Group Discussion

A GD 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. In this methodology, the group
of candidates is given a topic or a
situation, given a few minutes to think
about the same, and then asked to discuss
the it among themselves for 15-20
minutes. Freshersworld.com brings you
an elaborate section for GD as you had
ever seen anywhere else.

Some of the personality traits the GD is

trying to gauge may include :-

Ability to work in a team

Communication skills
Reasoning ability
Leadership skills
Initiative
Assertiveness
Flexibility
Creativity
Ability to think on ones feet

Group Discussion session is an important

part of the company selection and
admission procedure followed by the B-
Schools worldwide. This session is
conducted to analyze the ability of the
candidates to think on a situation and
present their views on the respective
subject. This examination also helps the
examiners judge the ability of the
applicants to perform in groups.
Participants in a Group Discussion are
always advised to practice group
discussion sessions, so that they can
come out with their best foot forward on
the day of the examination. Group
discussion topics are carefully selected
from various fields to judge the qualities
of the candidates.

Topics that are selected for group

discussion are chosen from various fields
like sports, politics, social issues,
environmental issues and current events.
It is always difficult to guess the group
discussion topics as it can be chosen from
any field of work. However, students are
always advised to read a lot of
newspapers and business magazines to
stay aware of the current events and
happenings. Participants might not
possess thorough information about the
GD topics, but common sense and
familiarity with the issue can be of great
help during the time of group discussion.
This always helps to present your ideas in
a proper manner.
In order to contribute meaningfully in the
verbal test, it is essential for you to go
through newspapers and other articles
available online on a regular basis. Most
of the GD topics are selected from
current events, so profound knowledge
on the recent issues is a must. You can
also collect various group discussion
topics online and start preparing yourself.
This would help you build your
confidence for the upcoming session. The
examiners are there to see your
psychological poise and temperament
during the examination. You need to be
confident about yourself and be smart
and clear while presenting your ideas on
the subject.

Why GDs:-
The reason why institutes and companies
put you through a Group discussion and
an interview, after testing your technical
and conceptual skills in an exam, is to get
to know you as a person and gauge how
well you will fit in their institute or
Company. The Group discussion tests
how you function as a part of a team. As
a manager, you will always be working in
teams, as a member or as a leader.
Therefore how you interact in a team
becomes an important criterion for your
selection. Managers have to work in a
team and get best results out of
teamwork. That is the reason why
management institutes include GD as a
component of the selection procedure.

Company’s Perspective:-
Companies conduct group discussion
after the written test so as to check on
your interactive skills and how good you
are at communicating with other people.
The GD is to check how you behave,
participate and contribute in a group, how
much importance do you give to the
group objective as well as your own, how
well do you listen to viewpoints of others
and how open-minded are you in
accepting views contrary to your own.
The aspects which make up a GD are
verbal communication, non-verbal
behavior, conformation to norms,
decision-making ability and cooperation.
You should try to be as true as possible to
these aspects.

1. Team Player
It is essential for managers to be team
players.
The reason: Managers always work in
teams.
At the beginning of his(manager) career,
a manager works as a team member. And,
later, as a team leader.
Management aspirants who lack team
skills cannot be good managers.
2. Reasoning Ability
Reasoning ability plays an important role
while expressing your opinions or ideas
at a GD.
For example, on India\’s growth and its
effect\’s:
Any Answer for this should be based on
reasons, not assumptions.

3. Leadership
There are three types of situations that
can arise in a GD:
~ A GD where participants are unable to
establish a proper rapport and do not
speak much.
~ A GD where participants get
emotionally charged and the GD gets
chaotic.
~ A GD where participants discuss the
topic assertively by touching on all its
nuances and try to reach the objective.
Here, a leader would be someone who
facilitates the third situation at a GD.
A leader would have the following
qualities:
~S/he shows direction to the group
whenever group moves away from the
topic.
~S/he coordinates the effort of the
different team members in the GD.
~S/he contributes to the GD at regular
intervals with valuable insights.
~S/he also inspires and motivates team
members to express their views.
Caution: Being a mere coordinator in a
GD does not help, because it is a
secondary role.
Contribute to the GD with your ideas and
opinions, but also try and steer the
conversation towards a goal.

4. Flexibility
You must be open to other ideas as well
as to the evaluation of your ideas: That is
what flexibility is all about.
But first, remember: Never ever start
your GD with a stand or a conclusion.

