Students' Speak: Areas for GD preparation

By: Manvi Katyal 

The maximum time for a GD is 15 minutes. There are two ways by which the GD can end -  one of the ways is that the interviewer can announce that the GD is over now and the second way is that the participants can summarize the topic on their own.

With the help of this article, I am going to tell you some reasons why the group discussion round is conducted, different types of group discussion conducted, evaluation criteria and the background preparation to give an effective group discussion performance.

The major reason behind conducting a group discussion is to select a few candidates from a larger number of candidates as it is one of the major steps of rejection.

In an average group discussion, there are only 12 – 15 participants. For a group, 3-4 minutes are given to discuss the topic. Sometimes a topic is given by the interviewer and sometimes we have to discuss and decide on our own. If case studies are given to discuss then the time limit increases from 3 to 5 minutes. The maximum time for a GD is 15 minutes. There are two ways by which the GD can end -  one of the ways is that the interviewer can announce that the GD is over now and the second way is that the participants can summarize the topic on their own.  

There are different types of group discussions:

TOPICAL GROUP DISCUSSION: In this, all the topics are related to current affairs. Example – Elections, democracy, corruption, etc.

CASE STUDIES: In this, there are various problems and you have to provide solutions. It could be related to any business or any other activity.

ABSTRACT GROUP DISCUSSION: In this, the participants are given an abstract topic such as “blue”, “water” and they have to talk about it.

In all the group discussions, participation of each and every candidate is necessary. We can also say that it is mandatory for every candidate to speak something related to the topic.

Before giving the group discussion you have to prepare yourself by:

• Reading newspapers, local as well as national
• Should be aware of current affairs around the globe
• You could also go through various videos on different topics
• You should build your confidence which will help you a lot

During the GD you should not be nervous. By this the invigilator can make out that your confidence level is low. When the topic is given by the interviewer then you should star the GD as a beginner and at the end, you should summarize the topic. This will affect more on the interviewer.  You should contribute as much as you can during the GD because sitting silently will give a bad impression.

The interviewer can evaluate you on a different basis such as listed below:

• Content
• Analytical skills
• Reasoning skills
• Organization skills
• Communication skills
• Creativity
• Group skills
• Leadership quality
• Listening skills
• Body language
• Group behavior

About the Author:

Manvi Katyal is pursuing B.Com from DAV College, Jalandhar. She is fond of dancing and cooking.