Group discussion or GD is regarded as one of the important parameters for testing various managerial abilities in any candidate. Many people are unable to infer and recognize the degree of importance of group discussions in today’s scenario but the reality lies in the fact that group discussions take the real stress test of the candidate in judging capabilities like managerial ability, communication and leadership skills, ability of reasoning and working independently, ability to think and act etc. This article tries to cover some tips for group discussions which are given as below:
- The first and very important tip one should note in a group discussion is that there is nothing right and wrong in a GD. A candidate may even speak both in favor of the topic and against the topic. The moderator is not judging what you think or not but he is more interested in knowing as to how you think and how you comprehend it.
- One must be proficient in the language of GD; a GD may be organized in Hindi, English or any other regional language hence one should note that he is well versed with that language. If a candidate will do pronunciation errors while speaking then it may turn out to be negative for him. This does not mean that one should be an expert in that language but still one needs to have basic sense of that particular language.
- Positive Body Language is of utmost important in a GD. One need to lay emphasis on the point that positive body language speaks of candidate’s positive mind in his or her managerial role. The things which should be kept in mind as far as body language is concerned are that one should sit in an attentive posture, one should use his hands judiciously, one should not point out fingers towards other group members etc.
- Generally a time span of 8 to 10 minutes is given before start of every GD, hence one should make efficient use of that time in the sense that he should collectively gather all the thoughts regarding the topic and should make a heading of them in the order in which these points should be spoken.
- To create a lasting impression one should either try to start the GD or end the GD. If one is starting the GD then one should first try to explain the topic instead of jumping on the issues first. For example if the topic is “Is India a soft nation” then one should first define as to what is a soft nation. If a candidate is attempting to end the topic then he or she may try to conclude the topic by saying that “thus we have reached a conclusion”
- One should be a team player in a GD in the sense that he or she should give others a chance of speaking; sometimes this practice also earns positive marks for candidates.
- One should constantly rotate his or her eyes while discussing a topic. It gives a feeling that you are discussing and speaking to the whole group instead of 2 or 3 people.
Follow the above steps and crack it in your own way. Best Of Luck!