Say the topic of a GD is, \’Should India

Ban night work for Women at night
hours?\’

Some participants tend to get emotionally

attached to the topic and take a stand
either in favour or against the topic,
ie \’Yes, India should\’, or, \’No, India
should not\’.
By taking a stand, you have already given
your decision without discussing the
topic at hand or listening to the views of
your team members.
Also, if you encounter an opposition with
a very strong point at the 11th hour, you
end up in a typical catch-22 situation:
~If you change your stand, you are seen
as a fickle-minded or a whimsical person.
~If you do not change your stand, you are
seen as an inflexible, stubborn and
obstinate person.

5. Assertiveness
You must put forth your point to the
group in a very emphatic, positive and
confident manner.
Participants often confuse assertiveness
with aggressiveness.
Aggressiveness is all about forcing your
point on the other person, and can be a
threat to the group. An aggressive person
can also demonstrate negative body
language, whereas an assertive person
displays positive body language.

6. Initiative
A general trend amongst students is to
start a GD and get the initial kitty of
points earmarked for the initiator.
But that is a high risk-high return
strategy.
Initiate a GD only if you are well versed
with the topic. If you start and fail to
contribute at regular intervals, it gives the
impression that you started the GD just
for the sake of the initial points.
Also, if you fumble, stammer or misquote
facts, it may work against you.
Remember: You never ever get a second
chance to create a first impression.

7. Creativity/ Out of the box thinking

An idea or a perspective which opens
new horizons for discussion on the GD
topic is always highly appreciated.
When you put across a new idea
convincingly, such that it is discussed at
length by the group, it can only be
positive.
You will find yourself in the good books
of the examiner.
8. Inspiring ability
A good group discussion should
incorporate views of all the team
members.
If some team members want to express
their ideas but are not getting the
opportunity to do so, giving them an
opportunity to express their ideas or
opinions will be seen as a positive trait.
Caution: If a participant is not willing to
speak, you need not necessarily go out of
the way to ask him to express his views.
This may insult him and hamper the flow
of the GD.

9. Listening
Always try and strike a proper balance
between expressing your ideas and
imbibing ideas.

10. Awareness
You must be well versed with both the
micro and macro environment.
Your awareness about your environment
helps a lot in your GD content, which
carries maximum weightage.

What skills are judged in group

discussion?

* 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.
* Your attitude and confidence.
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OR
Types of GD’s:-
Types of Group Discussions

There are roughly four types of group

discussion topics:
 • Factual speech topics
• Controversial and
argumentative issues
• Abstract discussion material
• Case studies

Factual topics for a group are – as the

word says – about facts. This is a sample
list of speech topics on current issues and
facts:

1. Conspiracy is a very common

form of political behaviour.
2. The pros and cons of having a
credit card.
3. A chain gang is a modern form of
slavery.
4. Why drinking and driving is
dangerous to yourself and others.
5. Passive smoking is equally
harmful.
 6. The economic boycott causes
most of the problems in Cuba.
7. International trade barriers work.
8. City curfews help to prevent
juvenile crime and to protect
youth from victimization.
9. The U.N. is mainly based on
diplomacy and enhancing
relationships.
10. Affirmative action draws people
to work they never considered
before.

A controversial group discussion topic is

a speech topic that has many
controversies, pros and cons. Keep in
mind that all current group discussion
topics are not my opinion, but just a
sample list of speech topics!
1. Sustainable urban living without
the use of excessive natural
resources must be our future.
2. Are there extraterrestrials who
influence events on Earth?
3. Marijuana has a medical value.
4. Direct mail is a special form of
junk mail.
5. The pros and cons of a female
President.
6. Online dating chats have nothing
to do with a search for a soul
mate.
7. Should schools distribute
condoms?
8. Most people support embryonic
stem cell research.
9. Life imprisonment is a good
alternative to capital punishment.
10. What is wrong with child labor?
Abstract group discussion topics are
things that cannot be touched, not be
easily defined or formulated. Just think in
a creative manner and start a vivid group
discussion with one of these abstract
topics to talk about:

1. The Nostradamus Code

2. Breast Implants
3. Bribery in Business
4. Computer Viruses
5. Bigamy
6. Hidden Persuaders
7. Moral Majority
8. The Hippocratic Oath
9. Political Correctness
10. Vegetarianism

The fourth type of group discussion

topics are so-called case studies. You
determine a problem and together with
the other group members you have to
find a satisfying solution. These are small
group discussion topic ideas. Just modify
and alter where necessary, these are just
guiding light topic ideas:

