Group Discussion consists of two words; group and discussion.
It is a type of discussion where a group of people come together to share their ideas on a particular topic. For a better understanding of “What is Group Discussion”, we need to know what actually these 2 words mean ‘Group’ and ‘Discussion’.
A group is a collection of people who have something in common or work together for a common goal. Discussion is a process where 2 or more people exchange their thoughts and ideas on a given topic or subject matter.
Note: A Person’s personality, behavior, and thoughts while working in a group are evaluated through group discussions.
It is one of the important tools used by schools, colleges, or institutions. To select candidates for admissions, scholarships, jobs, etc., where a topic is presented to the group members for discussion.
The panelists sit there to notice and judge their intellectual, social, leadership, and communicative behaviors. They do this to compare perspectives and understand personality traits or skills that they desire.
For recruitments in MNC jobs, admission in some Institutions and B- Schools, campus placements GD interviews are more often relied on scaling your knowledge in the respective field and your capabilities as a leader or a member. Evaluation is in the form of a report that is prepared by the panelists at the end of the discussion.
Related Topics: 10+ Trending Group Discussion Topics
Process of Group Discussion
Applicants will be informed about the GD topic which will discussed among the group of candidates for a fixed duration. A little time is also allotted to enable them to gather ideas and information on the said topic. The time is limited so it is left upon the group to manage the time during the discussion.
Skills panelists look for in GD
Here are few personality traits that are appreciated by the panel:
- Leadership skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Team building skills
- Logical and reasoning ability
- Initiative
- Creativity
- assertiveness
- Motivational skills
- Thinking out of the box
The reason why you are put through GDs by the institutes even after testing your technical and conceptual skills is to know if you fit well in their environment. How you interact and learn from the people around you and to see how as a manager in future, you can excel.
The companies conduct GDs to know more about your personality. They primarily want to focus on how you communicate with other people, how open-minded are you, your participation skills and how can you contribute to the groups of organizations.
So prepare for GD by working on your verbal communication, adherence to the norms, cooperation, and non-verbal behaviors.
How to Crack a GD?
Be Positive
Having a positive attitude reflects confidence. But do not be dominating in the process of establishing your point. Be sure of using positive gestures and language through the discussion.
Initiative
If you have a fair knowledge of the topic assigned, go ahead and initiate the discussion. Having a lesser understanding of the subject may also get you caught, so take a step ahead to make an initiative and with a well thought out start, you can create the right impression.
Eye Contact
Maintainingeye contact with the members of the group throughout the conversation gets a positive vibe to the evaluators. When you fail to make eye contact with your listeners, you look less believable, and confident. People stop looking at you and stop listening.
Let Others Also Speak
Do notinterrupt someone while speaking, instead make your notes and discuss once the person has finished. Try to get quiet members included in the discussion by asking then their opinions.
Listen
Having good listening ability pays off. Understanding exactly what others are pointing to makes the point clear to frameanintelligible conversation. When it is your chance to speak, be polite, and sensible.
Do Not Get into Excess Details
Keep your points precise and try to sum up your subject analysis with sufficient words. Since there is time limit avoid moving off the track from the topic and goal. Always try to get the conversation back on track. This will reflect upon your abilities to stay focused.
Finally, structure and summarize all the points to present your final take on the subject.
