Group

Discussion
 GD- Design
Objectives of Group Discussion
Definition of Group Discussion
Group Discussion
Why group testing?
Factors that matter in GD
Do’s and Don’ts in Group Discussion
Suggestions
Administrative Details
Topics of importance frequently discussed
 Objective
Students will participate actively in a group
setting
Students will share their knowledge with
others
Students will improve their communication
skills
Students will think as a team and find a
solution to a given problem
Students will impress the employers to get a
job
Definition of Group Discussion
Group Discussion is a modern
method of assessing students
personality.
It is both a technique and an art
and a comprehensive tool to judge
the worthiness of the student and
his appropriateness for the job.
WHAT IS GROUP DISCUSSION?
 Nowadays Group Discussion is being extensively
used along with personal interviews for the final
selection of candidates.
 It plays a main role in selecting the best among
the best. Having scored high marks, students who
get selected for a higher/another course or
employment are placed on a par - on equal footing
- based on their age, qualification and experience.
 It becomes necessary to conduct further
screening for choosing a few among many. It is
here, the Group Discussion plays an important
part.
 It helps in choosing the socially suitable candidate
among the academically superior achievers.
Features Of Group Discussion
It is an exchange of ideas among the
individuals of a group on a specific topic.
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.
 Group Discussion
It refers to the situation where a
particular number of people (three to
eight) meet face to face and through
free oral interaction, originate, share
and discuss ideas to arrive at a
decision or solution to a problem.
Group discussions are used for
decision-making and problem solving.
They are also used widely as a
personality test for evaluating several
candidates simultaneously.
 NATURE AND SCOPE
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.
Categories of Group Discussion
Organizational group
discussions
Group discussions as a part of
a selection process.
The Nominal Group technique
 Restricts discussion or interpersonal
communication during the decision-making
process

 Though group members are all physically

present as in a tradition committee
they operate
meeting,
independently
 Structure

The group sits in circle or U-shape

They may either be given their choice
of seat or seat allotted.
This panel observes and evaluates
Evaluation Components
During a GD employers evaluate
potential for leadership and ability to
work in a team.
The four components generally
evaluated in a group discussion are:
 Knowledge
 Communication skills
 Group behaviour
 Leadership potential
Communication Skills
Candidate assessed in terms of:

Active listening
Clarity of thought and expression
Apt language
body language
Lucidity
Tone: Quality or character of the voice
expression a particular feeling or mood
Voice: Power of speech
Articulation: Act of speaking or
expressing an idea in words
Fluency: Speaking or writing in an
easy, flowing style
Modulation: Variations in rate, tone,
or volume of voice
Good delivery: The ideas expressed
fluently in the right voice, right tone,
and right articulation.
It isn’t sufficient to have ideas. They have to
be expressed effectively.
Apt Language
o Fluency and accuracy in use of
language free from grammatical errors.
o Directly, clearly and precisely put
ideas in a organized fashion.
o Simplicity and unambigusity
o Using too much of jargon or high-
sounding words or ambiguous
expressions may project as a show-off
and may not endear to group members.
Effective Use of Body Language
 Looking attentively at the speaker and
nodding
 While speaking, ensuring no one is
ignored. Looking at everybody.
 Avoiding overt gestures
 Avoiding pointing out fingers
 Avoiding monotonous posture by shifting
slightly in the chair or placing arm on the
back of your chair
 Not showing interest or dislike in the
topic.
 Even if one does not like the topic he
should try to develop interest and reveal
interest and enthusiasm through
appropriate facial expression.
Group Behaviour ( Team Spirit)
group behaviour is reflected in ability to
interact with other members of the group
on brief acquaintance.
Emotional maturity and balance
promotes good interpersonal
relationships. One is expected to be
more people centric and less ego
centric.
Remaining objective, empathetic, and
non-threatening, and behaving maturely
as a good team player
 Essence
Consistency participation
Keenness in listening and observing
Time sharing and orderly conduct
Ability to handle turbulent situations
Ability to cut excessively exuberant
participants down to size
Ability to dominate the proceedings
without bullying others
Avoiding personal comments
Leadership Skills
o The success of any team depends to a
large extent, on its leader.
o The candidate who possesses both
functional ability and coordinating ability
would emerge as the leader.
o Functional ability involves knowledge,
mental and physical energy, emotional
stability, objectivity, communication skill,
integrity and emotional intelligence
 Dos
Sitting comfortably Keeping track of

Listening to topic time

Sharing time fairly
Organizing ideas
Maintaining eye
Speaking at the earliest
contact
Identifying supporters/
Taking notes
opponents
Aiming for summary
if needed
 Don’ts
 Moving excessively
Being in a hurry
 Throwing all ideas at one
Being silent
shot
Dominating
 Speaking fast
vocally/physically
 Digressing
Assuming role of
 Indulging in ill conversation
chairman
 Paying attention to bull
Introducing topic
dozers
Taking extreme stance
 Using slang
Looking at faculty
 Getting emotional
Questions…