Students' Speak: An overview of GD
By: Shreya Gupta
Your objective in a GD must be to distinguish yourself from others. The below article will give you a few pointers on ‘HOW’ you can achieve your objective.
Group discussions are the rounds where you directly compete with your opponents. Whether it is a job interview or college admission tests, GD has become an important segment for selecting candidates. It is a mass elimination round where several candidates are eliminated from the whole process. Your objective must be to distinguish yourself from others. Here are a few points on ‘HOW’ you can achieve your objective:
How does GD work? – You’re seated in a group of 6-12 participants. The HR/evaluators are also present in the room observing your performance. They give you the topic and then note down the positives and negatives of every candidate.
Topics – There are mainly three categories for group discussions in any scenario:
- Abstract topics – The topic is randomly chosen and is intangible in most of the cases. The creative and thinking ability of a candidate is monitored. Examples- 'Black', 'Water', 'Roots & wings', ‘Life is a puzzle’, etc.
- Argumentative topics – Such topics are thrown in a GD to check the patience level of candidates and their capability to handle stressful situations. Such topics create a debate among the participants which might get heated as well. Example- ‘ Reservation in educational institutes’, ‘women are better managers’, ‘love marriage vs. arranged marriage’, ‘is MBA a ladder to corporate success?’ etc.
- Case-study based topics- In case-based discussions, the candidates are given a case to study and analyze. The candidates then have to present their opinion.
Preparation - To prepare yourself for a GD you'll have to focus on improving two aspects: Knowledge and Communication.
- To excel in a GD round make sure to add some facts and figures in it. Don't state wrong or incomplete information because it might work against you. Add up to your knowledge by reading more journals, articles, business magazines and newspapers. Keep tabs on prevailing topics.
- Another thing you can do is, be an observer. Don't be ignorant of your surroundings because they might help you out as an example or provide clarity on a topic.
- The way you speak and take the charge of GD guides the evaluator a lot in decision making. Think before you start because as soon as you pause to think the opportunity would be long gone. Don't speak too slow or too fast. Be firm with your pitch.
- Go for a language you are comfortable with, however, using English or bilingual (Hindi-English) is preferable.
A Few Tips
- The golden rule is to speak. If you have no idea about what the topic is, then listen to your opponents and then just add up the points.
- Try not to create chaos.
- Try to initiate the discussion by greeting everyone, your name and then present your opinion (this will earn you brownie points).
- Sit with your back straight and if you can't go formal then just keep it simple with cool colors.
About the Author:
Shreya Gupta is an undergraduate student at D.A.V. College, Jalandhar. She is bibliophilic and dreams to explore the unexplored.
