How to Crack A GD

1. How To Crack A GD
Group Discussion Tips, Do’s & Don’ts, Rules and Types
By
Prof. (Dr.) Aashish Mehra

3. What is GD?
• A technique used by corporate companies,
educational institutes, and other organizations to
judge the communication skills of the participant.
• NOT your Communication Skills BUT the
Effectiveness of your communication.

4. Importance of GD
• Many companies are now making Group Discussion as
to their first criteria for screening the candidates
before the face-to-face interviews. There indeed is a
reason for giving importance to GD.
• As it is said that, the first impression is the best/last
impression. The way you communicate professionally
with your peers, heads and most importantly the
customers is directly or indirectly an add-on to the
quality of services that your company offers to the
masses.

5. Features of Group Discussion
1. Group Discussion, as the name itself indicates, is
a group activity carried out by participating
individuals. It is an exchange of ideas among the
individuals of a group on a specific topic.
2. It is used as a reliable, testing device mainly as a
tool to assess all the candidates in a group at one go
-in order to select the best from a comparative
perspective.
3. Group Discussion is an informal discussion in
which participants of the same educational standard
discuss a topic of current interest.
4. It is also known as leaderless discussion. It means
its aim is to find out the natural leadership level of
the candidates. No one will participate or intervene

6. What Skills Are Judged In GD?
• How good you are while communicating with
others? i.e., the EFFECTIVENESS of your
Communication.
• How you behave and interact with a group?
• How open-minded are you?
• Your listening skill.
• How you put forward your views?
• Your leadership and decision-making skills.
• Your analysis skill and subject knowledge.
• Your problem solving and critical thinking skill.
• Your attitude and confidence.

7. Group Discussion Skills
#1) Interpersonal Skills
#2) Leadership Quality
#3) Listening Quality
#4) Convincing Power
#5) Knowledgeable

8. Strategies / Techniques for individual
Contribution

9. Strategies / Techniques for individual
Contribution
1.Leadership skills
Leadership is one of the key skill based on which the candidates are
assessed during a Group Discussion.
2.Communication skills
The participating candidates are also assessed in terms of clarity of
thought, expression through the words. One should be able to speak
without any hesitation and in a soft tone.
3. Interpersonal skills
Candidates are also evaluated on their Interpersonal skill such as
adaptability, maturity, coordination, interaction with peers.
4. Persuasive skills
This is a very important attribute expected in a Manager. Persuasive skill is
art to make the listener understand what the speaker is trying to tell.
5. Problem-solving skills
One important aspect of Group Discussion is that it is very spontaneous
and dynamic in nature. You need to recollect all your thoughts and present
them to the group. You need to be really involved in the discussion to
handle the counter-arguments and answer them well while speaking.

10. Strategies / Techniques for individual Contribution
(Contd…)
6. Listening & Conceptualizing Ability
After one speaks in G.D. you should be attentive and listen carefully. One
Should try to gather as many ideas and facts being put forward. Assimilate
the points raised by others and try to add something new to the
discussion.
7. Reasoning Ability
Candidates are expected to explain the points raised by them through
proper reasoning. Just raising a point without able to justify the same
during a GD would not help and may result in negative marks as well.
8. Team Player
The corporate world is all about working as a team if the team succeeds
everyone succeeds similarly, a failure of a team is a failure of each
member of the team. Candidates participating in GD are also evaluated for
their ability to work in a team.
9. General Awareness
The topics given in Group Discussion are mostly of current affairs topic is
given. If the topic is from current affairs it is expected of the candidate to

11. How To Start A Group Discussion?
• Initiate: The first and foremost step to come in
light among the group is to be knowledgeable
enough to initiate the discussion.
• It is not necessary to have a thorough knowledge
of the topic with actual facts and figures but at
least the basic information on the topic will be
good enough to speak on it.
• Lead: There could be a situation where you do not
have enough information on the given topic. It’s
wise to Wait, Watch and Listen to what the other
candidates speak until you get a chance to glide
into the discussion. Take charge and start your
conversation forward.

12. How To Start A Group Discussion? (Contd…)
To Summarize:
• Just as initiating a Group Discussion helps to
grab the attention of the GD evaluators.
Similarly, summarization is an opportunity to
turn heads of the evaluators.
• Putting together the whole discussion by
highlighting the star points and concluding
the results of the discussion is summarizing
the discussion. The summary should be short
and to the point and no new points should be
added for further discussion. Make sure that
the summary is not single-sided but an
amalgamation of both sides of the

13. Dos and Don’ts of participating in
Group Discussion
• As we all know group discussion and personal
interview are the ultimate rounds for the final
selection of the students for a job in a
company thus Group discussion is the
stepping stone to get closer to your DREAM
JOB. We all know that group discussion plays
an important role to get placement in a good
company as GD evaluates a candidate on
certain personality traits and skills that are
required for a manager. The companies use
this exercise basically as a ‘weapon of
elimination’ and evaluate candidate’s skills
based on their performance during GD prima

14. Dos and Don’ts of participating in Group
Discussion (Contd…)
• Much emphasis should be given by MBA
students on the do’s & don’ts of GD, how to
prepare for GD and the correct etiquette's one
should adopt while participating in a group
discussion. In spite of knowing these certain
things students still commit some fatal
mistakes. These mistakes may seem
insignificant and invalid sometimes but they
play a very important role in the corporate
life.
• How we speak and treat others may seem
natural to us but can be misinterpreted as
arrogance by the panelists. This is something
in our character and nothing can fix it except
our own efforts. So let us start by identifying
some of the common mistakes that we make
in a group discussion.

