If I feel strongly about an issue, should I voice my feelings?
It is important to be cool and emotionally objective in a
GD. If you react emotionally you are likely to lose control over yourself
during the group discussion. You have to be calm and logical, not emotional in
a GD.
Can I use technical terms or jargon, which is clear to me, but not to the group?
If you have to use technical terms, please do not use
abbreviations. After mentioning the term in full take time out to explain to
the group what it means. It is quite likely that other participants of the
group have a different academic background from you, and you should make sure
you are all on a level playing field.
Do I begin my participation by requesting the group's permission to do so?
It is not likely that you will get a chance to ask for such
permission. It may also go against you (as appearing weak on your part).
What is the right time to enter a GD to ensure that I am heard properly?
In any GD, there are crests and troughs during the discussion.
The crest is when the noise level is at its peak. The trough is when there is
almost total silence. Ideally, you should enter the GD during the trough
period. But in competitive GDs, the crests occur more often and troughs may not
occur at all. In such cases, you could identify the stages in the GD, where
ideas dear to you are being discussed and enter the
GD irrespective of the
noise level.How do I participate when the noise level is too high?
You could try the following strategy - Identify the most powerful
speaker in the group, and note down the points that he/she is making. The
moment the noise level reduces a little, enter supporting the powerful speaker.
You will have made a strong ally who will carry you through the noise.
Do I have to be cautious about other participants' feelings (on sensitive issues like religion, caste etc)?
You certainly do. Insensitivity to others displays a lack of
maturity and viciousness. It will act against your favour.
Is it beneficial to be the first speaker in a group discussion?
Being the first speaker is a high risk, high return
strategy. If you can make a good opening statement, which is relevant and sets
the tone for the GD, it will go in your favour. If you do this well, you may
automatically become the group leader. However if you bungle it up (by speaking
for the sake of speaking, not really having anything pertinent to say), it will
be remembered and will go against your favour.
How critical is my fluency in English to my performance?
Command over English is certainly advantageous but will not
compensate for lack of good content. If your content is good, then even if your
English might not be great, you must speak it out, rather than be inhibited by
lack of good English. You will get credit for soundness of ideas.
How necessary is it to use examples for illustrating an idea?
Use of examples is helpful in elaborating your point, and
helping others understand your idea better. But please remember to keep it
short and simple because in a competitive GD nobody has the patience to listen
to long, drawn out examples.
How much or for how long should I participate?
In a 20 minute GD with 10-12 participants, you should try
and participate at least 4 times with each entry lasting at least 25-30
seconds. You could participate more depending on your comfort level and the
need for participation.
Is it good to be humorous in a GD?
Depends on the situation. In a GD that is fairly relaxed, it
may be acceptable. But in a competitive situation, where the participants are
tensed up, your attempts at humour may fall flat.
Should we make an interim summary?
An interim summary is a way of directing the group mid-way
through the GD. It helps the group to pick out and focus on the most important
points and thus use the remaining time more effectively. However it is not
necessary to make an interim summary, if the discussion is already well
focused.
What do I do if someone else has already said what I wanted to say?
You have two choices:
Agree with the point made by that person and add on to it by
displaying the applicability of the argument to different situations. By doing
this you will have broadened the scope of the argument.
Drop the point and think of fresh points.
To avoid getting into a situation where someone else has
already spoken your points, do speak up in the first 4-5 minutes of the GD. If
you wait longer, it is almost inevitable that someone would have spoken your
points.
Is the use of slang/colloquialism permitted?
It is best to avoid using slang.
Can I use a language other than English to drive home my point?
No. You will have to stick to English.
How is aggression taken and measured in a GD?
The moment you notice people reacting to you negatively or
strongly, you may take it that you are being too aggressive. The degree of the
reaction is the measure of your aggression.
What level of aggression is seen acceptable?
There is a very thin line between aggression and
assertiveness. You should always aim to sound assertive and not stubborn.
Is it true that the person who speaks the most in a GD is the one who is most successful?
This is a myth. Generally the person who has a sound
knowledge of the topic and is a clear thinker speaks more. This leads the
students into believing that whoever speaks most is successful. But just
speaking for the sake of speaking will not take you far.
Will I be quizzed about my (or others) participation in the GD?
You may be. Therefore it helps to be alert all through the
GD.
Is it true that the GD is used more as an elimination
technique rather than as a selection tool?
Depends on the institute. In most premier institutes it is
used as a selection tool, not as an elimination technique.
What is the level of accuracy desired in the facts and figures you quote during the GD?
An error margin of 5% is acceptable.
Is motivating other people in the group to speak looked upon favorably?
Depends on how it is done. If you openly request someone to
speak, you may be putting the other person in a difficult spot, and the
evaluators will not look that upon favorably It is therefore better to use
other means of motivation, such as agreeing with a halting speaker, adding on
to their points, implicitly supporting and giving them direction.
Does the moderator have any biases or preconceived notions about the topic?
Ideally the moderator is supposed to be unbiased and
neutral. But being a human being, the moderator cannot be totally free from
bias. Since this is not a factor within your control, there isn't much point
losing sleep over it.
Can we expect the moderator to stop or cut short the GD much before the stipulated time is over?
This may happen if the GD becomes too noisy and if the level
of discussion deteriorates abysmally.
Can I be aggressive with a lady participant?
A GD is not the place to demonstrate chivalry. Being rude to
any participant (male or female) is downright unacceptable. You need not extend
any special privileges to a lady.
Is it all right to ask pointed questions to other participants during a GD?
It is alright to ask questions for the purpose of
clarification but not for the purpose of playing the devil's advocate and
proving them wrong. By playing the devil's advocate you hamper the flow of the
GD. The pointed questions unsettle the other participant and the quality of the
GD deteriorates. This would reflect badly on you and will go against your
favour.
Is it necessary that a group should arrive at a conclusion in the stipulated time?
Ideally a group is supposed to reach a conclusion. Normally
the time constraints do not allow the group to do so.
Is an end-summary absolutely essential?
No. If the group has not reached a conclusion, then it would
be good if someone puts the whole discussion into perspective by summarizing.
But if there isn't sufficient time, a summary may be avoided.
Do we have to write a synopsis of the GD once it is over?
Some institutes insist on this, but it is not universal.
Is voting an acceptable method of reaching a consensus?
Certainly not. A GD is not a debate.
How should a group select a topic if asked to?
The group should brainstorm for about two minutes and narrow
down the list of topics to 3-4. After this the group should prioritize them
based on the comfort level and ease of discussion of the topics. This could be
done by asking each participant to rank the 4 topics and the most popular
choice should be taken.
Are the topics decided on the basis of the academic background of the participant?
No. Topics are usually general in nature to give a level
playing field to everyone.
What do I do if one member is very stubborn and aggressive?
You could use any of the following methods.
Ignore him and address the other members of the group.
Be assertive and tell him that his argument is faulty.
Point out to him that his point is well taken and that the
group must progress further by discussing the ideas presented by others.
What are the acceptable ways of interrupting somebody else, so that I may make my point?
You can interrupt in any of the following ways:
"Excuse me, but I feel that what you are saying isn't
universally true ..."
"Yes, I agree with your idea, and I would like to add
on to it …"
"Yes, I think you are right when you say that, but
could you clarify what if …"
S.Ganesh,MBA, Phd
HR , Group Discussion Team !
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