Group Discussion Enablers

8/7/2019 Group Discussion Enablers

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Group DiscussionsPritima KaushalEnablers

[email protected]


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What is a GD

Its a discussion by a group of

people which involves an

exchange of thoughts and ideas.It is largely used by institutes where

there is a high level of competition.


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The most popular, reliable and

dominant medium, in the list ofbattery

of personality tests used today forselection of candidates and executives

for managerial appointments,


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A typical GD involves 8 to 12 participants sitting in a circle or

semicircle discussing a topic for a stipulated time, usually for 10

to 15 minutes.

Usually 2-5 minutes is given to group members to collect ones

thoughts.

Sometime no time is given, so it is best not to bank on this

There are usually 3-4 members in the panel to evaluate.


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Objectives of a group

discussion It helps the selectors to shortlist the

candidates that are applying for the

position in the company or seeking admission

in an educational institute.

The selection panel is able to assess certain

traits and skills of the candidates whichare not possible to observe in application

form ,cv , written examination or interview.


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Objective of the group discussions is not to judge

the information that the students have on the

group discussion topics but it is to judge the

ability of the students to deal with the topic.

The temperament and psychological poise of the

person is of more importance than the

information they share about the topics.


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Most GDs follow one of the threeformats: Structured, Unstructured,or Specialized.


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1. Regular Structured GDs:

Here the time limits and topic isdefined.

No consensus expected at the end. No leader is to be selected for

facilitating the process. These are easier to handle. Topics

chosen are usually general and do notrequire technical knowledge.


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2. Unstructured GDs: Choosing a leader is mandatory

Group may be asked to propose a

topic, discuss it and reach aconsensus.

Group has to reach a consensus at

the end of the GD.


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3. Specialized GDs: Role-plays or scripted GDs where the candidates

are given a certain brief about a role that they

need to play. Examples A business situation where to companies are negotiating

a deal may be used. Candidates would be given theprofile of the two CEOs, marketing Manager, HRmanagers, advisors, and a neutral entity like a

consultant. Candidates could be given the role of the five Pandavas

and the main Kauravas negotiating the distribution oftheir kingdom in 20th century setting.


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A selector may evaluate you

on the following parameters Initiative Did the candidate speak at all? Did he speak sense?

Is he a good communicator? Knowledge / awareness level? Analytical skills. Did he provide leadership to the group? Is he a team player? Is he a good listener? Does he understand, appreciates and

respect others view point?


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Tips

Speaking is important, do not remain silent

Do not monopolize the discussion.

Give everyone a chance to speak.

Maintain eye contact with every one. Show active listening skills

Do not interrupt anyone, let them finish

their sentence. Keep the topic on the track, dont go in to

irrelevant path.


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Tips Encourage people who are silent, shy.

Do not argue with anyone person.

Do not debate with any one person while

the group members are looking at you. Do not repeat what has already been said

instead build on that idea.

Clarify what you have not understood andthen talk on it.


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Some TIPS Starting the discussion is considered to be good

however it isnt a must;

Maintain your calm and never get aggressive.

If you havent been able to talk then one can cut in saying Excuse me,

but what I think is . or something of that sort.

Never lose your temper Never attack anyone on a personal front.

Attitude should be one of cooperation and not one of conflict.

Dont lose sight of the goal of the discussion.

Listen to any criticism and give it a thoughtbefore tryingto defend your views.


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Roles in Group Discussion

1. Mr. Brain :

o He brings in a lot of substance and comes up with wideinterpretations of the topic.

o It is difficult to stop him, as he is preoccupied with topicdiscussion as opposed to group discussion.

2. Shopkeeper:o He is the sales man who can sell anything, has the gift of

the gab, a very strong ability to relate to people and be atthe centre of things.

o He does not usually come up with original thoughtshimself.Needs Mr. Brains to feed him with readymadeideas that he can sell.


