Group discussion is used in jobs and education. It tests skills like leadership, teamwork, and communication. Topics can be current issues, abstract ideas, or case studies. Speak clearly, listen actively, and use good body language. Respect others and avoid personal fights. Interviews are another way to test personality and skills. Different interview styles include panel, behavioral, and group. Employers look for confidence, integrity, teamwork, and quick thinking. Prepare by researching, practicing answers, and boosting confidence. Dress well, stay polite, and carry needed documents.

1. 5-Day Workshop on English Speaking
&
Personality Development
(Group Discussion)
Ravindra Singh
Assistant Professor,
Department of English,
Career Point University, Kota

2. “Discussion”: 1. examination by argument
2. debate
3. a conversation
• Many corporate institutions and some educational institutions use the
group discussion as a step in their selection process.
• WHY?
• ----- to identify skill that they want in their potential employees

3. WHAT IS A “GROUP DISCUSSION”?
• The candidates are divided into groups of 8-12.
• Each group is given a topic to discuss in a fixed
time period.

4. TOPICS
• Three Categories of Topics:
1. Contemporary Interest
2. Abstract Thought
3. A Case Study

5. Topic(s) of contemporary interest
• Issues of relevance, e.g. Olympics
• Issues of interest in the political sphere, e.g. Presidential System of
government
• Issues of general interest, e.g. Globalization, Climate Change, Human
Rights

6. ABSTRACT THOUGHTS
Here is a list of Abstract GD topics:
• No two generations can see eye to eye
• Peer pressure
• Confidence vs Knowledge
• Fame is a double-edged word
• Money or Happiness – Can money make us happy?
• The pen is mightier than the sword
• Do deadlines destroy creativity?
• Controversy as a marketing strategy
• Pink – a GD topic
• Success – GD topic
• Freedom is a myth

7. A Case Study
The cases invariably feature a business
problem, but often have a social, a
personal, or even a political dimension(s)
that must be taken into account while solving
the problem, and part of the evaluation
involves testing the participants’ ability to
understand the problem in all its
complexities.
Case studies are usually of two types:
Those in which the group must make a
decision, and those in which a decision
has already been made and the group
must discuss and determine whether the
decision is ‘right’.

8. Examples of CASE STUDIES
• People today are becoming more and more health conscious, come
up with a business model that you would implement to target these
health-conscious customers.
• The relevance of reservation for girls at top academic institutions in
today’s context.
• Is management art or science?
• Indian Administration should recruit from MBA colleges.
• Talk about the decreasing productivity of the Japanese Workforce and
what measures should be taken to improve that.

9. Qualities being evaluated during a Group
Discussion
• Leadership qualities: Leadership is the art of motivating a group of
people to act toward achieving a common goal. In a business setting,
this can mean directing workers and colleagues with a strategy to
meet the company's needs.

10. The Ability to Work with Others
• Teamwork skills are the qualities and abilities that allow you to work
well with others during conversations, projects, meetings or other
collaborations. Having teamwork skills is dependent on your ability to
communicate well, actively listen and be responsible and honest.

11. Communication Skills
Active listening
Clarity of thought and expression
Apt language
Proper body language

12. HOW TO PREPARE FOR A GROUP DISCUSSION
• YOU MUST CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISCUSSION.
• DO NOT GET DRAWN INTO A PERSONAL DEBATE WITH ONE PERSON.
• ALWAYS SPEAK TO THE WHOLE GROUP.
• TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT.
• BE ASSERTIVE, BUT DO NOT LOSE TEMPER.

13. WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW?
• An interview is essentially a structured conversation where one
participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.
• A job interview plays a vital role when
seeking employment in a company.
• It enables the employer to be sure about
the suitability of the candidate for his
organization.

14. Fierce competition in the global market:
growth of multinational companies:
Interviews have become crucial
• During this intense interactive process, several personality traits of
the candidate come out, and help the employer make the right
decision.
• It also helps the candidate to get a glimpse of the organization’s goals
and opportunities.
• The word interview comes from Latin
and middle French words meaning to
“see between” or “see each other”.

15. STYLES OF INTERVIEWS
• Promotional interview: promotion of the
employees who are due for promotion.
• Problem Interview: of an employee whose
performance is unsatisfactory-to find out
reasons .and find solutions.
• Walk-in-interview: no specific candidates are
called, but hose who are eligible can come with
their valid documents.

16. Styles of Interviews (2)
• Psychological interview: Psychological interviews are interviews
conducted by a psychologist, in which questions are intended to
assess personal traits such as reliability or dependability etc.

17. Behavioral interview
Here a situation is described and
Candidates are asked how they
have behaved in the past in such a
situation.
While situational interviews
ask candidates to describe how they
would react to a situation in future,
the behavioral interviews seek
candidates to describe how did they
react to situations in the past.

18. Group interview/ group discussion
The main purpose of this interview
is to see ---
how the interviewee interacts with
others
and
how he/ she influences others
with his/her knowledge and reason.

19. “Sequential” and “one-to-one” Interview

20. The Interview Process
• Interviews usually take various forms, depending on what aspect the
recruiter is attempting to discover about the applicant.
• You might face a panel interview, that is, meeting with several
interviewers who ask you questions during a single session.
• Unlike a structured interview, unstructured interview is more relaxed in
the format and constitutes of open-ended questions.
For example,
1. To determine managerial skills, the recruiter might ask what disciplinary actions
would you use to improve employees performance.
2. To test your ability to get along with the colleagues, the questions might be on how
to handle a particular disagreement or argument.

21. Traits Employers Look for
Integrity
Sense
of
Humor
A ‘Can-
do’
attitude
Intelligence Endurance
Accomplishments Ability to
think
Quickly
Team
Players
Self-
confidence

22. HOW TO PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW
• Do some Basic research:
By learning about the organization and the job applied for, you would
be able to review your resumé from the employer’s point of view.

23. • Think Ahead about Questions
Before the interview, prepare a list of questions, eliciting various types
of information.

24. Bolster Your Confidence
How?
• Overcome your tendencies to feel
self-conscious or jittery during an
interview, and create a better impression.
• Instead of dwelling on your weaknesses,
FOCUS on your strengths.
• The weaknesses should also be
projected as positive points. Be tactful.

25. Polish your Interview Style
• Give the interviewers an impression of poise, good manners and
good judgment.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Smile
• Sit in an attentive position
• Use hand gestures adroitly.
The non-verbal signals convince the interviewer that you are alert,
assertive, dependable, confident, responsible, and energetic.

26. Dress to Look Good
• The best policy is to dress
conservatively.
• Wear the best quality formal
clothing, in solid colors.
• Avoid flamboyant styles,
colors, and prints.
• Good grooming
• Smile at appropriate
moments.

27. Be Ready: when you arrive
• Things that should be carried for an
interview are:
• A pen
• A small notebook
• A list of questions that you want to ask
• Two copies of resume kept in a folder
• An outline of what you have learned about the
organization
• Any past correspondence

28. THANK YOU !