"Treat Group Discussion as a discussion, not a debate"

By Ruchi Shrimali

CAT and most other management entrance exams are already over. Most of the management institutes have also published their cut-off lists. Now, it is time for group discussions (GD) and personal interview (PI) rounds that are going to decide the fate of those who have received calls from the institutes of their choice.

Though much has been written about Group discussions, it still remains a challenge for the students. Dr. Goutam Chatterjee, Chief Advisor on Shiksha Panel of Experts, says, "GD and PI are the ways to judge a candidate on their leadership and decision making traits that are mandatory for all eight attributes of management excellence, fourteen points of management, five disciplines for organization learning and ten principles of entrepreneurial governance."

"In a GD round, institutes try to judge applicants on their ability to comprehend a given topic, take stance and formulate a compact discussion strategy, give logical response, survive in a chaotic atmosphere, draw attention, and assume leadership position. In PI rounds, a candidate is judged on entry, turnout, response to prevailing situation in interview room; sitting position, eye contact, confidence level and how questions were taken; their knowledge and answers; and their ability to deal with tricky questions", Chatterjee added.

Mr. Girish Seshmani, another Chief Advisor at Shiksha Panel of Experts, writes in his article that in a group discussion, candidates are judged on their honesty, time management, communication and listening skills, analytical skills, knowledge of the topic, mannerisms, and encouraging nature. Read more about his suggestions on how to ace GD.

However, most experts agree that it is the leadership quality that plays a dominant position in a GD. Leadership does not mean that one has to be aggressive and dominate the discussion but to be able to listen to others and speak judiciously and rationally. Non-verbal communications plays an important role in a group discussion round too. So, it is important to mind one's expressions and gestures too while one is involved in a discussion.

Shiksha Expert, Gautam Joshi, warns, "Students should take GD as a discussion only and should NOT change into a debate thereby enforcing their own opinions. Listening skills play a very vital role in a GD."

Pooja Kohli, who is on Shiksha Panel of Experts, adds, "In a group discussion you need to remember two important things one is that you should be noticed by the panel, and secondly your contribution to the discussion has to be meaningful. To get noticed by the panel you need to be assertive, find an opportunity, instead of waiting for a chance to speak, and ensure that the group listens to you. Develop your knowledge base and practise to be able to put forth your ideas in a logical and effective manner."

Mr. Surya Prakash recommends some Do's and Don'ts for GD round. According to him:

Things you should do during the GD are:

• Listen to the subject carefully
• Initiate the discussion if you know the subject well
• Listen to others if you don’t know the subject
• Support your point with some facts and figures
• Give others a chance to speak
• Speak politely and pleasantly.
• Disagree politely and agree with what is right.
• Summarize the discussion if the group has not reached a conclusion.

Things you should avoid during the GD are:

• Initiate the discussion if you do not have sufficient knowledge about the given topic.
• Over speak, intervene and snatch other’s chance to speak.
• Argue and shout during the GD
• Look at the evaluators or a particular group member
• Pose negative body gestures like touching the nose, leaning back on the chair, knocking the table with a pen etc.
• Display low self confidence with shaky voice and trembling hands.
• Try to dominate the discussion
• Put others in an embarrassing situation by asking them to speak if they don’t want.

Read about the advice of all Shiksha experts on how to ace GD/PI for admission in management institutes here.

Other interesting reads:
- Group Discussions: A tool for elimination and not selection

- Top 5 MBA Specializations in India