Key points to remember to crack the GD

By: Akshita Shibu

Stay focussed, listen carefully, speak politely and respect others in a group are the essentials to clear the GD.

Group Discussion or GD is one of the most important and commonly used processes to filter candidates appearing for an interview at a B-school or a job. Even though it is considered important, no rocket science is needed to crack it. In this article, we will discuss some of the ways to improve skills while attending a group discussion.

First of all, let me tell you that there are a lot of ways in which one could improve their group discussion skills. The methods that I am going to explain here are the ones that worked for me, so, follow the same accordingly.

A group discussion is a process in which a group of people sit together to discuss a topic given by a panel or jury and then the participants raise their points about the topic and politely discuss the same. The participants should be polite during the discussion because the moment you violate that aspect would result in score deduction. When a topic is given, the person who starts the discussion has an upper hand of boosting the scores, however, this is not the only scoring factor.

Also, keep in mind that the group discussion doesn’t necessarily mean that after starting the argument, you do not stop until the discussion ends. The GD is about delivering valid points at the right time. Also, it is essential to let the other people in the group speak too. Only one person speaking in a group doesn’t make it a discussion and letting the other people to speak would also help in discussing more points based on the points discussed by the other person.

As mentioned earlier, it is quite natural that one might disagree with some of the points raised by the other candidates in the group. In this case, you have the right to argue but as I said, it should be done politely. Use phrases like, ‘’I disagree with that’’ or ‘’I am having trouble agreeing to what you just said’’, etc.

Make sure to control the emotions and never yell or mock any of the candidates in the group as these reactions would drastically affect the grades. In a discussion, the panellists see every participant as a professional. So, each person must maintain professional etiquettes.

 In a case where the process seems a little fast then make sure that you write down the points in a paper and then argue to ensure that you remember every point. There are points for starting the discussion as well as for ending or concluding the discussion. Hence, the participants should discuss the points accordingly.

To prepare for GD, watch online videos on group discussion on Youtube as this would help in giving better insights into the process.

About the Author:

Akshita Shibu is a graduate in MSW from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences - RCSS, Kalamaessery.