The roundtable, panel, symposium, and symposium-forum are four popular small group formats. Describe each format in terms of physical arrangement and communication behavior.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
- In the roundtable, group members arrange themselves physically (usually in chairs) in a circular or semicircular pattern. They share information or solve a problem without any set pattern of who speaks when. Group interaction is informal, and members contribute as they see fit. A leader or moderator may be present; he or she may, for example, try to keep the discussion on the topic or encourage more reticent members to speak up.
- In the panel, group members are "experts" but participate informally and without any set pattern of who speaks when, as in a roundtable. The difference is that they are sitting, often side-by-side, in front of an audience, whose members may interject comments or ask questions.
- In the symposium, each member delivers a prepared presentation much like a public speech. All speeches address different aspects of a single topic. A symposium leader introduces the speakers, provides transitions from one speaker to another, and may provide periodic summaries.
- The symposium-forum consists of two parts: a symposium with prepared speeches (as explained above) and a forum, a period of questions from the audience and responses by the speakers. The leader introduces the speakers and moderates the question-and-answer session.