharing, but I’d like to hear what others have to say.” (11) Polite, tactful invitations to talk or limit talk usually work. (12) You may need to speak privately with an unruly over-verbalizer to let him or her know that you’d appreciate a more balanced discussion. 2. Another effective interaction management skill is to use metadiscussion. Metadiscussion literally means “discussion about discussion.” It’s a comment about the discussion process rather than about the topic under consideration. Metadiscussional statements include “I’m not following this conversation. What is our goal?” or “Can someone summarize what we’ve accomplished so far?” and “Peggy, I’m not sure I understand how your observation relates to our meeting goal.” These comments contain information and advice about the communication process, rather than about the issues that are being discussed. Metadiscussional phrases are helpful ways to keep the team or group focused on the task. We’re not suggesting that you personally attack others. Don’t just blurt out, “You’re off task” or “Oh, let’s not talk about that anymore.” Instead, use tactful ways of letting other group members know you’d like to return to the issues at hand. Use “I” messages rather than “You” messages to bring the group back on track. An “I” message begins with the word “I,” such as “I am not sure where we are in our discussion” or “I am lost here.” A “you” message is a way of phrasing a message that makes others feel defensive. Here are examples of “you” messages: “You’re not following the agenda” or “Your point doesn’t make any sense.” Another way to express these same ideas, but with less of a negative edge, is to use “I” messages such as “I’m not sure where we are on the agenda” or “I’m not sure I understand how your point relates to the issue we are discussing.” 3. Metadiscussion is an exceptionally powerful skill because you can offer metadiscussional statements even if you are not the appointed leader. Being sensitive to the time the group is spending on an issue is yet another skill necessary to manage meeting interaction. Think of your agenda as a map, helping you plan where you want to go. Think of the clock as your gas gauge, telling you the amount of fuel you have to get where you want to go. In a meeting, keeping one eye on the clock and one eye on the agenda is analogous to focusing on the map and the gas gauge on a car trip. If you are running low on fuel (time), you will either need to get more gas (budget more time) or recognize that you will not get where you want to go. Begin each meeting by asking how long members can meet. If you face two or three crucial agenda items, and one-third of your group has to leave in an hour, you may need to reshuffle your agenda to make sure you can achieve your goals. —Beebe, Steven, Judith Beebe, and Diana Ivy. Communication: Principles for a Lifetime. 1st ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001. 295-297. Print.

Public Comments

1. Sentence 6, I think.