Group Discussion Tips for Design Course Admissions

Tips & tricks to perform well in GD

Many popular design colleges like NIFT conduct a separate Group Discussion round to shortlist candidates for admission in programmes offered by them. Many a times, the Group Discussion (GD) admission round is clubbed with Personal Interview (PI) round and they are commonly referred to as GD-PI round.

A GD round is mostly conducted to identify and evaluate personality traits of a candidates. Normally, in a GD round, a group of 8-10 aspirants is formed and this group is given a case study, situation or topic which they have to discuss and finally in the end provide a solution to the topic at hand.

Some key aspects that are tested in a GD are as mentioned below:

• How well you can communicate with others
• Ability to work with others/ Team player skills
• How flexible and understanding you are
• How receptive you are to listening to someone else’s point of view
• Manner in which you put forward your views
• Your decision making skills
• Your leadership skills
• How well you are able to analyse a situation
• Your subject knowledge
• Your critical thinking ability
• How good you are problem-solving

Mostly, when a GD is being conducted, the jury/examiners just give the group of students a topic and then sit silent and let the students take the discussion forward. However, students need to note that being aggressive and very stringent in your stand will not help you earn points.

Thus, to help aspirants perform well in their GD round, we have compiled a list of things that students need to keep in mind while appearing for their GD round.

Do’s & Don’ts to follow in GD round for admissions

While making a point in a GD, ensure that you are speaking very politely that too in simple as well as understandable words. Also, if you do not agree to anything another member in the GD group is saying then try to express your point-of-view in a calm as well as polite manner and here, it would be good to pay special attention to your tone. At no instant should you come across as a rigid, rude and short-tempered individual.

So, go through some tips to score well in your GD round.

Maintain eye contact

While speaking to a GD member look at them and talk. This reflects your confidence and the fact that you are well aware of what you are talking about. However, you need to ensure that you are not staring at people but just being confident in displaying your point of view.

Initiate discussion

A very effective way to earn brownie points right at the beginning is to start the group discussion. However, our advice here is that initiate the discussion only when you have understood the topic given to you very clearly. Also, do this only when you have subject knowledge, that is, you are well aware of the topic given to you.

We say this because even though it is an extremely good tactic to start the GD, but if in the odd case you speak something which is out-of-context, then that can be a fatal mistake and you can create a very bad impression in front of the examiners.

Listen to others

It is a healthy practice to listen to others before presenting your point of view. This would reflect your patience and also the fact that you are open to hearing to what other people have to say rather than just bombarding or forcing them to abide by what you have to say.

Thus, it is advisable to allow others to present their thoughts on the topic without interjecting them. In the mean time you can prepare your own points (on their thoughts and the topic) and present the same when you get a chance to speak in the GD.

Dress appropriately

Although most design schools are not fussy with respect to wearing formals for the GD round. However, we advise that be very smartly dressed for this admission round. It would be good to wear formals as this would help you stand out. Also, pay attention to the footwear you wear, sport shoes are a big no-no.

Display subject knowledge

Whenever you raise a point in the GD make sure that your domain/subject area knowledge is being reflected very clearly. Also, if at any stage you feel that the discussion is going off track, very calmly try to bring this to the notice of your fellow GD members. After this, try to reason out with other members that you need to lead to some conclusion for the discussion and present your thoughts on the topic very clearly.

Such an initiative will get you noticed and even the examiners will know that you are well aware of the topic at hand.

Have the right body language

Pay special attention to maintaining the correct body language while taking part in the GD. Some things to avoid while participating in a GD are as mentioned below:

• Pointing fingers
• Playing with pen or paper
• Stooping/slouching
• Sitting with crossed arms/legs
• Fidgeting
• Scratching
• Pricking
• Rubbing your hands together
• Having weird facial expressions
• Moving your legs

These are some tips to keep in mind while appearing for GD round for admissions. Please share your views and suggestion on the same in the comments section listed below.