MODULE-111: GROUP DISCUSION

DEFINITION: GROUP DISCUSSION

A “Discussion" is the process whereby two or more people exchange information

or ideas in a face-to-face situation to achieve a goal.

 It is a tool to measure one’s

 behavioral
 emotional and
 psychological attributes

GD : AIMS AT
 Written test:…..tests the knowledge only
 Interview:…….. insight into EQ and IQ
 GD: ………..tests the interpersonal skills

1) One’s ability to meaningfully contribute to team’s goal

2) Working under stress

3) Analytical thinking capability and presence of mind

WHY GD IS IMPORTANT?

 It helps evaluate whether a candidate is fit for the organisation.

 It helps assess the performance under different situations.
 It helps to judge how one manoeuvres his/her ideas
 It helps to analyse the candidate’s attitude
 It helps to analyse interpersonal skills, listening ability,
 Humility and tolerance to others ideas.
  It helps to analyse leadership and managerial skills, problem-solving
aptitude, creative thinking and knowledge on diverse topics.
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

Here are 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

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
 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.

The Importance of Non-Verbal Cues in a Group discussion

Non-verbal Communication: This means of communication may include facial

expression, body language, sitting posture and eye contact, etc. But this mode of
communication can be little tricky. If it is misunderstood, it can be disastrous.
Hence, it is essential to use this mode of communication sensibly.

Eye contact: is a type of body language that is extremely important during

communication and conversation. Sometimes, our eyes and body language speak
even more than words. Keeping eye contact with the person you are talking
to shows that you are actively listening and paying attention.

Whether we realize it or not, we use our eyes as a form of communication at all

times. Even actions like avoiding eye contact show a person has something to hide.
Police officers can even use them to tell if someone is lying or not.
People are often uncomfortable giving eye contact due to shyness or anxiety. These
same people might show other signs of shyness like a slight stutter, sweating, and
blushing.

Your Voice Tone/Pitch: This also sets the tone of the discussion in a right or
wrong manner. I met some people whose normal voice seems like they are arguing
with someone whereas some people may have a very feeble voice and you might
find it difficult to listen to them properly. Your voice is also an important aspect as
to how loud or how low your voice is.
Facial Expression: Our entire face is very expressive if we know how to utilize it
in a correct way. All the feelings including sadness, happiness, anger, disgust, fear,
panic – all are visible on our face only to an extent. Our face is capable of showing
many feelings and emotions. So, your frowning and shrinking of eyebrows will
show it all whether or not you are in support of the point.
Hand Movements/Gestures: Suppose someone is giving a presentation, but his
hands are pulled behind tightly and closed. How would it look like? It will seem as
if he has just gobbled all the information and throwing it out. Will you feel
interested in such presentation? Probably not. So, moderate hand movements and
gestures will make others feel that you yourself are well aware of the topic that you
are going to present.
Do’s and Don’ts in a Group Discussion

 Make sure your first entry is well planned. The first impression goes a long
way in establishing your credentials. Enter the discussion with a strategy,
rather than a random input.
 If you are the first speaker understand the difference between starting and
initiating the discussion. Initiating is about imparting an overall direction to
the discussion and panning out an agenda for the group. Starting is merely
speaking for the sake of speaking.
 Establish eye contact with the key participants, but do not ignore the other
participants. While the active participants need to be acknowledged more
frequently, the passive ones should not be completely overlooked. You may
follow Pareto’s 80-20 rule here, with 80% of the attention being given to the
key participants and the balance 20% being given to the other lot.

 Use a strong voice, clear diction and correct grammar. This gives you an
operational advantage.
 Try getting as many likes as possible. Eventually the discussion boils down
to group dynamics and collaboration. Creating likeability may help you to
navigate more effectively through the course of the discussion. However this
doesn’t imply lack of constructive arguments wherever required.
 Do take counter arguments gracefully and display good listening skills,
projecting you as a good learner.
 Do present yourself as a team player with an ability to balance individual
excellence and group performance. The group discussion is not just about
your perspective; you have to respond to the others’ perspectives as well and
enlarge the scope of the discussion.
  Address group members with respect and dignity. This shows professional
courtesy and etiquettes.
 When asked to conclude, summarize the main points of discussion. The
conclusion is not about what you feel about the topic; it is about what the
group felt as a whole. This needs reference to the main points which
emanated in that span and the overall stand of the group.
 Maintain a calm and balanced disposition throughout the discussion. This
demonstrates your ability to manage stress effectively.

