Group Discussion

Group Discussion• A Group Discussion can be defined as a formal discussion

involving ten to twelve participants in a group. • It is a methodology used by an organization to gauge

whether the candidate has certain personality traits and/or skills that it desires in its members.

• Some of the most important personality traits that a candidate should possess to do well at a GD:– Team Player – Reasoning Ability – Leadership – Flexibility – Assertiveness – Initiative – Creativity/ Out of the box thinking – Inspiring ability – Listening – Awareness

Features of Group Discussion

• Group Discussion, as the name itself indicates is a group activity carried out by participating individuals. It is an exchange of ideas among the individuals of a group on a specific topic.

• It is used as reliable, testing device - mainly as a tool to assess all the candidates in a group at one go -in order to select the best in comparative perspective.

Features of Group Discussion

• Group Discussion is an informal discussion in which participants of the same educational standard discuss a topic of current interest.

• It is also known as leaderless discussion. It means its aim is to find out the natural leadership level of the candidates.

Nature & Scope of GD

As all the participants in a Group Discussion are rivals, there is bound to be competition and clash of interests among them. Everyone in the group would be keen to top in the discussion, resulting in a good deal of rivalry and maneuvering for situations of advantage. Thus in the group discussion- in this free for all- you have to manage others and get the cooperation of the group by continuously relating to situations as they keep developing and changing. The dynamics of the group will stimulate each candidate to reveal his/her inherent natural leadership qualities in a spontaneous manner. But only those who remain alert by adapting himself / herself to the changing situations as they emerge and only those who utilize the opportunities with enterprise, imagination and tact come out successfully.

Nature & Scope of GD

The conduct and behavior of each candidate will bring to the surface his or her natural leadership, social, dynamic and organizing abilities in a spontaneous manner. Group Discussion is essentially a verbal-oriented performance and you have to talk your way out.

With one's gift of the gab or power of expression. GD also requires the verbal display of the knowledge of the candidate. The more your ideas and the more your knowledge of the subject, the more interested, enthusiastic and confident you would become and the more fluent and forceful would be your speech and contribution to the discussion.

The process• The Group Discussion is a process in which all candidates

successful in the Written Test (usually 8 times the number of seats) are divided into groups of 8-12 candidates each; and every group is assigned a specific topic or a Case Study to discuss. The group of 8-12 candidates carries the entire discussion forward on its own, and the supervising panel neither intervenes nor participates in the discussion.

The process

• The GD is left to evolve itself while the panel observes and assesses the performance and/or attributes of all the candidates from a distance. The candidates display their knowledge, view-points and exchange ideas on the given subject matter among themselves. This happens in a dynamic situation in which every candidate wants a time period of 25 minutes or so. The medium of the GD almost always is English, though sometimes, a choice is given to the group to speak in Hindi or English (but a majority opts for English). For identification, either the candidates wear chest numbers or their name-plates are displayed in front in a semi-circular formation.

Types of GD• Normal - Here, a topic is given to the group. The GD coordinator and the

students are asked to discuss it for 20-25 minutes. A variation could be a GD where the students are asked to decide the topic amongst themselves. In either case, the students will normally be given a time of 2-3 minutes for preparation before the GD actually starts. The students will be seated in a circular or a semi-circular pattern. A normal GD is further divided into three categories: -

– Argumentative - A Group Discussion that triggers an argument. Here the skill of assertion in putting your point across in a argument-heated environment is evaluated. One based on the most recent situation one can be "Should the Older Players Declare Retirement from ODI Cricket?"

– Factual - In this type of GD, candidate's ability to support his perspective with factual data gives him an edge over others. Hence, in order to do well in Factual GD, it is very important to have current facts handy with you. An example of a Factual GD topic would be "Impact of Decreasing Value of Dollar on Indian Exports".

– Abstract - This kind of GD evaluates the candidate's creativity and lateral thinking. The topic given in an abstract GD may mean different to different people in the same group; hence, it is the individual's creativity to direct the GD around his perception. An example of an abstract GD topic will be "The Hidden Persuaders".

Types of GD

• Case Study - A printed case study is given to the group and the candidates are allowed a time limit of 3-4 minutes to read and comprehend the passage. Then the group is asked to discuss the questions based on the case study given. Here again the students are given a time of about 20 minutes to discuss the topic. Case studies normally pertain to standard business situations and are full of facts and figures. Thus, the GD coordinator attempts to examine the comprehension power of a candidate along with the communication skills.

