Gd tips

1. Initiation Techniques

2. Body of the group discussion

3. Summarization/ Conclusion

Initiation Techniques

 Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.

When you initiate a GD, 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 GD, it will help you sail through the discussion.

But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might
be irreparable.

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

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

Body of the group discussion

 Different techniques to initiate a GD 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

i. Quotes

Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.

If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could start with a quote like,
'Hidden apples are always sweet'.

For a GD topic like, Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wall-mart) Walton's famous saying,
'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company -- from the
chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.'

ii. Definition

Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.

For example, if the topic of the GD is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not
start the GD by defining advertising as, 'Any paid form of non-personal presentation and
promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media like newspapers, magazines,
television or radio by an identified sponsor'?

For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant, you could start by
explaining the definition of the Malthusian Economic Prophecy.
 iii. Question

Asking a question is an impact way of starting a GD.

It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a GD so as to hamper the flow.
It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.

Any question that might hamper the flow of a GD or insult a participant or play devil's advocate
must be discouraged.

Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.

For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could start by asking, 'What does war
bring to the people of a nation? We have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question
is: what have we achieved?'

iv. Shock statement

Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way to grab immediate attention and put
forth your point.

If a GD topic is, The Impact of Population on the Indian Economy, you could start with, 'At the
centre of the Indian capital stands a population clock that ticks away relentlessly. It tracks 33
births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day. Which calculates to about 12 million every year.
That is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it, 'Nothing's impossible
when 1 billion Indians work together'.'

v. Facts, figures and statistics

If you decide to initiate your GD with facts, figure and statistics, make sure to quote them
accurately.

Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level figures need to be correct and
accurate.

For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian population stays in rural
areas (macro figures, approximation allowed).

But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no approximations).

Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.

For a GD topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could start with, 'In 1983, when China was still in
its initial stages of reform and opening up, China's real use of Foreign Direct Investment only
stood at $636 million. China actually utilized $60 billion of FID in 2004, which is almost 100
times that of its 1983 statistics."

vi. Short story

Use a short story in a GD topic like, Attitude is Everything.

This can be initiated with, 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-
filled balloons, whether a blue-colored balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-colored
balloon. The balloon vendor told the child, it is not the color of the balloon but what is inside it
that makes it go high.'

vii. General statement

Use a general statement to put the GD in proper perspective.

For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of India?, you could
start by saying, 'Before jumping to conclusions like, 'Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be', or 'No, Sonia
Gandhi should not be', let's first find out the qualities one needs to be a a good prime minister
of India. Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs. Gandhi possesses. This will
help us reach the conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.'

Summarization/ Conclusion
  Most GD do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favor
or against the topic.

 But every GD is summarized. You can summaries what the group has discussed in the GD in a
nutshell.

Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:

1. Avoid raising new points.

2. Avoid stating only your viewpoint.

3. Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.

4. Keep it brief and concise.

5. It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.

6. If the examiner asks you to summaries a GD, it means the GD has come to an end.

7. Do not add anything once the GD has been summarized.

GD Preparation

While selection tools and techniques like tests, interviews etc. provide good data about an individual,
they fall short in providing real life data of how an individual would be performing in a real life situation
especially a group situation. Team work being an integral part of the BPO work profile, it is important to
ascertain group and inter-personal qualities of an individual. Group discussion is a useful tool to
ascertain these qualities and many organizations use GDs as a selection tool along with Personal
Interviews, aptitude tests etc. A GD is an activity where

 Groups of 8-10 candidates are formed into a leaderless group, and are given a specific situation
to analyse and discuss within a given time limit, which may vary between twenty minutes and
forty-five minutes, or

 They may be given a case study and asked to come out with a solution for a problem

 They may be given a topic and are asked to discuss the same

1. Preparing for a Group Discussion: While GD reflects the inherent qualities of an individual,

Reading: This is the first and the most crucial step in preparation. This is a never ending process and
the more you read, the better you are in your thoughts. While you may read anything to everything, you
must ensure that you are in good touch with current affairs, the debates and hot topics of discussion and
also with the latest in the IT and ITES industry. Chances are the topics would be around these. Read
both for the thoughts as well as for data. Also read multiple view points on the same topic and then
create your point of view with rationale. Also create answers for counter arguments for your point of
view. The electronic media also will be of good use here.

