Students’ Speak: Stay calm and compose and pay attention to details during group discussion

By: P Veena Vaibhavi

Speaking your mind is important during group discussion. With this, be polite, adapt to the environment of the group discussion, listen to other participants, and put forth your opinion confidently.

Group Discussion is a group of individuals who gather to discuss ideas or solve problems on a specific topic. It is a tool to evaluate the communication skills of a person or candidate. Nowadays, most of the MNCs use this technique to recruit candidates. Here are a few tips to excel in group discussions:

Take an initiative

Try to initiate group discussion; this would highlight your leadership skills and it is a way to get noticed by the panel member. Always speak relevant to the topic. If possible, start with a slogan or a quotation; this will give some strength to your point.

Pay attention to your body language

Either you speak or fellow candidate is speaking, always ensure that you pay attention and make eye contact with everyone during the discussion. Never ever play with a pen or stare at the ceiling while others are speaking. Always sit straight and listen to others perspective as well. Maintain a firm posture as your body language portrays your listening skills.

Be clear and specific

The points that you discuss should be audible to everyone and should be grammatically correct. Keep a subtle tone, as this depicts your moral values and how well you respect opinions of other people.

Use statistical information

It is always better to use a few real-time scenarios and statistical information while presenting your point. It would help you in getting noticed by the panel members and the group discussion would be a fruitful one.

Stay updated all the times with general knowledge

As most of the GD topics are often related to current affairs, it is necessary to gain basic general knowledge. Have a prior idea of the latest happenings. You can utilize the resources like Google and other apps like TOI or The Hindu. Everyday just glance the headlines of the newspaper.

Grab the opportunity

In the group discussion, grab an opportunity to speak is very crucial. You have to make an effort to talk. In case you do not have a point with you, try to take few points from the fellow speaker’s opinions. The more you talk, the greater is the chance to get selected or clear the round. Excessive talking might land you in the negative point category, so be aware of when to talk and when not to talk. So, make sure that you become an active speaker.

Be polite with fellow speakers

Always present your point in polite and pleasant tone. Never shout in a group discussion unless the room is extremely noisy. Do not use phrases like “I disagree” or “Don’t go against to others opinions” instead you can mention “I agree” or “Looking it from the other perspective”. This showcases your positive attitude.

Be diplomatic while concluding

Whenever the panel member asks you to conclude, always give a diplomatic conclusion for e.g.: if the topic is love marriage vs. arrange marriage then the conclusion can be made in this way “Both of them have their own advantages as well as disadvantages and marriage is a lifetime commitment. So the decision of choosing a life partner should be left to individuals”.

Attend mock group discussions

Participating in mock GDs will help you to know your strengths and weaknesses. This would also help you to adapt to the environment of the group discussion. Apart from this, you could also watch YouTube videos on group discussion. Before appearing for the campus placement, read the reviews about the GD process of that particular company. Making short pointers could prove better than Google or YouTube. So, utilize them and get as much knowledge you can.

About the Author:

P Veena Vaibhavi is a B.Tech student, studying in the final year at Vignan's Institute of Engineering for Women. Her specialisation is in Computer Science. Apart from academics, Vaibhavi is interested in story writing and quilling.