Parameters taken into account for assessment during GD

By: Anshuman Bhushan Singh

Work on enhancing interpersonal, leadership and listening skills to clear the GD.

Introduction about GD: Group Discussion (GD) is a discussion in a group on a given topic. Every participant is asked to share their viewpoint or idea about the topic. Group discussion is an important part of placement where companies organise these rounds to check the communication, interpersonal and leadership skills of the students. Sometime GD is also organized to filter the candidates if a greater number of people have applied for a particular job. It is an important part of the academic syllabus too in some colleges to train and groom the students well before they appear for their final GD round in the interview process.

Skills required for GD: Different techniques are used during the GD process. The strategies should be applied well so that it can help a lot to the participant.

POP BEANS: This technique is generally used for an abstract topic like Black, where the participant doesn’t get the proper idea about what to speak on the given topic. It is implemented in the following way.

• PEOPLE (It could be related to corrupted people or dishonest people)
• OBJECTS (It could be related to objects like a black hole)
• PLACE (It could be related to a place like some dark room, monuments, buildings)
• BEHAVIOUR (It could be related to aggressive or rude or offensive behaviour)
• EVENT (It could be related to any tragic events like September 11 the attack on WTO)
• ACTION (It could be related to kidnapping, killing, female feticide)
• NATURE (Degradation of environment like melting of glaciers, the Green House Effect)
• SOCIETY (Changing of values/ethics/morals of people)

CES Technique: This technique is very helpful in social topics like dowry, etc. It helps in idea generation as follows:

• CAUSE (What is the cause of dowry)
• EFFECT (Effect of dowry on society)
• SOLUTION (What can be done to eliminate this problem)

SPHELTIR: This technique is very useful in idea generation of factual topics like the Reservation System in India.

• SOCIAL- Reservation should be based on socially and economically poor
• POLITICAL- Every time political issue on this topic for vote bank
• HISTORY: Who initiated it and why
• ECONOMIC: Job reservation in creamy layer and different colleges
• LEGAL: It's legal or not because one side we say we all are equal
• TECHNOLOGICAL: Effects in this field due to reservation because undeserving candidates are of no use
• INTERNATIONAL: Effect on International relation
• RELIGION: Why reservation to a specific religion

5Ws: This technique is useful for some topics related to events like Jallianwala Bagh Massacre:

• Who: Who was responsible for this (authorities responsible)
• What: What was the effect (damage)
• Where: Where did this happen (place)
• When: When it has happened (date)
• Why: Why it was happened (reason)

PREC: PREC is mostly applicable to all types of topics. It stands for Point, Rationale, Example, and Conclusion. This technique is very good for idea generation as it demonstrates the clear thought process of the participant and it is presented through examples

Brainstorming: This technique is used when the above strategies do not apply to the given topics. The participant tries to come up with different ideas and solutions about the topic to present their viewpoint in the GD process.

The panel members look for the following skills in the participant and overall performance is judged on these points:

Interpersonal skills: Interpersonal Skills is the most important skill which must be present in every participant. This skill helps in making an impactful conversation. This involves how a person communicates with other fellows, voice modulation, soft skill, confidence, etc.

Leadership quality: The participant must come forward and start the conversation if anyone in the group is not initiating the conversation. The leadership quality is appreciated by the panel member as it helps them to understand whether a person could act as a leader in a difficult situation or not.

Listening ability: A person must be a good listener first, for effective communication. Listening helps in many ways - it helps in idea generation, decision-making, problem-solving, etc.

Apart from these, certain things which must be followed during a group discussion are given below:

• The participant should not look toward the evaluators/ panellists while they are in group discussions, instead, they should look towards the other participants while speaking.
• Participants should not interrupt while someone is speaking and remember that it is GD and not a debate.
• Try to initiate the GD because it shows the leadership skill and is considered as a plus point
• Always carry a positive attitude, speak sensibly and politely without hurting the sentiments of others, and try to bring the conversation back on track if it’s going off track.
• The most important thing that a participant must remember is that they should be dressed up in formal attire. Always remember, a well-groomed person is liked by everyone.

Panel evaluation method with the number of panellists involved and their names.

Normally Three-four highly experienced panel members are present in a GD. One should always try to maintain proper discipline inside a GD room because single misbehaviour could lead to disqualification. Initiate a GD only if one knows the topic, otherwise don’t initiate. First, listen to the viewpoint of others and jot down all the points that you feel important. Keep a formal attitude toward the fellow members and if you disagree with their point don’t interrupt in between, first let them complete and then put forth your point.

The participants must stick to the topic and should motivate others to speak if someone has not got the chance to speak. Participants must not show dominating behaviour. Always try to conclude GD effectively. The above-mentioned tips must be kept in mind while a person is involved in a group discussion and these points are minutely observed by the panel members and they evaluate the participants on these parameters and if they find the participant who carries these all properties then there is a high chance of qualification. In my GD, the panel members were Ms Vishali Bhardwaj (Soft Skilltrainer), Mr Sachin Sidhra (Corporate trainer), and Mr Gaurav Bali (Expert).

About the Author:

Anshuman Bhushan Singh is pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science from Lovely Professional University. He considers himself to be a 'fiercely ambitious opportunist' and wishes to step into different areas where I can learn and give results.