Group Discussion Notes

Group Discussion (GD)

Group Discussion (GD) is a systematic and purposeful interactive oral process where the exchange of ideas, thoughts and feelings takes place. It involves person to person as well as person to group interaction. It aids in problem solving, decision making and personality assessment.

A particular number of people (approximately eight to fourteen) meet face to face and through free oral interaction originate, share, and discuss ideas to arrive at a decision or solution to a problem. It is also used widely as a personality test for evaluating several candidates simultaneously.  It helps to shortlist candidates for a final interview, to select personnel for positions of responsibility, especially in the service sector and also to select students for admission to professional institutes.

GD Evaluation Components

During a group discussion, employers evaluate the potential or leadership and also the ability to work in a team. The four components evaluated in a group discussion are:     

1. Knowledge                                       

2. Communication skills                      

3. Group behaviour                             

4. Leadership potential

1. Knowledge                                          

This refers to the depth and range of the knowledge as well as analytical and organizational abilities. One should be able to grasp the situation and analyze it not just at a mundane level, but from the widest perspective.

2. Communication Skills

Communication skills are assessed in terms of:

Active listening – As participants are interdependent in a GD, it is extremely necessary to listen very carefully. Only then participants can pick up the thread of discussion and continue. It is easy for the selection panel to identify poor listeners as their discussion lacks continuity.

Clarity of thought and expression - The panel's perception of a candidate's personality , and his/her ability to influence and convince others depends greatly on using the right tone, voice, fluency, modulation, good delivery and articulation. Slang, jargon, and an artificial accent are to be avoided in a group discussion.

Apt language - Language should be accurate, free of grammatical errors. Also, it should be direct, clear, and precise, with ideas flowing in an organized fashion. Using long, winding sentences should be avoided.

 Appropriateness of body language – Emotions such as anger, frustration, warmth, excitement, boredom, defensiveness and competitiveness etc are conveyed through body language. The selection panel observes appearance, frequency, eye contact, postures, gestures and facial expressions.

3. Group behaviour (Team spirit):

Team spirit is reflected in the ability to interact with other members of the group on brief acquaintance. Emotional maturity, balance, more people centric and less egocentric promotes interpersonal relationships.

4. Leadership skills:

The candidates should possess functional and coordinating ability to emerge as a leader. Functional ability involves traits such as knowledge, mental and physical energy, emotional stability, objectivity, integrity and emotional intelligence. Coordinating ability involves traits such as group adaptability and motivation.

Types of Group Discussion:

GDs can be divided based on nature of topic into Topic-based or Case-based.

1. Topic based GDs can be classified into three types:

Factual Topics 

- Factual topics are about practical things, which an ordinary person is aware of in his day-to-day life. Typically these are about socio-economic topics. These can be current, i.e. they may have been in the news lately, or could be unbound by time. A factual topic for discussion gives a candidate a chance to prove that he is aware of and sensitive to his environment.

The factual topics can be from any of the following areas:

1. Social
2. Political
3. International Affairs
4. Economics
5. Environmental
6. Legal
7. Technical

Factual topics:

1. Conspiracy is a very common form of political behaviour.
2. The pros and cons of having a credit card.
3. A chain gang is a modern form of slavery.
4. Why drinking and driving is dangerous to yourself and others.
5. Passive smoking is equally harmful.
6. The education policy of India
7. Tourism in India
8. State of the aged in the nation

Controversial Topics - Controversial topics are the ones that are argumentative in nature. They are meant to generate controversy. In GDs where these topics are given for discussion, the noise level is usually high, there may be tempers flying. The idea behind giving a topic like this is to see how much maturity the candidate is displaying by keeping his temper in check, by rationally and logically arguing his point of view without getting personal and emotional.

Controversial topics:

1. Sustainable urban living without the use of excessive natural resources must be our future.
2. Are there extraterrestrials who influence events on Earth?
3. Marijuana has a medical value.
4. Direct mail is a special form of junk mail.
5. The pros and cons of a female President.
6. Reservations should be removed
7. Women make better managers

Abstract Topics - Abstract topics are about intangible things. These topics are not given often for discussion, but their possibility cannot be ruled out. These topics test your lateral thinking and creativity.

Abstract topics:

1. The Nostradamus Code
2. Breast Implants
3. Bribery in Business
4. Computer Viruses
5. Bigamy
6. A is an alphabet
7. Twinkle twinkle little star
8. the number 10

2. Case-based GD:

Another variation is the use of a case instead of a topic. The case study tries to simulate a real-life situation. Information about the situation will be given to you and you would be asked as a group to resolve the situation. In the case study there are no incorrect answers or perfect solutions. The objective in the case study is to get you to think about the situation from various angles.
IIM A, IIM Indore and IIT SOM Mumbai have a case-based discussion rather than topic-based discussion in their selection procedures.

