HOW TO PREPARE FOR GROUP DISCUSSION

HOW TO PREPARE FOR GROUP DISCUSSION


Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well. Man is a social animal. He cannot live without a society. Consequently he is required to compete in the society. So is the case with a woman. While there is a society, there is a group. One will have to be the leader of the group. Group is not a new concept, hence a group discussion. Modern societies have developed Group Discussion as a tool to increase efficiency by giving people a sense of participation. While Group Discussion was first introduced as a test in western countries for the selection of personnel for their armed forces, gradually the utility and significance of this method to test the intrinsic knowledge of a candidate made it popular and provided acceptance among other organizations also around the world. It has now become an important tool of the selection procedure of some of the government institutions, management institutions, service selection boards and other recruitment boards. Even when the merit of a candidate has been tested through written tests, the final selection in many management institutes and organizations is made only after a group Discussion. Indeed the importance lies with it.
Thought always comes from inside. In a Group discussion, no single person imposes his or her opinion on others. It is essentially a sharing of experience, and not doing or thinking what someone has al­ ready decided. Every person has- his own experiences. As a result he can come to certain conclusions about what is right or what is wrong, His conscience has been educated to certain extent or he may not have come to any definite conclusions Group Discussion shows him what the experience of others has been and why they have come to certain conclusion. In doing this it throws him back on his own experiences and on the conclusions he has reached. It makes him to re-examine the foundations of his own opinions. This may result in a change in his opinions or the strengthening of his convictions. But in either case he has examined himself and his convictions in the light of the experiences of the others. It is rightly said: Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
While selection tools and techniques like tests, interviews etc. provide good data about an individual, they fall short in pro­ viding real life data of how an individual would be performing in a real life situation especially a group like situation. Team work being an integral part of corporate world's work profile, it is important to asserting group and interpersonal qualities of an individual. Group Discussion is a useful tool to ascertain these qualities and many organizations use GDs as a selection tool along with personal interviews, aptitude tests etc. a GO is an activity where groups of 5 - 8 candidates are formed into a leaderless group and are given a specific situation to analyses and discuss within a given time limit which may vary between twenty minutes and forty five minutes. The group may be given a case study and asked to come out with a solution for a problem. They may be given a topic and asked to discuss the same.
Type of Group Discussion
Group Discussions can be classified into three types viz.
(a) Factual Topics, (b) Controversial Topics, (c) Abstract Topics.
Factual Topics: These are about practical things, which an ordinary person is aware of in his day to day life. Typically these are about socio-economic topics. These can be current i.e. they may have been in the news lately or could be unbound by time a factual topic for discussion gives a candidate a chance to prove that he/she is aware of and sensitive to his/her environment.
Controversial Topics: These are the one that are argumentative in nature. They are meant to generate controversy. In GDs where these topics are given for discussion, the noise level is usually high, there may be tempers flying. The idea behind giving a topic like this is to see how much maturity the candidate is displaying by Keeping his temper in check by rationally and logically arguing his point of view without getting personal or emotional.
Abstract Topics: These are about in­ tangible things. These topics are not given often discussion, but their possibility can­ not be ruled out. These topics test your lateral thinking and creativity.
Case-based GO: Another variation is the use of a case instead of a topic. The case study tries to simulate a real life situation. Information about the situation will be given to you and you would be asked as a group to resolve the situation. In the case study there are no incorrect answers or perfect solutions. The objective in the case study is to get you to think about the situation from various angles.
Preparing for a Group Discussion
While GD reflects the inherent qualities for an individual, appearing for it unprepared may not augur well for you. These tips would help you prepare for GDs:
Reading: It is the first and the most crucial step in preparation. This is a never ending process and the more you read, the better you are in your thoughts. While you may read anything or everything, you must ensure that you are in good touch with current affairs, the debates and hot topics of discussion and also with the latest in the IT and ITES industry. Read both for the thoughts as well as for data. Also read multiple view points on the same topic and then create your point of view with rationale.
Mocks: Create an informal GD group and meet regularly to discuss and exchange feedback. This is the best way to prepare. This would give you a good idea about your thoughts and how well can you convince. Remember, it is important that you are able to express your thoughts very well. The better you perform in these mocks, the better would be your chances to perform on the final day.
How To Face GD:
A group discussion consists of:
(a) Communication Skills
(b) Knowledge and Ideas regarding a given subject
(c) Capability to co-ordinate and lead
(d) Exchange of thoughts
(e) Addressing the group as a whole
(f) Thorough Preparation.
Communication Skills
The first aspect is one's power of expression. In a group discussion, a candidate has to talk effectively so that he is able to convince others. For convincing, one has to speak forcefully and at the same time create an impact by his knowledge of the subject. A candidate who is successful in holding the attention of the audience creates a positive impact.
It is necessary that you should be precise and clear. As a rule evaluators do not look for the wordage produced. Your knowledge on a given subject, your precision and clarity of thought are the things that are evaluated. Irrelevant talks lead you nowhere. You should speak as much as necessary, neither more nor less. Group discussions are not debating stages.
