Tips for participating in synchronous discussions

The following tips will help you participate productively in chat rooms, instant messaging, and other real-time discussions.

Write short messages; divide longer messages into chunks. To avoid stalling the discussion while you type, limit the amount of information you include in one message. If you have a lot to say, post your idea in chunks of no more than two or three lines per message. If your thought is not yet complete, end the chunk with an ellipsis mark (. . .) so that your peers know that you still have more to write. If a peer ends a comment with an ellipsis mark, wait until he or she has finished before you start a new thought.

Connect your contributions to the class. Refer to prior comments from other students and extend the thinking of your classmates. Cite the class readings or reference materials to support your comments. Make connections to lectures, handouts, or other class materials. Show that you can place your comments into the relevant class context.

Clarify only when necessary. Although you should always try to express your ideas clearly, don’t worry if one of your posts contains a minor typo. Send corrections of previous messages only when you think you might be misunderstood or when peers ask you for clarification. Sending messages that simply correct typos in previous messages can waste valuable discussion time.

Stay on topic. As much as possible, stick to the topic of the discussion. Do not add off-topic comments to the main discussion; if someone else offers a comment that is off the point, avoid responding to it. Creating off-topic discussions may frustrate your peers and make them feel that you are wasting their time. While your peers can ignore tangential discussions that form on discussion boards, they can’t ignore them in chat rooms.

Take turns. Try to give all participants the opportunity to participate and encourage interaction. Invite other participants to clarify or elaborate on their comments. Ask a thoughtful question to encourage others to enter the conversation. Avoid monopolizing the discussion. If you’ve made several separate comments in a row, step back for a bit and give other students an opportunity to share. If you are in doubt about the level of participation expected, see the guidelines your instructor has provided.

Be polite and relevant. Because maintaining a serious online discussion is difficult, be sure to show extra courtesy to others in the class. Avoid any impulse to make jokes or facetious remarks. Help keep the focus of the conversation on important class issues and the work at hand. Be especially careful to avoid making any remarks that might be seen as offensive to others (sexist, racist, rude).