1. Leadership – What necessary

changes are needed in your
community organization and how
do you want to lead the process?
2. Malpractice Insurance – Doctors
walk out on the job to protest the
rising malpractice insurance costs.
What to do about it?
3. Work Ethics – Can we shape
workers who have the sense that
they serve the company ánd
community?
4. School Violence – What are the
real causes of violence and
bullying in Schools?
5. Recycling – Sort out how to make
money with recycling.
 6. Dropouts – Individual attention in
safe schools and smaller classes;
is that the way to stop students to
drop out?
7. Iraq – What are the best exit
strategies?
8. Speech Privacy – What are the
best technologies to safeguard the
right of free speech privacy on the
internet?
9. Minimum Wage – Why should
we have a minimum wage or why
not?
10. Burnout – Should everybody
check his or herself of burnout
signs? How?

Tip: try to make an inventory of various

angles of view and opinions of the group
discussion topics.
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Or
Roles In a GD:-
Roles in a GD
ROLES THE CANDIDATES CAN
PLAY IN GD

The major roles a candidates can play in

a GD are as compiled below. You can
classify all people in a GD into these. The
first three roles are the positive roles that
one can play in a GD and the next three
roles are the negative roles. It is quite
possible that a candidate plays more than
one role in the same GD. The more a
candidate sticks to the positive roles the
better are the chances of his/her selection.
The negative roles should be avoided and
as soon as you realise that you are being
seen as a negative role player you should
try to mend your ways and switch over to
a positive role at the earliest.

INITIATOR : Initiator as the names

suggest is the person who sets the ball
rolling. One must start the discussion if
he/she has mastery over the subject being
discussed or if he/she believes that she
can do justice to the subject topic.
Starting the discussion just for the sake of
it may put you in soup. When you start
the discussion there are very high
chances that you get enough time to
speak before you are interrupted by
others. During this period chances of a
chaos are very less and the evaluator has
his full focus on you. You if you speak
well you score some brownie points
there, but if you don’t meet the evaluator
expectation you are likely to give a bad
impression and remember the evaluator
has his undivided attention to what you
are saying.

CO-ORDINATOR : The co-ordinator

usually makes sure that each and every
who is willing to speaks get a chance to
speak. He is the one who takes the group
out of a chaos in case a heated argument
between two group members. He is
usually the one who summarises the
discussion at the end and in between
helps others in putting the thought across.
This is a very risky role to play as other
candidates may not be happy as you
trying to co-ordinate the whole event as
presenting yourself as the leader of the
group. If you have the human tacking
skills and knowledge on the subject being
discussed you are a sure shot winner if
you play this role. You also need to be a
good listener to play this role.

NATURAL LEADERS : Speaks

elegantly on the subject, does not argue
with others just for the sake of it,
influences others with his mannerism and
speech. Listens to what others are saying,
accepts and encourages others to come
out with different view points, provides
relevant data and information to help
others convey their points. Others are
comfortable to follow the guidelines laid
by him. The Co-ordinator usually looks
to him at time of need and when the
situation really gets out of control. This
role can be adopted by person who has in
depth knowledge, a balanced personality,
clarity thoughts and ability to convey his
thoughts in words . Highly recommended
to UrPercentile.com members.

ANTAGONISER : This person assigns

himself or someone else as the chairman
of the group at the start of the discussion,
starts giving orders to other, is a poor
listener, tries to control the time duration
each candidate speaks, shouts at others
when they don’t listen to him/her, flaunts
his past experience or education
qualification, is dogmatic in expressing
his views, uses intimidating gestures
while talking and so on. If you play this
role you are sure to be out of the game.
This role is NOT Recommended for
UrPercentile.com members.

FICKLER : He speaks for the sake of

speaking, agrees with anyone and
everyone. Contradicts his own
statements, fails to present his ideas in a
cohesive manner, lack rhythm in his
speech, gets too emotional during the
speech, abruptly starts talking when
others are presenting their views or
abruptly stops half way while talking.
This role is NOT Recommended to
UrPercentile.com members.

STUPID: Takes no initiative to presents

his/her views, is nervous, does not take
any responsibility, is devoid of ideas,
tries to find excuses for not contributing,
pretends to be good listener and just
repeats what other members said thus not
contributing anything positive to the
group.

Have a Question on Roles in a

GD !!! Simply ask at our MBA forums!