Mocks: Create an informal GD group and meet regularly to discuss and exchange feedback. This is the
best way to prepare. This would give you a good idea about your thoughts and how well can you
convince. Remember, it is important that you are able to express your thoughts well. The better you
perform in these mocks the better would be you chances to perform on the final day. Also try to interact
and participate in other GD groups. This will develop in you a skill to discuss with unknown people as
well.
2. During the Group Discussion:

What do the panelists assess:Some of the qualities assessed in a GD are:

Leadership Skills - Ability to take leadership roles and be able to lead, inspire and carry the team
along to help them achieve the group's objectives.

Communication Skills - Candidates will be assessed in terms of clarity of thought, expression and
aptness of language. One key aspect is listening. It indicates a willingness to accommodate others
views.

Interpersonal Skills - People skills are an important aspect of any job. They are reflected in the ability
to interact with other members of the group in a brief situation. Emotional maturity and balance
promotes good interpersonal relationships. The person has to be more people centric and less self-
centered.

Persuasive Skills - The ability to analyze and persuade others to see the problem from multiple
perspectives.

GD is a test of your ability to think, your analytical capabilities and your ability to make your point in a
team-based environment.

These are some of the sub-skills that also get assessed with the skills mentioned above:

 Clarity of thought

 Group working skills (especially during a group task of case study discussion)

 Conflict handling

 Listening and probing skills

 Knowledge about the subject and individual point of view

 Ability to create a consensus

 Openess and flexibility towards new ideas

 Data based approach to decision making

How do I take my chance to speak: Trying to interrupt others while speaking would only harm your
chances. Instead, you may try to maintain an eye-contact with the speaker. This would show your
listening skills also and would help you gauge from his eye-movement and pitch of voice that he is about
to close his inputs. You can quickly take it from there. Also, try and link your inputs with what he has
spoken whether you are adding to or opposing his arguments. This would reflect that you are actually
being participative rather than just doing a collective monologue.

 How to I communicate in a GD: Be crisp and to the point. Be fact based and avoid making
individual opinions that do not have a factual base. Make eye contact with all the members in
the group and avoid looking at the panelists while speaking. The average duration of the group
discussion provides an average of about 2-3 minutes per participant to speak and you should try
to speak about 3-4 times. Hence, you need to be really crisp to reflect the most in those 30-40
sec. slots.

 How do I convince others and make them agree to my view point: A lot of candidates
make it their mission to make the group reach to a conclusion on the topic. Do not forget that
some of the topics have been eternal debates and there is no way you can get an agreement in
15 mins. on them. The objective is not to make others toe your line but to provide fact based,
convincing arguments which create an impact. Stick to this approach.
  Do leadership skills include moderating the group discussion: This is a myth and many
people do try to impose their order on the GD, ordering people when to speak and when not to.
This only reflects poor leadership. Leadership in a GD would be reflected by your clarity of
thought, ability to expand the topic in its different dimensions, providing an opportunity to a
silent participant to speak, listening to others and probing them to provide more information.
Hence, work on these areas rather than be a self-appointed moderator of the group.

 Listening: This is a key quality assessed during the GD about which many participants forget.
Active listening can fetch you credit points and would also provide you with data to discuss.
Also, if you have an average of 2-3 minutes to speak, the rest of the 20-25 minutes is required
to spent in active listening. For this, maintain eye contact with the speakers, attend to them
(like nodding, using acknowledging words like -I see ok, fine, great etc.). This would also make
you be the centre of attraction as you would appear non-threatening to the speakers.

 Behaviour during the GD: Be patient; don't get upset if anyone says anything you object to.
Stay objective and don't take the discussion personally. Also, remember the six C's of
communication - Clarity, Completeness, Conciseness, Confidence, Correctness and Courtesy. Be
appreciative & receptive to ideas from other people and open-minded but do not let others to
change your own viewpoint. Be active and interested throughout. It is better to participate less
if you have no clue of the topic. You may listen to others and take clues from there and speak.
You would be assessed on a range of different skills and you may think that leadership is key,
you need to be careful that you don't dominate the discussion.

 Quality Vs Quantity: Often, participants think that success in group discussions depends on

 Summarizing: If you have not been able to initiate the discussion, try to summaries and close
it. Good summarizing would get you good reward points. A conclusion is where the whole group
decides in favour or against the topic and most GDs do not have a closure. But every GD can be
summarized by putting forth what the group has discussed in a nutshell. Keep the following
points in mind while summarizing a discussion:

o Avoid raising new points.

o Avoid stating only your viewpoint.

o Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD

o Keep it brief and concise.

o It must include all the important points that came out during the GD

o If you are asked to summarise a GD, it means the GD has come to an end.

o Do not add anything once the GD has been summarised.

