Students' Speak: 5 areas to focus on for GD preparation
By: Arun S
Your body language shows who you are and how comfortable you are. Therefore, give extreme care to your posture and keep your legs stable during the discussion.
Group discussion is one of the most common rounds in both MBA selection as well as final placements. The objective of a group discussion is to understand the capability of a person to listen and contribute to the team’s views and opinions. GD can help in assessing the team coordination skill of an individual which is one of the most sought skills in any workplace. Here are five areas to focus on while preparing for a group discussion.
1. Try your best to initiate the group discussion
It is always better if you begin the group discussion. Make sure that you have at least one valid point to speak on the given topic. The perk of beginning the GD is that you set the background and platform for every other member in the group and it can be more favourable for you as the discussion progresses. However, do not attempt to start if you have no clue about the topic and in this case, you can wait for one or two members who got some idea on the topic and take some insights from them and add on.
2. Practice active listening
They say that great managers and leaders more often listen to what others have to say. The more you listen to others, the more you will learn. Group discussion is not only about sharing your views and opinions but also about listening to others’ views and opinions. Carrying a notepad or a piece of paper and jotting down others’ points is a great way to show that you are an active listener and it also helps you to conclude the group discussion.
3. Stick to your role
Theoretically, in a group there are various roles like initiator, facilitator or moderator, concluder, etc. The important thing to note here is you must take up any one of the roles and stick to that role throughout the discussion. For example, if you are a moderator, you should see that everyone is getting the chance to talk and no one person is dominating the discussion.
4. Body Language and Eye Contact
This is one of the key attributes that most of the students ignore while preparing for any group discussion. Your body language shows who you are and how comfortable you are. Therefore, give extreme care to your posture and keep your legs stable during the discussion. Always maintain eye contact and facial expression while you speak as well as when you listen to the other members in the group.
5. Do not use negative words
One thing everyone should keep in mind in a group discussion is that this is not a debate and there cannot exist two extremely opposite opinions on the same topic. However, each person will have their difference of opinion but in a group discussion you need to address this smartly. Never try to use words like “I disagree with you” and “you are wrong” as these can make the evaluator feel that there is no team coordination. Instead, use comments like “I have a slightly different opinion on what you said” or “I partially agree with you” which creates a positive environment among the team members and evaluators.
About the Author:
Arun S, an MBA - Healthcare Management student at Manipal Institute of Management, interested in Marketing & Business Strategy predominantly in Healthcare sector.
