Group Discussion

Group Discussion
Group Discussion is a very important round in any selection process, be it for an MBA course, campus recruitment or for any graduate/post graduate degree. The selection committee conducts GD to gauge whether the candidate has certain personality traits and/or skills that it desires in its members: How good you are at communication with others. How you behave and interact with group. How open minded are you. Your listening skill. How you put forward your views. Your leadership and decision making skills. Your analysis skill and subject knowledge. Problem solving and critical thinking skill (Reasoning ability, Creatibility, Flexibility) Your attitude and confidence. Ability to work in a team Leadership skills
The group may be given a topic and asked to discuss on the same. A panel will observe the proceedings and evaluate the members of the group. Lets discuss some few relevant points which one should remember while appearing for a GD. One needs to know what one's objective in the group is---- to be noticed by the panel and to contribute meaningfully in an attempt to help the group reach the right consensus. 1) The first thing is that the panel should notice you. Merely making a meaningful contribution and helping the group arrive at a consensus is not enough. You must ensure that the group hears you. If the group hears you, so will the evaluator. You need to be assertive. It depends on you how you steer the group in the right direction, once it gets stuck to something. This gives you the chance to showcase your leadership skills. Most importantly, you have to make your chances. Many group discussion participants often complain that they did not get a chance to speak. The fact is that in no group discussion will you get a chance to speak. There is nothing more unacceptable in a GD than keeping one's mouth shut or just murmuring things which are inaudible. 2) The second most essential thing is that your contribution to the group should be meaningful. For that you need to have a good knowledge base. You should be able to think logically and hence put forth you ideas cohesively. The quality of what you said is more valuable than the quantity. It doesnt help if you shout at the top of your voice and speak at great length, what matters most is what you speak and how it creates an impact on the group as well as the evaluators. 3) The last most important thing is that you must be clearly seen to be attempting to build a consensus. This shows your ability to work in a team, your ability to adjust yourself in new surroundings
and help others in your team to reach a definite conclusion amidst difference of opinions. After all this is what all Group Discussions aim at: To be able to discuss and arrive at a consensus. To be able to meet the above requirements during a Group Discussion, one should keep in mind the following basic mantras: a) Be Yourself. Be as natural as possible and dont try to be someone you are not. b) Take time to organize your thoughts. Dont suddenly jump to any conclusion. Think before you speak so that you dont speak anything irrelevant to the topic being discussed. c) Dont make the mistake of looking at the panel while you are speaking. You are in a Group Discussion and you are expected to discuss among group members, so always look at your group members while you are speaking. d) Seek clarifications if you have any doubts regarding the subject, before the discussion commences. e) Your body language says a lot about you - your gestures and mannerisms are more likely to reflect your attitude than what you say. f) Never try to show your dominance. Be assertive, speak yourself and let others speak as well. g) Dont lose your cool if anyone says anything you object to. The key is to stay objective: Don't take the discussion personally. h) Show your leadership skills. Motivate the other members of the team to speak. Be receptive to others' opinions and do not be abrasive or aggressive. Remember, opening the discussion is not the only way of gaining attention and recognition. If you do not give valuable insights during the discussion, all your efforts of initiating the discussion will be in vain.
Dos and Donts of Group discussion: 1) Keep eye contact while speaking: Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye contact with every team member while speaking. 2) Initiate the GD: Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in mind Initiate the group discussion only when you understood the GD topic clearly and have some topic knowledge. Speaking without proper subject knowledge is bad impression. 3) Allow others to speak: Do not interrupt anyone in-between while speaking. Even if you dont agree with his/her thoughts do not snatch their chance to speak. Instead make some notes and clear the points when its your turn. 4) Speak clearly: Speak politely and clearly. Use simple and understandable words while speaking. Dont be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.
5) Make sure to bring the discussion on track: If by any means group is distracting from the topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track. Make all group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at the end of the discussion. So stick to the topic. 6) Positive attitude: Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion. 7) Speak sensibly: Do not speak just to increase your speaking time. Dont worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and relevant instead of irrelevant speech. 8 ) Listen carefully to others: Speak less and listen more! Pay attention while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and you will get involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you. 9) No need to go into much details: Some basic subject analysis is sufficient. No need to mention exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time so be precise and convey your thoughts in short and simple language. 10) Formal dressing: Do not take it casually. No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group. Positive gesture and body language will make your work easy.
Skills that reflect in GD Clarity of thought Group working skills Conflict handling Listening and probing skills Knowledge about the subject and individual point of view Ability to create a consensus Openness and flexibility towards new ideas Data based approach to decision making
How do I gain my chance to speak? Trying to interrupt others while speaking would only harm your chances Maintain your eye contact with the speaker. This would show your listening skills Would help you guage from him/her eye movement and pitch of voice that he is about to close his inputs. You can quickly take it from there. Try and link your inputs with what he has spoken whether you are adding to or opposing his arguments.
Positive Task roles in GD Initiator Information seeker Information giver Procedure facilitator Opinion seeker Opinion giver Clarifier Social supporter Harmonizer Tension reliever Energizer Compromiser Gatekeeper Summarizer
Negative Roles in GD Disgruntled non-participant Attacker Dominator Patronize clown

Group Discussion

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Group Discussion

Negative Roles in GD Disgruntled non-participant Attacker Dominator Patronize clown

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