According to studies, 90% of group discussions begin with each member giving their first impressions or reactions to a person, place or thing. When this happens, the group focuses less on information outside their initial reactions.
To have a better decision making process as a group, it is best to start a discussion with information that is beneficial to the decision making process.
It is important to note that people who are in pairs rather than individuals themselves make better decisions. This will only happen if those pairs are given the opportunity to discuss and disagree.