SAMPLE DISCUSSION: FULL TEXT AND EXAM TIPS
What should a STANAG 6001 level 3 discussion be like? How to proceed about the three factors? Should there be a formal introduction? In the post, you will find the full text of an example discussion.
It's my proposal of what it could be like.
There are two schools of how to go about the discussion.
The first is to discuss all factors first, and only after that try to decide about the order of importance indicated in the instruction.
The second one is to negotiate the order from the beginning, presenting arguments supporting each point of view as we go.
I'm a proponent of the second approach, because it seems to me more natural and resembles negotiations.
Whichever strategy you chose to follow, try to avoid artificial and theatrical dialogue with the result assumed at the beginning.
You also don't need any formalised introduction (see example below).
Enjoy the dialogue!
You can use it to practice in pairs or just to analyse a possible strategy for this part of the exam.
For the details of the exam requirements and procedure, you may want to go to these posts:
MOST COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID IN A DISCUSSION
TOPIC
Media/social media
There are different types of media these days. Look at the list below. Discuss the following types of media and decide which is the most and the least effective means of transferring information. Justify your choice.
electronic media traditional media social media
DISCUSSION
A: Let’s talk about media and how they can be used to transfer information. In my opinion, traditional media, I mean television, the press and the radio, are more informative than electronic or social media. First of all, because they are more reliable and the quality of information is better as they employ renowned journalist who guarantee the quality. Don’t you agree?
B: Actually, I don’t. I see your point when you talk about quality, but I believe that traditional media are on the verge of extinction. So, even if they offer more reliable news, fewer and fewer people read newspapers or listen to the radio. Isn’t it right?
A: It may be true about the press and radio, but many people still watch television and it is the main source of information. An average person watches TV for a few hours a day, which means it is still very popular. You must agree with me on this one.
B: Unfortunately, I can’t agree. From my point of view, more people check the news on the Internet, that is electronic media, than on TV. It is faster and easier to read the news on the Internet using your smartphone, than to go home and watch TV. You can use the Internet everywhere and anytime now, which is why people use it for fast access to the news. They use television rather as a source of entertainment than information. Don’t you see this trend?
A: If you put it this way, I’m inclined to agree. It’s true that as far as TV is concerned people more and more often use video on demand or streaming services in comparison to watching traditional television which has become a little obsolete. Especially when you take into consideration the fast pace of everyday life. People don’t have time to wait for their favourite film to begin and then for a commercial break to stop. But what about social media, they are even faster in transferring news than the Internet. Right?
B: I must agree with you, yes. Everyone knows that the fastest way to spread the news is to write a post on Twitter or Facebook. And in addition, the information transferred via social media seems more genuine as you can easily contact the author and comment on the piece of news instantaneously. Doesn’t it make the social media the most effective in transferring information?
A: This might be true, it is surely the fastest way, but I still have doubts about the quality of this news. Don’t you? I mean, anybody can post anything, it may or may not be true. It may be propaganda or manipulation. What do you think?
B: You’re right, but it can be said about all media or means of transferring information and we are not talking about quality here, but about effectiveness, and effectiveness is about how fast the message can be transferred and how many people it will reach. Isn’t it?
A: Yes, you’re definitely right. So, to sum up, I believe that based on what we’ve just said we can agree that the most effective in transferring information are social media, then electronic media and, unfortunately, the least effective are traditional media, although they still remain the most reliable and quality oriented.
B: That’s exactly what I would say myself. Thank you for an interesting discussion.
A: Thank you.
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