GD or Group Discussion Tips

To define, a GD or Group Discussion is a discussion among participants who have an agreed (serious) topic. Group discussion is an inherent part of the selection process followed by reputed Business Schools and some Banking and Financial Institutions in India and abroad. GD or Group Discussion is generally a formal discussion sitting, where a group of candidates participate to discuss on a given subject. A part of the group will speak in favour of the topic while the rest of the team members will speak against the topic. This verbal test is conducted to judge various skills and qualities of the candidates. Usually the selection procedure will be to first qualify the group discussion session and then move on to interview.

A group discussion can be categorically divided into three different phases:

1. Initiation/ Introduction
2. Body of the group discussion
3. Summarisation/ Conclusion

Let's stress on the initiation and summarisation:

Initiation Techniques

Initiating a Group Discussion is a high profit-high loss strategy. When you initiate a Group Discussion, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates. If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a Group Discussion, it will help you sail through the discussion. But if you initiate a Group Discussion and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.

If you initiate a Group Discussion impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the Group Discussion for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!

When you start a Group Discussion, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have indepth knowledge about the topic at hand.

There are different techniques to initiate a Group Discussion and make a good first impression:

i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii. General statement

Summarisation Techniques

Most Group Discussions do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against the topic. But every Group Discussion is summarised. You can summarise what the group has discussed in the Group Discussion in a nutshell.

Keep the following points in mind while summarising a discussion:

• Avoid raising new points.
• Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
• Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the Group Discussion.
• Keep it brief and concise.
• It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the Group Discussion.
• If the examiner asks you to summarise a Group Discussion, it means the Group Discussion has come to an end. Do not add anything once the Group Discussion has been summarised.

Here are some group discussion tips that would help you come out with flying colors.

Group Discussion Tips

The job of the examiners present there in the session is to keep an eye on the proceedings and judge the abilities of the candidates as well. Unlike the examiners, your duty is to impress the panel members with your excellent group discussion skills.

Here are some basic tips that would help you do well in the group discussion session.

Try to keep your calm and never shout at the top of your voice. You should also see to the fact that the group is hearing your ideas. You will have to bring out your chance to speak and also let others speak.
You will have to be assertive to make a mark in the group discussion session.
Try to practice GD sessions as much as possible at home with friends or family members before appearing for the final round. This would help you earn confidence.
You will have to make a meaningful contribution and for that prior preparation is quite essential. You should be a good communicator and well aware of the current affairs.
Candidates with good reasoning ability are sure to get through the verbal test.
You need to be flexible and open to ideas put forward by other participants.
New ideas by participants are highly appreciated by the panel members. So it won’t be a bad idea to present your new ideas and perspectives.