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3. Watchman :

o His role is to maintain order in the group, usually contentis low.

o Pre-occupied with directing the group process such ascontrolling entry and exit of participants.

o He is crucial for meeting time commitments made to thepanel. Especially, in ensuring consensus.

4. The Butcher:

o Does great service to the group by enhancing the qualityof content by not letting participants get away with justabout anything.

o Is most welcome in a group which has one or twoaggressive elements in it.


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5. Critic :He criticizes everybodys points without contributing anything

new.

6. The Spectator or The Passenger :

Is involved in the proceedings but plays a limited role.

Contribution is very limited and does not affect the outcome of the group task.


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So What Role Should YouSpecialize

In?

Each role has several benefits. However, strongattachment to any single role throughout the GDcould limit your chances of success.

W

hat is more important is that you demonstrateleadership at every moment. You must be able to move across these roles as

the situation demands. Anyone seen to be Performing more than three of

these roles will definitely make a strong impact onthe on the panel.

Mobility is the keyword in becoming effective inGDs.


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Caste based job reservation

should be abolished Why do job reservation exist?

What is happening currently?

Should they be abolished?

Can you recommend anymodification to this policy of job

reservation?


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India should stay away forminternational sports events like the

Olympics What has been India's performance been in

International ports so far? What is the reasons for India's below par

performance? What is the current status of competitive

Indian sports? Is a solution possible to improve the lot of

Indian sports personalities? Should they compete in international events

anyway despite the result?


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India and Pakistan relations can never

be improved by government. What is the current state of India pakistan

relations? What is the problem? W

hat is the main bone of contention? How does the historic background affect this? Define all the irritants, issues that influence Indo

pak relations. What is the role of the Govt of the two countries?

Can you recommend better ways ? Or is it a foregone conclusion that Indo Pak relations

can never improve?


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Some topics

Satellite tv is a necessary evil. Higher education in India should be privatized. Sachin Tendulkar is the backbone of Indian

cricket. Mobile phones, boon or a bane.

Reservation should be there in highereducational institutes. Corruption is a necessary evil. China is a role model for Indias road to

progress.

India and Pakistan relations can never beimproved by government. Even after sixty years of independence, India

has not achieved much. Ragging should be abolished in educational

Colleges


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ThankYou


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There are always two ways to look at any topic:for or against.Take the example of economic liberalization. It can be argued that itwas a very good thing since a number of foreign companies came intothe country, bringing technology and efficiency. Employment andgrowth rate improved. The people could buy all the world class

products which earlier had to be smuggled.

On the other hand, it can also be argued that all kinds of non-essentialgoods came into the country, like hamburgers, fried chicken and sodawater. The infrastructue remained poor. There was no fresh growth asthe MNCs simply bought the Indian companies. he technology theyimported was outdated and most of the goods were so expensive thatmost people could not buy them. Liberalization was trumpeted to be agood thing since politicians were using it to rake in personal wealth.

If the discussion is heading towards a particular direction, a


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candidate can take a totally opposite view and consequently willbecome the centre of the discussion. Of course one must be ableto defend ones viewpoints and therefore the need to have readwidely. In the case of liberalization, many people will defend it,since that is the viewpoint most often published in newspapers. If a

student can bring in an opposing viewpoint and mention someconvincing reasons, there is no reason why he will not be selected.

What matters the most in a GD is whether any meaningfulcontribution was made by the person.A candidate will scorewell if he shows leadership qualities that is, of guiding the grouptowards a consensus. It is clear that one should have read a lot ifhe is to exhibit any depth of knowledge. If you have kept up withthe newspapers and magazines, it will certainly be of help. Look atthe last 12 issues of the current affair magazines and you will findall the likely current topics discussed. Read carefully the debatesand argumentative questions and chances are that you will get oneof these topics for discussion. Read also items of economicimportance and learn the figures of growth rates, GDP, deficits andso on.


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The trouble is that most students have not faced anything like the GDbefore. How is one to speak in a group of 15 strangers in a languagewe do not usually speak? One way is to read about a topic and thendebate with parents, uncles or elder cousins. Tell them to ask youquestions and try to trap you. The more you do this, the more clear will

your own thoughts become.Of course practice in a larger group canbe obtained only by joining a professional institute.