Some Positive Task Roles in a Group Discussion:You may want to play one or more of them:

 Initiator

 Information seeker

 Information giver

 Procedure facilitator

 Opinion seeker
  Opinion giver

 Clarifier

 Social Supporter

 Harmonizer

 Tension Reliever

 Energizer

 Compromiser

 Gatekeeper

 Summarizer

Negative Roles to be Avoided

 Disgruntled non-participant

 Attacker

 Dominator

 Patronizer

 Clown

 GD Mistakes
 Here's a list of the most common mistakes made at group discussions:
 Emotional outburst
 Rashmi was offended when one of the male participants in a group discussion made a
statement on women generally being submissive while explaining his point of view.
When Rashmi finally got an opportunity to speak, instead of focussing on the topic,
she vented her anger by accusing the other candidate for being a male chauvinist and
went on to defend women in general.
  What Rashmi essentially did was to
 • Deviate from the subject
 • Treat the discussion as a forum to air her own views.
 • Lose objectivity and make personal attacks.
 Her behaviour would have been perceived as immature and demotivating to the rest of
the team.
 Quality Vs Quantity
 Gautam believed that the more he talked, the more likely he was to get through the
GD. So, he interrupted other people at every opportunity. He did this so often that the
other candidates got together to prevent him from participating in the rest of the
discussion.
 • Assessment is not only on your communication skills but also on your ability to be a
team player.
 • Evaluation is based on quality, and not on quantity. Your contribution must be
relevant.
 • The mantra is "Contributing meaningfully to the team's success." Domination is
frowned upon.
 Egotism Showing off
 Krishna was happy to have got a group discussion topic he had prepared for. So, he
took pains to project his vast knowledge of the topic. Every other sentence of his
contained statistical data - "20% of companies; 24.27% of parliamentarians felt that; I
recently read in a Jupiter Report that..." and so on so forth. Soon, the rest of the team
either laughed at him or ignored his attempts to enlighten them as they perceived that
he was cooking up the data.
 • Exercise restraint in anything. You will end up being frowned upon if you attempt
showing-off your knowledge.
 • Facts and figures need not validate all your statements.
 • Its your analysis and interpretation that are equally important - not just facts and
figures.
 • You might be appreciated for your in-depth knowledge. But you will fail miserably
in your people skills.
 Such a behavior indicates how self-centered you are and highlights your inability to
work in an atmosphere where different opinions are expressed.
  Get noticed - But for the right reasons
 Srikumar knew that everyone would compete to initiate the discussion. So as soon as
the topic - "Discuss the negative effects of India joining the WTO" - was read out, he
began talking. In his anxiety to be the first to start speaking, he did not hear the word
"negative" in the topic. He began discussing the ways in which the country had
benefited by joining WTO, only to be stopped by the evaluator, who then corrected
his mistake.
 • False starts are extremely expensive. They cost you your admission. It is very
important to listen and understand the topic before you air your opinions.
 • Spending a little time analyzing the topic may provide you with insights which
others may not have thought about. Use a pen and paper to jot down your ideas.
 • Listen! It gives you the time to conceptualize and present the information in a better
manner.
 Some mistakes are irreparable. Starting off the group discussion with a mistake is one
such mistake, unless you have a great sense of humor.
  Managing one's insecurities
 Sumati was very nervous. She thought that some of the other candidates were
exceptionally good. Thanks to her insecurity, she contributed little to the discussion.
Even when she was asked to comment on a particular point, she preferred to remain
silent.
 • Your personality is also being evaluated. Your verbal and non verbal cues are being
read.
  • Remember, you are the participant in the GD; not the evaluator. So, rather than
evaluating others and your performance, participate in the discussion.
 • Your confidence level is being evaluated. Decent communication skills with good
confidence is a must to crack the GDs.
  Focus on your strengths and do not spend too much time thinking about how others
are superior or inferior to you. It is easy to pick up these cues from your body
language.
  Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances of
success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics, finance,
economy, science and technology is helpful.
 Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among
others.
 Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
 If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack of
knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might adopt the
wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, may be you would be able to
come up with a point or two later.
 A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoided.
 A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to expressing
their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion candidates can exercise their
choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.
 Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.
 Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your size,
not by cutting others short.
 Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Non-verbal
gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone's viewpoint
speak of you positively.
 Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't keep
looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that everyone
feels you are speaking to him or her.

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