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OR
GD Strategies
A group discussion can be categorically
divided into three different phases:

i. Initiation/ Introduction

ii. Body of the group discussion

iii. Summarisation/ Conclusion

Initiation Techniques

Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss

strategy.

When you initiate a GD, you not only

grab the opportunity to speak, you also
grab the attention of the examiner and
your fellow candidates.In most GD’s the
opening speaker is the person who is
likely to get the maximum uninterrupted
airtime. The reason is simple – at the start
most other participants in the GD are still
trying to understand the basic issues in
the topic, or are too nervous to speak and
are waiting for someone else to start.

Therefore the evaluators get the best

chance to observe the opening speaker.
Now this is a double edged sword. If the
opening speaker talks sense naturally he
will get credit because he opened and
took the group in the right direction. If on
the other hand the first speaker doesn’t
have too much sense to say, he will
attract the undivided attention of the
evaluators to his shortcomings. He will
be marked as a person who speaks
without thinking merely for the sake of
speaking. As someone who leads the
group in the wrong direction and does not
make a positive contribution to the group.
If you can make a favourable first
impression with your content and
communication skills after you initiate a
GD, it will help you sail through the
discussion. But if you initiate a GD and
stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and
figures, the damage might be irreparable.

If you initiate a GD impeccably but don’t

speak much after that, it gives the
impression that you started the GD for
the sake of starting it or getting those
initial kitty of points earmarked for an
initiator!

If you feel that the topic of discussion is

simple and your cup of tea you can seize
the opportunity to initiative the
discussion. You will get the maximum
uninterrupted airtime and the evaluators
usually observe the first speaker with
great interest and attention and you will
also get the opportunity of taking the
group in the right direction.

Summarisation Techniques

Most GDs do not really have

conclusions. A conclusion is where the
whole group decides in favour or against
the topic.

But every GD is summarised. You can

summarise what the group has discussed
in the GD in a nutshell.

Keep the following points in mind while

summarising a discussion:

* Avoid raising new points.

* Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
* Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of
the GD.
* Keep it brief and concise.
* It must incorporate all the important
points that came out during the GD.
* If the examiner asks you to summarise
a GD, it means the GD has come to an
end. Do not add anything once the GD
has been summarised.

Group Discussion Strategies:

You should have a complete grasp of the
subject knowledge and be adept in the art
of positive argument and also be a
persuasive communicator. Secondly, you
should attempt to resolve the
Contradiction, paving the way for an
effective consensus and thus carry the
participants with you. Above all, your
contribution should be meaningful. It is
the quality or relevant talk that matters
and not the frequent interruptions and
long winding and loud talk.
It is important for you to make sure the
group is stimulated. One of the things
you will want to focus on is choosing the
right people to participate in the
discussion. In most cases, this will be the
task of the moderator.

If you assume the de facto leadership of

the group, you may meet with stiff
resistance from other members. Hence
you have to be extremely careful and
assess your support in the group and then
take up the role of a leader.

Suppose, as an opening speaker, you

don’t speak sensibly, you will get the
undivided attention of the evaluators to
your flaws and pitfalls. Hence speaking
first. is fraught with high-risk and high-
gain consequences. Finally, your grade
depends not only on your verbal
communication but nonverbal skills as
well. Your body language like
expressions, eye contact and movement
of your hand is sure to fetch a favourable
score.

It is also important to make sure you

never judge people based on their
appearance. This is a mistake that can be
made by the leader as well as the other
members. Often, the appearance of a
person will not have an effect on their
ability to contribute to the discussion. In
addition to appearance, an emphasis
should also not be placed on the
educational background of the
participants. Just because a member does
not have advanced degrees is not a sign
that they are not valuable. Obviously, the
ideal group discussion will be composed
of people who are educated and
attractive. However, fantasy and reality
are two different things, and these
attributes are not crucially relevant in a
group discussion.

Everything should be organized and

prepared. A lack of organization will
convey a bad message to the other
members, and this is something you will
want to avoid. If the members of the
group need to be organized for the
discussion, it is important for you to let
them know this beforehand. If you don’t
communicate with them effectively, it
can cause a number of problems.

Have a Question on GD
Strategies !!! Simply ask at our MBA
forums!

If you feel that we have missed any

thing or have included wrong
Information for GD Strategies, please
add to the information using the
comment form. We would be thankful if
you help improve the information present
in this page by leaving your comments.