Ability to listen is also what evaluator’s judge. They look for your ability to react on what other participants say. Hence, it is necessary that you listen carefully to others and then react or proceed to add some more points. Your behavior in the group is also put to test to judge whether you are a loner or can work in a group.
You should be able to convey your thoughts satisfactorily and convincingly before a group of people. Confidence and level headedness in going so is necessary. These add value to your presentation. In case you are not good at it, you might gain by joining an institute that offers specialized courses in public speaking. For instance, British Council Division's English Language Teaching Centre offers a wide range of courses like conversation skills, business communication skills. Mostly people attend these courses to improve their communication skills. Students here are involved in activities which use communication skills and teachers provide inputs, monitor and facilitate the classes. The course at the Centre makes you confident enough to speak before people without any nervousness.
Knowledge and Ideas Regarding a Given Subject: Knowledge of subject under discussion and clarity of ideas are important. Knowledge comes from consistent reading on various topics ranging from science and technology to politics. In-depth knowledge makes one confident and enthusiastic and this in turn, makes one sound convincing and confident.
Leadership and Coordinating Capabilities: The basic aim of a group discussion is to judge a candidate's preparation. Your group behavior and communication skills are on test i.e. how you convince the others and how clearly you are able to express your points of view. You should be articulate, generate ideas, not sound boring, should allow others to speak and adopt of stand on a given subject. During the course of the GD, this stand can even open to accommodate other's viewpoints. Additional marks may be given for starting or concluding the discussion.
Points to Remember
• Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances of success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics, finance, economy, science and technology is helpful.
• Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among others.
• Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
• If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack of knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might adopt the wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, may be you would be able to come with a point or two later.
• A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoid.
• A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to expressing their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion candidates can exercise their choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.
• Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.
• Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your size, not by cutting others short.
• Maintain rapport with follow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Nonverbal gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone’s viewpoint speak of you positively.
• Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't keep looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that everyone feels you are speaking to him or her.
Exchange of Thoughts: A group discussion is an exchange of thoughts and ideas among members of a group. These discussions are held for selecting personnel in organizations where there is a high level of competition. The purpose is to get an idea about candidates in a short time and make assessments about their skills which normally cannot be evaluated in an inter­ view. These skills may be team membership, leadership skills listening and articulation skills. A note is made of your contributions to the discussion, comprehension of the main idea, the rapport you strike, patience, assertion, accommodation, amenability ere. Body language and eye contact too are important points which are to be considered.
Addressing the Group as a whole: In a group discussion it is not necessary to address anyone by name. Even otherwise you may not know everyone's names. It better to address the group as a whole.
Address the person farthest from you. If he can hear you everyone else too can. Needless to add, as for the interview, attend the group discussion in formal dress. The language used should also be formal, not the language used in normal conversations. For instance, words and phrases like "yar", "chalra hai", "CP", "I dunno", etc. are out. This is not to say you should use a high sounding, pedantic language. Avoiding both, just use formal, plain and simple language. Hinglish, (mixture of Hindi and English) should be discarded. Confidence and coolness while presenting your viewpoint are on help. See that you do not keep repeating a point. Do not use more words than necessary. Do not superfluous. Try to be specific. Do not exaggerate.
Thorough Preparation: Starr making preparations for interview and group discussions right away, without waiting till the eleventh hour, this is, if and when called for them. Then the time left may not be adequate. It is important to concentrate on subject knowledge and general awareness. Hence, the prime need for thorough preparation. Remember, the competition is very tough. Only 460 candidates make it to the final list from 2.75 Lakh civil service aspirants each year.
It may so happen that you are called for interviews and group discussions from three or four organizations but are not selected by any. The reason obviously lies in your not being well prepared.
Some Facts of Group Discussion
Q. What is the normal duration of a GD?
A. A GD is generally of 25-30 minutes duration.
Q. How many panel members are there to evaluate?
A. There are usually 3-4 Panel members to evaluate.
Q. Is there time given for preparation after the topic is given and before starting the GD ?
A. Usually some time (5 minutes) is given to collect one's thought, but there could be instances when this does not happen, so it is best not to bank on this.
Q. Should one address the panel or group members?
A. Don't ever make the mistake of addressing the panel members. The GD is between you and the other members, not the panel members. You must avoid even looking at the panel members while the GD is in progress. Just ignore their existence.
Q. How should one address the other group members?
A. If you are initiating the discussion, you could do so by collectively addressing the group as "Friends". Subsequently, you could use names (if the group has had a round of self introduction prior to starting the discussion and you remember the names) or simply use pronouns like "he" or "she".
Q. Suppose one has a lot to say on the topic, should he say all of it?
A. You would not be looked upon favorable if you kept speaking all the time and did not listen to anyone else. Contrary to the misconception, the person who talks the most is not necessarily the one who is judged the best, the quality and not the quantity of your contribution is the success factor.
Q. Can one take a definite stand in the GD and then later on during the GD, switch over to another stand?
A. Yes provided you do it the right way. In a GD it is quite likely that some other participant's counter-argument convinces you to your point. If this happens, then it is best if you accept his argument and explain to the group how your previous arguments was true within a narrow range, and how the new argument is applicable to a broader range. Naturally, it is safer not to make any rash statements for or against a topic before you learn the facts of the argument. Blindly taking a stand will definitely lead you to trouble. This does not mean you should sit on the fence. You may participate actively by pointing out both sides of the issue in a reasonable and logical manner.
