Students’ Speak: Key skills required with overall assessment and marking criteria in a Group Discussion

By: Soumyadip Roychowdhury

The participant should display communication skills, confidence, calmness, logical viewpoint, and respect for others during a Group Discussion (GD). Marking completely depends on how one perceives and discusses their opinion in a group.

Here in this article, I will discuss the skills required for a Group Discussion (GD). This would help in devising a strategy for GD accordingly.

• Firstly, know about the complete procedure of a group discussion along with the important gestures. The timing in a GD is very important and if you want good score you need to follow the pattern.
• Secondly, your posture should reflect your confidence. While participating in a GD you should look at the other members and not the panellist.
• Always look in the eyes of other participants and do not look at the wall or doors; as there are negative marking for such things.
• As said earlier, the gesture is very important in a GD that should be maintained throughout the discussion. At the same time, the candidate should make a good point in the context of the group discussion.
• One thing you should keep in mind that GD is not a debate, in a debate people could fight among themselves, but in a GD this should be avoided. The discussion should always be in a friendly tone.

There are a few criteria about marking in a GD that one should keep in mind.

• There are some marks allotted for interjection in a GD; this means that in a 10 minutes discussion between 5 members you should speak at least 2 times to the maximum limit of 4 times. Less or more participation is also not expected.
• There are marks allotted for innovativeness and explanation
• Marks are allotted for giving a proper and related example with the context. The topics have to be linked with the examples. The participants are required to give conclusions as well in a GD, while concluding the participant is required to summarize the topic.

Generally, two to three panellists are there in a Group Discussion. These panellists may consist of Teachers, Industry Experts, Alumni, etc. Panellists may have different viewpoints for judging a GD, but there is a common evaluation sheet in which some parameters are given basis which each participant is judged. At the end, I would suggest that be confident and clear about your viewpoint in a GD, never fight with other members and try to stay calm.

About the Author:

Soumyadip Roychowdhury is a student at Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB) studying Master in Business Administration with a specialisation in International Business (MBA-IB). He is a second-year student and has interned with brands such as Adani Wilmar and HealthScion. He is also a committee member of the Entrepreneurship Cell at SIIB.