Case based:

1. Leadership - What necessary changes are needed in your community organization and how do you want to lead the process?
2. Malpractice Insurance - Doctors walk out on the job to protest the rising malpractice insurance costs. What to do about it?
3. Work Ethics - Can we shape workers who have the sense that they serve the company ánd community?
4. School Violence - What are the real causes of violence and bullying in Schools?
5. Recycling - Sort out how to make money with recycling.

Types of Group Discussion

Group Discussions can be classified into three types based on method of conduct.

Freewheeling / Student-led/ Unstructured Group Discussion

In this type of GD, the participants are given a room where they have to manage everything from deciding the topic of discussion to arranging their seats. After completion of GD, evaluator asks questions regarding how they managed GD etc. and why. This form of GD examines the overall capabilities of the candidate to work in an organisation.

In Freewheeling Group Discussion with a Nominated Leader is also possible in some situations generally, no-one is nominated as leader of a group discussion and all participants are treated as equal. But in this type of a group discussion, a person is nominated as a facilitator or a leader of the group. He may summarize the discussion or solutions discussed at the end of the group discussion. Sometimes the leader is nominated by the group members themselves.

Moderator-led/ Structured Group Discussion

These GDs are more common in practice. Here a moderator remains present during the discussion. He gives the topic of discussion, informs them about the time limits, and often asks the silent member to summarize the discussion. In this kind of GD, the analytical thinking of the participants is given importance.

Detail Observatory Style

Some GDs also include hi-tech methods like close circuit cameras etc. to assess the overall behaviour of the participants. In this GD, participants are observed from another room using audio-visual aids. The examiner evaluates the candidates according to the behaviour in the absence of an evaluator physically present before them.

 Tips for Successful Group Discussions

•  Be thorough with current issues.
•  Always enter the room with a piece of paper and a pen.
•  Listen to the topic carefully.
•  Jot down as many ideas as possible in the first few minutes.
•  Try to dissect the topic and go into the 'underlying causes or consequences’.
• Organize ideas before speaking.
• Speak first only if something sensible to say. Speaking first is a high risk, high-return strategy.
• Try to contribute meaningfully and substantially every time. Don't speak just for the sake of saying something.
•  Identify the supporters and opponents and allow supporters to augment the ideas.
•  Keep track of time and share time fairly.
•  Have an open mind and listen to others' views.
•  Maintain eye contact while speaking and listening.
•  Do not indulge in parallel conversations.
•  Use tact, humour, and wit.
•  Display a spirit of cooperation and an accommodative nature.
•  Draw out the silent members and encourage them to speak.
•  If things get chaotic, take the initiative to restore order by providing a fresh direction to the discussion.
•  Attempt to arrive at a consensus though your ultimate aim is to reach a conclusion. Within the specified time, your group may not be able to arrive at a consensus. But working towards consensus will reveal the capability and inclination towards being a good team player.

Group Discussion PROCEDURE:

There are generally ten to fourteen people in a group discussion. The candidates who assemble for a discussion are assigned serial numbers such as 1, 2, 3 and so on. Clear instructions are given that they should not disclose their names. They bear the number tags during the course of discussion and numbers addresses each.

GROUP DISCUSSION STRATEGIES:

Once the topic for discussion is chosen, the candidate should have sufficient facts either to contradict or to support the issue. The language should be simple and lucid. The candidate should be tactful while contradicting the views of other participants. Blunt statement such as ‘Your arguments are baseless’, or ‘You are absolutely wrong’, is not in good taste. The candidate has to disagree without sounding rude by saying things such as ‘I beg to differ’.        

Some patterns of starting a discussion:

·         We have assembled here to discuss …

·         Let us get down to business.

·         Shall we set the ball rolling?

·         Shall we make a start?

Some patterns for interrupting a discussion:      

·         Sorry to interrupt you …

·         Excuse me, but …

·         Could I make a suggestion, please?

·         Could I say something …?

·         Sorry to disagree with you.

·         If I could make a point here …

Some patterns of ending a discussion:

·         I think that covers everything.

·         It is time to wind up.

·         Shall we close the discussion then?         

Time allotted:

Normally, each group is given 15 to 20 minutes for discussing the topic. However there can be variations in the time that is allowed for the discussion. In some cases, the Group Discussion may be terminated much earlier or it can be extended to 30 minutes or more. One point that you should bear in mind is that the time required for the discussion does not depend on the group size. Whatever the size of the group, 15 to 25 minutes is what is normally required (and is normally given) for a Group Discussion. Sometimes the moderator may not pre – specify the duration of the GD.

How to improve your performance in Group Discussion:

Now that we have understood what Group Discussions are all about and what the moderator looks for in the participants, let us understand how you can enhance your performance in a GD. There are definite ways of improving your participation and performance in a Group Discussion. There are three different aspects that you should take care of to improve your performance in GDs. They are: 

• Building your knowledge base
• Generating ideas about the topic
• Improving your participation in GD
• Displaying Positive Body Language
• Respecting the opinions of other participants
• Being polite with the other participants

Click here for list of GD Topics