Students' Speak: If you sum up the entire discussion you will definitely be awarded with extra points

By: Ambika Sur

Group Discussion is an important phase in the journey of an MBA aspirant. Ambika Sur shares a few steps that one could follow to ace a GD.

The time for GD is allotted according to the institutions or the company conducting it. But generally speaking, 10 minutes is given for discussion and 2 to 3 minutes provided after giving the topic for your planning and thinking. So, all you have to do is within these 10 to 12 minutes. Follow up the given parameters to bag most score out of the GD:- 

1. Communication Skill– Polished communication skills is the best way to make your first impression in GD. Even if you are contributing occasionally to the GD, still you will get some extra points if the command over your language is good. This skill will also boost your confidence to get more involved in the GD.
2. Content – Your content is most important when it comes to scoring more. For contributing effective content you have to come prepared in the GD. Keep yourself up to date by reading daily newspapers, articles and columns. After reading, do analyse the news, information or ideas. Reading will help you to add facts and figures in the GD but your analysis will make you unique and stand out of the crowd which will surely enhance your score by leaps and bounds.
3. Presence of mind – Often, things will not go according to your plans. Some other candidate might speak what you wanted to have said or you might skip the chance to introduce the GD and a lot more unexpected things can happen. The only way to overcome such situations is with your presence of mind. Stay mentally present in the GD and try to contribute more and more to the process.
4. Opening statement – As discussed earlier, if you introduce the GD you get extra points but a well-structured statement where you are acknowledging the group, briefing the topic and stating your own points will level you up in the room.
5. Activity and Involvement – Continuously keep on involving yourself in the GD. This will keep you in focus and will definitely help you in scoring more.
6. Body language and Voice modulation – Your body language tells a lot about what is going on in your mind. Stay calm and relaxed, don’t show any hint of nervousness through your face or movement. After body language, there comes voice modulation and the way you speak. Work on your voice modulation and speak in a humble manner. It will create a positive impression.
7. Eye Contact – People might think that it is a very trivial point but it has a huge impact when it comes to scoring points. Keep these 3 points about eye contact in mind while participating in the discussion–
   • When you are speaking, maintain eye contact with everyone around.
   • When someone else is speaking, look into that person’s eyes and mildly nod your head up and down, showing that you are listening.
   • A very important point is – Don’t look at the panelist while the GD is going on.

These small gestures will make you look more professional in the eyes of the panellist, resulting in some more points.

1. Grooming –  Improper dress or poorly groomed hairs and nails will never make you complete or ready for the GD.
2. Leadership Skills –To get some extra point and attention from the panelist, show your leadership skills like-
   • Introduce the topic to the group
   • Bring the group back to track if it’s going off the track, and
   • Offer a chance to the needy candidate to speak who isn’t able to grab one.
3. Acknowledgement – Acknowledging the group every now and then is also a part of showing leadership skills. But I am mentioning it as a different parameter just to show its importance. It is the best way to show off your soft skill and leadership skill.
4. Avoiding arguments and debate – At any cost avoid arguments and don’t debate. You may not agree with every point presented, so under such conditions just humbly acknowledge the person and then present your point of view.
5. Summing up effectively – Concluding the GD effectively is an art. If you sum up the entire discussion you will definitely be awarded extra points. Some extra score is added to the candidates as good listening skill, analysing and understanding is required to complete the task successfully.

Above mentioned parameters are considered while evaluating your GD performance. So, if you keep these parameters in mind you will surely change the game but for that, you need continuous practice and preparation.

About the Author:

Ambika Sur is an MBA student of Lovely Professional University, hailing from an agriculture background. She is striving hard to improve her technical and managerial skills to build out a successful career in the corporate world.