Go through the list of things to avoid so as to crack a GD:

 Don’t start for the sake of starting. This may project you as an impulsive
person with lack of planning and organizing skills, which totally discounts
your candidature for a management program.
 Don’t speak randomly without a plan and structure. This may give an
impression to the panel that you are speaking and not adding any value to
the discussion.
 Don't be arrogant, overaggressive or vain. This may evince a negative
attitude with poor interpersonal skills.
 Don't show a lack of attention or energy. This may show that you are
indifferent to the task at hand. Kindly appreciate that energy is the capacity
for doing work and any compromise on adequate energy levels will portray
you as someone who is not task driven.
 Don't look at only the key speakers in the discussion. It is your responsibility
to respect all members of the group. The key speakers should definitely be
given more attention, but this should not imply that the passive speakers are
totally neglected.
 Don't condemn or severely criticize anyone’s view point. Everyone has a
right to his/her opinion. It is possible that some members of the group get
aggressive while expressing themselves but they need to be managed in a
certain other way.
  Don't indulge in cross discussions when the main discussion is in progress.
This amounts to transgression and does not conform with formal etiquettes.

Role play and simulations

Forms of experiential learning that allow students to explore concepts,

practice skills, relate to others, see multiple perspectives, and engage in
various modes of learning in the classroom.

Role of Participants in a Group Discussion

Starting point: You will notice that in the group, there will be some member who
likes to initiate. One who is confident enough to start the discussion and set the
tone right at the very first beginning is called the initiator. This position is a bit
risky. If you are the one who is starting the discussion you have to be extra
conscious. But do not think that if you have begun the discussion, you will keep
your mouth shut during the whole conversation. You have to be active throughout
the discussion.
Clear Facts: Few members of the group will be data driven. They provide precise
data and facts and support their statement with statistics. They provide all the data
in a logical manner and make their point stronger with facts. But it is also true that
with only data you cannot win a discussion. You have to believe in those figures
and put your mind enough to interpret it well. And yes...all your facts should be
clear and truthful.
Controller: Some members in the group like to control the discussion. They think
whatever they are saying should be approved by others as well which may or may
not be the case. Others in the group can very well disagree to the point you are
putting forth.
Moderate Referee: This category of the people acts as a coordinator. They ensure
that each member gets sufficient time and chance to speak. When an argument gets
heated up, they try to keep them calm and bring to a normal discussion by helping
others putting across their words. This person is generally a good listener but might
not be taken very favorably by others lest he should take all the leadership.
Born Leaders: They are born to lead. They do not have to put in much effort to
lead a team. Their voice, their calm head, their gestures say it all. They do not fall
in the trap of arguing rather support their points by strong logic, facts, and
adequate examples. They have the ability to manage the flow of discussion and
give it a right direction. Towards the end, a leader summarizes the entire discussion
and squeeze out the conclusion.
Provocative: This person considers himself All in All. They give orders to others
in the group and want everyone to act according to them. Sometimes they are
annoying and provoke others with a high pitch or irritating voice. They eat up time
of others by saying something which is not so relevant to the topic. They are poor
listener and cannot comprehend what other’s points are.
Fault Finder: There are some group members who intentionally find fault in
everything that the other person is saying. They have objection on anything and
everything about other’s pint of view. They criticize almost every other point.
Followers: This is just contrary to the above-mentioned category – fault finder or
criticizer. This category of people generally agree and support other’s point. They
show their agreement by nodding their head or with some other gesture which
normally means that they cannot agree more to the point. This kind of people
generally do not score well as they do not show their own significant points and
logics and merely depend on other’s views
Question Mark: This kind of people, always question others. He/she sometimes
irritate other group members by questioning even for a simple understood fact.
Rather than putting their own opinions, they tend to interrogate and raise a
question in other’s points.
Stopwatch: These kinds of people are quite interesting to observe. During the
discussion, they just do not get swayed by the flow of topic, rather keep a check on
every other aspect, such as how much time has passed, how much time is still left,
who all have had the chance to give their opinions and who have not, etc. They are
keen to maintain the order and dignity. But it is better for these category people to
come up with their own impactful views.
Aggressive: These members easily get annoyed and get antagonistic at times. They
care less about other’s points, sentiments, feelings, and values. They attack
verbally in their counterparts and harsh in their tone.
Audience/Viewer: They do not have their own substantial views and opinions.
They hardly speak up and hardly make any difference. They just see and listen
what others are speaking and never put their own views forward.
Indecisive: This category of people are unlikely to get selected as they are very
much indecisive and having a fickle mind. They sometimes contradict their own
words and statements. They are unable to express their ideas in an organized
manner. They also get too emotional during the conversation and unnecessarily
divert the topic from the main point. They agree or disagree with anyone and
everyone.
Capturer: This kind of people record every point what others are saying. They
take down notes and facts, details, etc. They can be referred later on when someone
in the group has forgotten any point.
The Settler: They can be referred as Harmonizer and can find a mid-way of any
problem. They avoid extremes and contribute in releasing tension within the group
when an argument heats up.
Gist Maker: This defines the position as someone who summarized the entire
discussion and draws some valid conclusion through the topic of group discussion.
Blockhead: This kind of group members does not take any initiative to present
their views. They are lacing innovative or rather any ideas, opinions and logical
views. They do not contribute any positively to the group.