Q. Are we expected to stick to the normally accepted line of thought or can we come up with something radical?
A. By all means you can. It would demonstrate your creativity and originality. Just make sure it is relevant to the topic.
Q. If one feels strongly about an issue, should be voice his feelings?
A. It is important to be cool and emotionally objective in a GD. If you react emotionally you are likely to lose control over yourself during the group discussion. You have to be calm and logical, not emotional in a GD.
Q. Can one use technical terms or jargon, which is clear to him, but not to the group?
A. If you have to use technical terms, please do not use abbreviations. After mentioning the term in full take time out to explain to the group what is means. It is quite likely that other participants of the group have a different academic background from you, and you should make sure you are all on a level playing' field.
Q. Does one begin one's participation by requesting the group's permission to do so ?
A. It is not likely that you will get a chance to ask for such permission, It may also go against you (as appearing weak on your part).
Q. What is the right time to enter a GD to ensure that he is heard properly?
A. In any GD, there are crests and troughs during the discussion. The crest is when the noise level is at its peak. The trough is when there is almost total silence. Ideally, you should enter the GD during the trough period. But in competitive GDs, the crests occur more often and troughs may not occur at all. In such cases, you could identify the stages in the GD, where ideas dear to you are being discussed and enter the GD irrespective of the noise level.
Q. How does one participate which the noise level is too high?
A. You could try the following strategy Identify the most powerful speaker in the group, and note down the points that he/she is making. The moment the noise level reduces interim summary, if the discussion is already well focused.
Q. What does one do if someone else has already said what he wanted to say?
A. You have two choices:
1. Agree with the point made by that person and add on to it by displaying the applicability of the argument to different situations. By doing this you will have broadened the scope of the argument.
2. Drop the point and think of fresh points. To avoid getting into a situation where someone else has already spoken your points, do speak in the first 4-5 minutes of the GD. If you wait longer, it is almost inevitable that someone would have spoken your points.
Q. It is true that the person who speaks the most in a GD is the one who is most successful?
A. This is a myth. Generally the person who has a sound knowledge of the topic and is clear thinker speaks more. This leads the students into believing that whoever speaks most is successful. But just speaking for the sake of speaking will not take you far.
Q. Is motivating other people in the group to speak looked upon favorably?
A. Depends on how it is done. If you openly request someone to speak, you may be putting the other person in a difficult spot, and the evaluators will not look that upon favorably. It is therefore better to use other means of motivation, such as agreeing with a halting speaker, adding on to their points, implicitly supporting and giving them direction.
Q. What does one do if one member is very stubborn and aggressive?
A. You could use any of the following methods.
• Ignore him and address the other members of the group.
• Be assertive and tell him that his argument is faulty.
• Point out to him that his point is well taken and that the group must progress further by discussing the ideas presented by others.
Q. What are the acceptable ways of interrupting somebody else, so that he makes his points? '
A. You can interrupt in any of the following ways:
• "Excuse me, but I feel that what you are saying isn't universally true?
• "Yes, I agree with your idea, and I would like to add on to it?"
• "Yes, I think you are right when you say that, but could you clarify what is?"

Some essentials of Group Discussion
• Be as natural as possible. Do not try and be someone you are not. Be yourself
• A group discussion is your chance to be more vocal. The evaluator wants to hear you speak.
• Take time to organize your thoughts. Think of what you are going to say.
• Seek clarification if you have any doubts regarding the subject.
• Don't start speaking until you have clearly understood and analyzed the subject.
• Work out various strategies to help you make an entry: initiate the discussion or agree with someone else's point and then move into express your views.
• Opening the discussion is not the only way of gaining attention and recognition. If you do not valuable insights during the discussion, all your efforts of initiating the discussion will be in vain. Your body language says a lot about you-your gestures and mannerisms are more likely to reflect your attitude than what you say.
• Language skills are important only to the effect as to how you get your points across clearly and fluently.
• Be assertive not dominating; try to maintain balanced tone in your discussion and analysis.
• Don't lose your cool if anyone says anything you object to. The key is to stay objective: Don't take the discussion personally.
• Always be polite: Try to avoid using extreme phrases like: 'I strongly object' or 'I disagree'. Instead try phrases like: 'I would like to share my views on? ‘or 'One difference between Y5)Ur point and mine?' or "I beg to differ with you".
• Brush up on your leadership skills; motivate the other members of the team to speak (this surely does not mean that the only thing that you do in the GD is to say "let us hear what the young lady with the blue scarf has to say," or "Raghu, let us hear your views"-essentially be subtle, and listen to their views. Be receptive to others' opinions and do not be abrasive or aggressive.
• If you have a group of like-minded friends, you can have a mock group discussion where you can learn from each other through giving and receiving feedback.
• Apart from the above points, the panel will also judge team members for their alertness and presence of mind, problem-solving abilities, ability to work as a team without alienating certain members, and creativity.