Tips for Group Discussion given by Dr Rajiv Srivastava who is a Director in SIRT, Bhopal. SIRT, Bhopal is a Top Placement College in Bhopal (M.P.). It is a Best Placement College in Central India. https://www.sirtbhopal.ac.in/

1. HOW TO PREPARE FOR GROUP
DISCUSSION

2. What is a Group Discussion?
A Group Discussion or GD, as it is popularly known, judges
the personality of a person. It assesses the behavioral traits in a
person his or her leadership skills, social skills, team skills,
problem solving skills and presence of mind.
If we analyze the two words Group and Discussion. Group
means a number of individuals who may or may not have
interacted before. Discussion means exchanging information
on a certain topic and coming (or not coming) to a concrete
conclusion.

3. Who conducts a Group Discussion?
Group Discussion is conducted by B-schools, institutes and
companies. In fact to get admission into B-schools and other
management and engineering institutes, GD has become an
essential prerequisite. As far as companies are concerned, it is
totally at the discretion of the companies if they want GD as
part of their interview process

4. Why is a GD conducted?
While entrance exams test the candidates for their academics and
knowledge of subjects, the GD will test one for their soft skills and
their ability to cope with various situations.
Usually the institutes or companies conducting the GD know exactly
what they want in their candidates. They are very clear about the
specific traits that they want in their candidates. The Group
Discussion helps them to analyze whether the candidates possess the
required traits or not.
GD also serves as a mass-elimination tool. When there are many
candidates applying for limited seats, the GD can act as a
benchmark to select the best among the lot.

5. What is the common process followed in a
GD?
The group usually consists of 6 to 12 members. They are given a
topic and a few minutes to prepare. Post which they are called to
begin the discussion. The duration of the GD will vary from
institute to institute or organization to organization. For each
candidate an assessor may be assigned. Usually, an assessor
assesses two to three candidates. They will be watching the
candidates every move.

6. Preparing for Group Discussion
1. Ensure you contribute to the group
Ensure you contribute to the conversation. Often candidates take up behaviors or
actions that aren’t actively contributing to the group’s outcome. For example, taking
lead of the group, standing up to make notes on a board. Be careful not to fall into
the trap of regarding these behaviors as earning you some positive points. In some
cases these behaviors can even lead to you being alienated by other group members.
2. Manage your body language
Avoid confrontation and ensure you allow everyone a chance to speak. If someone
is consistently rude and aggressive, do not resort to this behavior yourself.
Assessors will pick this up. Avoid being forceful or speaking over anybody.

7. 3. Manage your time
CONT…
Keeping a check on the time will earn you points. Suggesting that you will keep a
check on the time and providing regular updates throughout the discussion will also
work well. However, if you commit to this responsibility then make sure you
maintain that check. There is nothing worse than the session running out of time
when you have appointed yourself as time-keeper.
4. Include others
Keep an eye out for those who do not say anything and take the opportunity to ask
them for their opinions. This will gain you both assessors’ appreciation and other
group member’s gratitude.

8. CONT…
5. Ensure you are a team player
More often than not, the group discussion exercises require coming to an
agreement on a particular issue. For example, you may be given individual
proposals and asked to agree on two of these as a group. In these situations,
remember you do not always have to get your ideas accepted. Try to do what is
better for the company or organization as presented in the exercise, rather than
what you think might benefit you.

9. THANK YOU