Another way to practice is to tape your speech. Try to speak about atopic for one full minute into the tape recorder. When you listen to thetape, you will be able to spot your mistakes, the points on which youfalter and the words which you cannot easily speak. You will also beable to know whether you make any sense or not.Ask your friends tolisten to the tape critically. Often, people can discover theirweaknesses and speech impairments by this method.


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You can also use mirror therapy. Stand before a mirror and speakextempore on any topic.Practice sounding assertive and firm. Ifyou think your voice is soft or shrill, especially for girls, speak loudly infront of the mirror as if you are speaking to a stranger. Have aconversation with yourself. The mirror will tell you whether you have a

habit of looking away while speaking.It will tell you about your bodylanguage also. These will be invaluable insights for participating in

groups. You must look at all the members when addressing them.Looking away will cause you to lose your chance and the otherperson will carry on without letting you complete. The mirror willalso stop you from fidgeting, as many people are prone to do whenthey are speaking or are nervous. The therapy will be greatlyenhanced if you can get your family members or friends to practice

with you.


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Success speaks for itself. For a group leader, it hinges, to a large extent, on hisability to deal with the most complex thing- human behavior.Not everybodybehaves in the same manner in terms of temperament, sociability and the delicateart of communication. It is here, that the group leader has to raise himself to thestature of the corporate leader whose dexterity in managing people of myriadviewpoints and maintaining a composure makes a mark on others. Like a captain,

whose ship has run aground, he has to make systematic and dauntless efforts tomake it sail on to its voyage.Apart from other attributes, it is the crisismanagement which makes him acceptable to all.

Self-confidence, ability to articulate ones thoughts and power of persuasionare the hallmarks of a leader.Added to it are patience, perseverance, a deepunderstanding of the working of the human mind and ability to interact with othersin the group so that all the members strive towards the same goal.A leader in theGroup Discussion should be able to manage the forum and float his views in themost lucid manner. To accomplish these objectives, he needs ample amount of

convincing power, mixed with politeness. He should not get perturbed by the harsharguments of the participants and provide opportunity to every candidate to air hisviews. Besides, he should also be able to demonstrate his intellectual excellenceand leadership quality and utilize it to steer the discussion away from the murkywaters. To top it all, one must be able to express his/ her views logically andcogently within the allotted time i.e, two to three minutes.


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Should I address the panel or the group members?Dont ever make the mistake of addressing the panel members. The GD isbetween you and the other members, not the panel members. You mustavoid even looking at the panel members while the GD is in progress. Justignore their existence.

What is the seating arrangement like?It could be semi-circular, or circular, or seating along side a rectangulartable, depending upon the venue. It is best not to bother about trivialissues like this, which you have no control over.

How should I address the other group members?If you are initiating the discussion, you could do so by collectivelyaddressing the group as Friends. Subsequently, you could use names (ifthe group has had a round of self-introduction prior to starting thediscussion and you remember the names) or simply use pronouns like he or

she.


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Suppose I have a lot to say on the topic, should I say all of it?You would not be looked upon favourably if you kept speaking all the timeand did not listen to anyone else. Contrary to the misconception, the personwho talks the most is not necessarily the one who is judged the best. Thequality and not the quantity of your contribution is the success factor.

Should I encourage others to speak up?Do not directly put someone who is consistently silent on the spot by askinghim/her to speak up. If someone has been trying to speak and has a goodpoint but is cut off constantly, you may encourage him/her to continue withher point as you would like to hear her out.

Are the group members supposed to keep track of the time or will thepanel keep track?It would be good if you are conscious of the time, but not to the point ofgetting


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Some roles Initiators Information seeker Information giver Opinion seeker

Clarifier Summarizer Harmoniser Tension releiver Enerziser C

ompromiser Gatekeeper Attacker Dominator Clown

Group Discussion Enablers

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