• Role Play - A role-play type of GD is one wherein a situation is described and each person in the group is asked to assume a specific role in a situation. In such cases, you must completely step into the role and your reasoning will have to be consistent with the role you have assumed. The participation, in this specific case, needs to appreciate the gravity of the situation and generate appropriate reasoning to facilitate decision making for the group.

What is tested in GD?• The rationale of the GD technique rests on the principle that

leadership qualities with knowledge and power of expression are essential to achieve the results or objectives in all group endeavors. The leadership quality of one can nowhere be more clearly revealed than in a group discussion. For instance, see the difference between GD and other forms of testing.

• There is a considerable difference between public speaking and GD. In public speaking, the audience merely judges and passes a verdict on the speaker. Nobody in the audience competes with you. They listen to what the speaker says but do not compete with the speaker. They listen to what the speaker says, but do not discuss the subject with equal rights as does the speaker.

What is tested in GD?

• The same is the case with an interview. In an interview, a candidate has to deal with the interviewer who asks questions to which the interviewed responds. He will be given ample opportunities as the interviewer is interested in the answers. In a debate or lecture, the candidate is given sometime to think and marshal his ideas and the chairman or the presiding officer will ensure that no one intervenes. The interview focuses on personality traits wherein the interviewers ask well directed questions to assess the overall personality of a candidate.

Desirable attitudes in GD?

• All participants in the group must accept responsibility for the smooth conduct of the group activities. This orientation means that each member takes on leadership responsibilities even though he is not entrusted any such a role.

Instead of passively waiting for someone else to do what has to be done, everyone must actively seek and accept responsibility. In an effective group discussion, there are no absolute followers but different levels and kinds of leaderships and these leaderships keep fluctuating.

Desirable attitudes in GD? • Another important attitude is open-mindedness -the willingness of the

candidate to consider a broad range of ideas and suggestions from others. He must be flexible and must be open to change. Instead of taking rigid stands on issues, the flexible member tries to adapt to the best interests of the group.

This requires objectivity- in order to make unbiased, impartial judgments. This does not mean that you completely suppress your subjective and emotional reactions. You try to balance them with objective observations. This requires maintaining a proper perspective, that is, either becoming too involved in problems to maintain objectivity nor remaining too distant and uninvolved to be fully unaware of their nature.

Finally the participant with the orientation of equality should not nourish notions of superiority and must realize that the fellow participants are equal to him/her in all aspects.

What are to be avoided?

• There are certain attitudes which act negatively and they spoil the chances of selection:

• Constantly objecting others and speaking pessimistically will block the smooth flow of discussion.

• A totally negative attitude prevents progress and people who are always complaining and always dissatisfied will not be found suitable.

• Equally unsuitable are those who insult and criticize others betraying jealousy or animosity. The aggressive attitude is usually disapproved.

• Another avoidable attitude is telling irrelevant stories and personal experiences. Motivated by a need for attention, some participants interject comments that call attention to their achievements and successes. They are boastful while trying to appear not to be so.

Suggested GD Topics

• How to deal with high oil prices? • Is Globalization Really Necessary? • What shall we do about our ever-increasing Population? • Corruption is the price we pay for Democracy • What India needs is a Dictatorship. • With media publishing and telecasting trivia, censorship is the

need of the hour.  • Is dependence on computers a good thing? • Should the public sector be privatized? • China and India are similar nations with contrasting ways • Value based politics is the need of the hour • Religion should not be mixed with politics • Why can’t we be world players in industry as we are in software? • Multinational corporations: Are they devils in disguise?

Suggested GD Topics

• Should there be private universities? • US war on Iraq-justified or not. • Role of UN in peacekeeping. • Position of Women in India compared to other nations. • Environment Management.  • BPOs in INDIA • Government contribution to IT • Will punch lines rule the Advertisement ?• Is china a threat to Indian industry ?• India or west , which is the land of opportunities • Should water resources should be nationalized • "BALANCE BETWEEN PROFESSIONALISM AND FAMILY" • A Unipolar World spells disaster for underdeveloped countries like

India