Group discussion

"Group" is a collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction and who work together to achieve a common set of goals. 

"Discussion" is the process whereby two or more people exchange information or ideas in a face-to-face situation to achieve a goal. The goal, or end product, maybe increased knowledge, agreement leading to action, disagreement leading to competition or resolution or perhaps only a clearing of the air or a continuation of the status-quo.

Group discussion is a new trend that has come up in order to evaluate student personality. A group of participants are made to discuss on a topic or subject for a limited time and then assessed accordingly. It is a chance for you to be more vocal.

There are a lot of advantages of a group discussion:

1.It helps to shed away the shyness of a candidate and brings his viewpoint amidst all. 

2.It stimulates to think in a different, new way.

3.It helps the candidate in understanding his/ her own strengths and weaknesses.

4.It acts as an aid in expansion of the knowledge of the participant. 

5.It helps to analyse the social or economic issues more logically. 

Here is a list of what should be done and what should be avoided at a Group Discussion (GD)

1.Be as natural as possible. Do not try to be someone you are not. Be yourself. In an attempt to be someone else, your opinions will not be portrayed. 

2.Sit with a straight and confident posture. 

3.Be assertive yet humble. You need to stick to your values and beliefs, but learn to respect the values and opinions of others too. 

4.Grab the opportunity to speak first, i.e. to start the group discussion with your opinion. It generally leaves a good impression on the evaluator, but take the move only if you have complete knowledge of the subject.

5.Do not repeat a point, or be lengthy or irrelevant. Also intervene, if someone else is going on an irrelevant track. 

6.Facilitate contribution from others. Do not just go on and on and on with only your opinionated view. Remember, it is a group discussion. Allow others to speak too.

7.Make an eye contact with all the participants. It creates more room for conversation. Also keep nodding, when others speak, it shows receptivity. 

8.Be an active and dynamic participant. The examiner wants to hear you speak. So do put forth your views. 

9.Be positive and prepare your thoughts well but do not be over-confident. 

10.Think well before you speak. You are being heard and judged upon. 

11.When raising an objection to a point kept by another speaker, back it up with a solid reason to get the point across. 

12.Use quotes, facts and figures, statements, everyday life examples to express a clear chain of thoughts. Also it might leave a good impression on the examiner and help you score well. 

These are some basic yet very vital tips that will help you feel a bit more confident about yourself and make you ready to appear for that group discussion trend. 

Group Discussion", popularly labeled as GD, is a methodology used by an organization (company, institute, business school, etc.) to gauge whether the candidate has certain personality traits. 

1. ·         It is very important to dress formally and arrive on time. The way you walk to your allocated seats speaks about your personality. Be confident but not arrogant.
2. ·         Take a pen and a notepad. It makes you look organized.
3. ·         Listen to others carefully, jot down the relevant points and list down your own points.
4. ·         Organize your thoughts before you speak. This will help you express with confidence and clarity.
5. ·         Pay attention while others are speaking. This will enable you contribute to the discussion in a positive way.
6. ·     Do not to deviate yourself from the topic. Talking about unrelated things puts a bad impression.
7.         Do not interrupt the speech of other participants and wait till they complete.

8. Maintain a balance in your tone while objecting to the points made by other participants. Avoid raising your voice too much or shouting.
9  9. Respect the opinion of others. Agree and acknowledge what you find good points expressed by others.    
         10. Express your disagreement in a polite, dignified and convincing manner.

1. 11.  Do not use negative comments like ‘‘this point is wrong" or "your argument doesn't make any sense." Instead use phrases like “You have a good point but there’s another aspect to it…
2. 1         Do not try to dominate other participants. It is a discussion and not an argument or debate.
3. 14.   Keep your body language positive. Table thumping, pointing fingers, looking here and there, etc, are negative gestures.
4.  If  someone becomes openly antagonistic to you, and says things directly contradicting your points of view or makes personal attack, stay calm and relaxed. A situation like this is a good opportunity to demonstrate your conflict handling skills and maturity.
5.  If the attack is directed against you as a person, then the best strategy is to just ignore it and get on with the discussion, without any animosity towards the attacker. This is hard to do but if you manage, it will be the best advertisement for your maturity.
6.  Be Yourself:  The most important mantra to ace GDs is “Be Yourself”. The more you change things about yourself, the more trouble you would find yourself in. The best way to go about things is to be natural and make sure all your responses are natural and spontaneous..
7. A  Group Discussion is not a seminar: The most fundamental principle of participating in a Group Discussion is that you need to speak; there is no escape to this bare minimum requirement of a group discussion.
8.   Repeating the topic at the onset : Repeating the topic is an indication of your need to buy more time to think. 
9.   Speaking for the sake of speaking : This is a superficial way of participating and both the panel and the group will realize the lack of content in your speech.
10.      Getting into a conflict with a parallel speaker : Getting into an undesirable conflict without any logic, may be of detrimental consequences. However, it should not hold you from constructive arguments.