15. Some common mistakes in a group
discussion(GD):
• Talking too much
• Showing off with relevance to fake figures and
information.
• Grabbing Attention, it arises with the desire of
being first and hence act in a wrong way.
• Nervousness
• Outburst of emotions

16. Things TO DO during Group Discussion:
• Speak politely and in a pleasant way with the group
members.
• Respect the contribution of every member and recognize
it and show it with a nod and smile.
• Agree and acknowledge whatever you find is of your
interest.
• Disagree politely as it is a discussion not an argument.
Be firm while talking.
• Do a mental revision of what you are going to say next
and think about how you can answer the same in a best
way.
• Stick to the theme of discussion and don’t run after
irrelevant information.
• Follow proper etiquette's when speaking in a group.

18. Things NOT TO DO during group discussion:
• Don’t loose temper as it is a group discussion we are here to
discuss not to argument about something.
• No one is deaf there so use a moderate tone and medium
pitch.
• Do not interrupt in between when someone is speaking. Wait
for the speaker to finish first.
• Do not draw too much on personal experience.
• Do not dominate the discussion let others also to speak and
contribute in discussion.
• Do not use loud gestures such as pointing fingers and table
thumping as it can appear aggressive.
• Remember the panel members are watching you and
observing you all through the discussion. So listed above the
things one should remember during group discussion.

19. Important Points to be remembered during a
GD:
• Communication Skills:
The most important thing about someone is how they can
communicate their thoughts to others. Be precise and clear.
Listen and then talk let others also speak.
• Knowledge:
Read consistently as it will make you more confident and
convincing on the points you will be saying.
• Capability to Co-ordinate and Lead:
Display the skills and tactics you have, knowledge and
understanding of different topics also motivate others.

20. Important Points to be remembered during a
GD: (Contd…)
• Exchange of Thoughts:
Firstly, listen and articulate the message properly and then lead
the discussion in the best way, treat each and every group
member with respect.
• Addressing the group as a Whole:
Dress formally and use simple language to address the group
members and also maintain the proper group discussion
etiquette's.
• Thorough Preparations (MOST IMPORTANT):
Read properly so that the thoughts come naturally.

21. Group Discussion Rules
There are certain essential pointers that are
very important to get noticed and selected in
a GD.
They include:
#1)Appearance
#2) Eye Contact
#3) Avoid Dominance
#4) Avoid Interrupting
#5) Clarity of Speech and Thoughts
#6) Avoid Irrelevant Talk

22. Types of GDs
• Based on the content of the discussion there are three types of GD.
#1) Topic-Based GD: This types of GD is based on certain topics which
are practical and real. For Example, Socioeconomic topics, Education
related like, “How Plastic is affecting our Earth?” “Is a college degree
necessary to become an Entrepreneur?”
These are further categorized based on their outlook:
• Factual GD: These type of GDs are very informative and require a
thorough knowledge of the subject. One should have actual facts and
figures known before taking part in the discussion. For
Example, ‘Indian Economic growth since 1947’.
• Controversial GD: There are certain topics which lead to an argument
and such topics are introduced in GDs to test the candidate’s way of
handling the situation. This topic is a kind of mock session
representing a fierce situation in a company. Here the candidate is
tested on parameters like patience, situation handling, anger control,
critical thinking ability, etc. For Example, ‘Arranged Marriage Vs Love
Marriage’, ‘National Anthem before the start of a Movie in Cineplexes:

23. Types of GDs (Contd…)
• Abstract GD: There are some topics which are not based on physical
presence but are conceptual topics or intellectual topics. Such topics
test the thinking capability and the analytical thinking of the
candidate. For Example, ‘Humanity’, ‘Art of Living’, ‘Customer
Satisfaction’, etc.
#2) Case-Based GD: This type of GD is based on case studies which
portray a real-life situation. The group is provided with a case study
beforehand and is given a few minutes of time to prepare for it. In this
type of GD, the group has to solve the case study to give a solution
and/or make a presentation.
• In the process of solving the case study the qualities such as
problem-solving, analysis, thinking out of the box is getting tested.
#3) Article-Based GD: Similar to case-based GDS, in an article based
GD, the candidates are provided with an article which could be based on
any field like politics, sports, technology or any topic for that matter.
• The candidates are given time to prepare for the discussion. This GD
helps to analyze how the candidate responds to the unknown field/
fact and how confident he/she is in presenting his/her point of view.

24. Topic of GD:
S.N
o
Name of
Participant
Class &
Section
(1)
INITIATIVE &
CONFIDENCE
(5+5)
(10 Marks)
(2)
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS (Fluency 3,
Language 2,
Grammar 3, Tone 2)
(10 Marks)
(3)
KNOWLEDGE
(Facts & Figures
presented +
New Pts.
Added) (5+5)
(10 Marks)
(4)
CAPABILITY TO
CO-ORDINATE
AND LEAD
(5+5)
(10 Marks)
(5)
JUSTIFICATION
OF IDEAS (Logic &
Critical Thinking
Ability) (5+5)
(10 Marks)
(6)
ATTIRE (3),
BODY
LANGUAGE (3) &
GENERAL
ETTIQUETTES (4)
(10 Marks)
Total
(60
Marks)
Remarks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10
GROUP DISCUSSION
Sample Evaluation Sheet
PROGRAM:
YEAR:
Max. Allotted time: ………..
Group no.: __________ Date:____________ Marks:…………/60 (Total)
Faculty’s Signature:
Faculty’s Name: