Group Discussion (GD)
Group Discussion
A group discussion (GD) is a simulated exercise, where you cannot suddenly put
up a show, since the evaluators will see through you easily. In this page you can
fnd tips on GD and how to handle them to ensure a positive outcome.
Here's how most group discussions work
Normally groups o !"#$ candidates are ormed into a leaderless group,
and are given a specifc situation to analy%e and discuss within a given
time limit.
&he group may 'e given a case study and as(ed to come out with a
solution or a pro'lem.
&he group may 'e given a topic and as(ed to discuss on the same.
A panel will o'serve the proceedings and evaluate the mem'ers o the group.
OBJ ECTI VE
)ets start rom the 'asic. *ne needs to (now what one+s o',ective in the group
is. A good defnition o your o',ective is " to 'e noticed to have contri'uted
meaningully in an attempt to help the group reach the right consensus. -hat
does this essentially mean.
#. &he rst imp!ic"tion is that #ou shou!d $e noticed 'y the panel.
/erely ma(ing a meaningul contri'ution and helping the group arrive at a
consensus is not enough. 0ou have to 'e seen 'y the evaluating panel
to have made the meaningul contri'ution. -hat does that mean in
practice.
0ou must ensure that the group hears you. I the group hears you,
so will the evaluator. &hat does not mean that you shout at the top
o your voice and 'e noticed or the wrong reasons.
0ou have to 'e assertive. I you are not a very assertive person,
you will have to simply learn to 'e assertive or those #1 minutes.
2emem'er, assertiveness does not mean 'eing 'ull"
headed or 'eing arrogant.
And most importantly, you have to ma(e your chances.
/any group discussion participants oten complain that
they did not get a chance to spea(. &he act is that in no
group discussion will you get a chance to spea(. &here is
nothing more unaccepta'le in a GD than (eeping one+s
mouth shut or ,ust murmuring things which are inaudi'le.
3articipate in as many practice GDs as possi'le 'eore you
attend the actual GD. &here is nothing li(e practice to help
you overcome the ear o tal(ing in a GD.
4. &he second import"nt imp!ic"tion is that ma(ing ,ust any sort
o contri'ution is not enough. 0our contri'ution has to 'e
meaningul. A meaningul contri'ution suggests that
0ou have a good know!edge $"se
0ou are a'le to put orth your arguments logically and are a
good communicator.
&he 5uality o what you said is more valua'le than the
5uantity
&here is this myth amongst many group discussion
participants that the way to succeed in a group discussion
is 'y spea(ing loudly and at great length. *ne could not 'e
more wrong. 0ou must have meat in your arguments.
&hereore, &hin( &hings through careully.
Always enter the room with a piece o paper and a pen. In the frst two
minutes ,ot down as many ideas as you can.
%hen #ou &ot down points' keep these pointers in mind(
I it is a topic where you are expected to ta(e a stand, say or example,
67hould India sign the 8omprehensive &est 9an &reaty.6 note down
points or 'oth sides o the argument. It will 'e useul on two counts
*ne, i you do not start the GD and are not amongst the
frst fve spea(ers and fnd that everyone in the group is
tal(ing or the topic, then it ma(es sense to ta(e the
alternate approach and oppose the topic even i you
initially intended to tal( or the topic.
7econd, it helps to have a (nowledge o how group
mem'ers who ta(e a stand diametrically opposite to yours
will put orth their argument and to 'e prepared with
counter arguments.
:. ;very'ody else will state the o'vious. 7o highlight some points
that are not o'vious. &he di<erent perspective that you 'ring to
the group will 'e highly appreciated 'y the panel. 7ome pointers
on 'eing relevant while having a di<erent perspective are=
9e careul that the 6something di<erent6 you state is still
relevant to the topic 'eing de'ated.
8an you ta(e the group ahead i it is stuc( at one point.
8an you ta(e it in a resh and more relevant direction.
>. &he !"st imp!ic"tion is that you must 'e clearly seen to 'e
attempting to 'uild a consensus.
Gaining support or in?uencing colleagues is the mantra
adopted 'y many a successul 9usiness )eaders.
No'ody expects a group o ten intelligent, assertive
people, all with di<erent points o view on a controversial
su',ect to actually achieve a consensus. 9ut what matters
is 6Did you ma(e attempts to 'uild a consensus.6
&he reason why an attempt to 'uild a consensus is important is
'ecause in most wor( situations you will have to wor( with people in a
team, accept ,oint responsi'ilities and ta(e decisions as a group. 0ou
must demonstrate the act that you are capa'le and inclined to wor(
as part o a team.
Group Discussion (GD) ) Dos "nd Donts
The *scent te"m sh"res with #ou some GD)tips to gi+e #ou the
edge( &he tips given 'elow are appica'le in any GD. &he only
di<erence 'etween most other GDs and the GDs conducted 'y the II/s
ater 8A& or other top 9 7chools is the intensity o the competition.
9e as natural as possi'le. Do not try and 'e someone you are
not. 9e yoursel.
A group discussion is your chance to 'e more vocal. &he
evaluator wants to hear you spea(.
&a(e time to organi%e your thoughts. &hin( o what you are going
to say.
7ee( clarifcation i you have any dou'ts regarding the su',ect.
Don+t start spea(ing until you have clearly understood and
analy%ed the su',ect.
-or( out various strategies to help you ma(e an entry= initiate
the discussion or agree with someone else+s point and then move
onto express your views.
*pening the discussion is not the only way o gaining attention
and recognition. I you do not give valua'le insights during the
discussion, all your e<orts o initiating the discussion will 'e in
vain.
0our 'ody language says a lot a'out you " your gestures and
mannerisms are more li(ely to re?ect your attitude than what
you say.
)anguage s(ills are important only to the e<ect as to how you
get your points across clearly and ?uently.
9e assertive not dominating@ try to maintain a 'alanced tone in
your discussion and analysis.
Don+t lose your cool i anyone says anything you o',ect to. &he
(ey is to stay o',ective= Don+t ta(e the discussion personally.
Always 'e polite= &ry to avoid using extreme phrases li(e= AI
strongly o',ect+ or AI disagree+. Instead try phrases li(e= AI would
li(e to share my views onB+ or A*ne di<erence 'etween your
point and mineB+ or 6I 'eg to di<er with you6
9rush up on your leadership s(ills@ motivate the other mem'ers
o the team to spea( (this surely does not mean that the only
thing that you do in the GD is to say 6let us hear what the young
lady with the 'lue scar has to say,6 or 62aghu, let us hear your
views6 " ;ssentially 'e su'tle), and listen to their views. 9e
receptive to others+ opinions and do not 'e a'rasive or
aggressive.
I you have a group o li(e"minded riends, you can have a moc(
group discussion where you can learn rom each other through
giving and receiving eed'ac(.
Apart rom the a'ove points, the panel will also ,udge team mem'ers
or their alertness and presence o mind, pro'lem"solving a'ilities,
a'ility to wor( as a team without alienating certain mem'ers, and
creativity.
Group Discussion
,arameters used to assess speeches and group discussions
I) -peech *ssessment
o Ideas C their )ogical 8oherence
o *pening 7tatement
o ;<ective 8onclusion
o 3osture
o Gesture
o ;ye"contact
o Audi'ility
o 8larity
o 3ronunciation
o /odulation
o 3ersonali%ed presentation
o 8onviction
o &ime
II) Group Discussion
o 9ody )anguage with cordiality and confdence
o Avoiding argument and de'ates
o 7pea(ing loudly
o 7pea(ing clearly
o 7pea(ing to all
o )istening ully
o )istening attentively
o 8ontri'uting new acts
o Dollowing systematic procedure
o Giving chance to all the mem'ers
o 3oint o *rder
o 2aising 5uestions or clarifcations
;<ective 7umming up
E+"!u"tion o. Group Discussion
7elect one num'er in each rating scale 'elow to indicate how you would
characteri%e the discussion as a whole with reerence to the dimensions
noted=
3urpose o Discussion
Enachieved # 4 : > 1 Achieved
;motional 8limate
)istless # 4 : > 1 Animated
&ense, Fostile # 4 : > 1 Driendly atmosphere
Dogmatic,
Encooperative
# 4 : > 1 Gery 8ooperative
&hought
)ittle use o inormation # 4 : > 1 Ade5uate inormation
Dre5uently o< the
su',ect
# 4 : > 1 2elevant
7uperfcial # 4 : > 1 &hought, deep
Aimless, 8onused # 4 : > 1 /ethodical@ group has
sense o direction
9ehaviour
*ten interrupt each
other
# 4 : > 1 *rderly, attentive
)ong contri'utions # 4 : > 1 9rie contri'utions
G.D #$ x 1 H
1$
mar(s
2eport
4$
mar(s
&otal
I$
mar(s
Individual
/ar(s=
:$ (*ut o
#$$)
(1 x : H #1)
# 4 : > 1 > : 4 #
3assive Active Domineering
(1 x : H #1)
# 4 : > 1
Enclear Gery 8lear