Students' Speak: Parameters Assessed During a Group Discussion

By: Akila Narayanan

Akila Narayanan discusses important parameters taken into consideration during a Group Discussion.

Group Discussion still plays an important role in the admission process for many B-schools. Apart from being able to communicate fluently, what matters the most is the thoughts which you put in your speech. There are multiple skills assessed during a group discussion. Below mentioned are a few of them - 

Leadership Skills - The inherent ability to lead a team is desired out of every manager. Here’s what you can do during the group discussion that would showcase your skills.

• Initiate the group discussion and give proper direction to the discussion
• Interfere and guide the group when the topic goes out of track
• You should make all the members participate in the discussion

Communication Skills – The candidates are also assessed in terms of clarity of thoughts and expression through words. The candidate should be able to speak without any hesitation and at the same time, in a polite manner.

• Hold the attention of the group by using rich words in a simple sentence
• Explain the ideas with clarity
• Speak fluently without any hesitation

Interpersonal Skills – It includes parameters such as adaptability, maturity, co-ordination, and interaction with peers. While speaking in a group discussion one should give importance to the other members’ viewpoint and should not keep on insisting on the same point again and again.

• Keep yourself cool throughout the group discussion
• Do not take things personally even if somebody points you for an example
• You should understand the topic and the goal of the discussion

Attitude – This is the most important parameter on which every candidate should concentrate. Your single mistake could make you lose a lot of points. During a group discussion you should-

• Have a positive attitude
• Encourage your peers to speak
• Should never put others down during the discussion
• Should behave in a matured manner
• Should not raise one’s voice unnecessarily
• Should not be stubborn or harsh
• Should listen very carefully when others put forth their ideas as points
• Accept others’ views in the discussion

Team Player - If the team succeeds then the whole team succeeds; similarly failure of the team is failure for each member in the team. The candidates will be assessed on how they work in a team and also how are they able to manage their team during the discussion. Few points that you should keep in mind during the discussion -

• Be polite and cordial in your communication
• Avoid arguments during the discussion
• Help the team go in the correct direction through discussion
• Appreciate your peers when they put forth their views

About the Author:

Akila Narayanan is pursuing MBA from Thiagarajar School of Management, Madurai, with an interest in Marketing and Finance. She has completed her graduation from Velammal College of Engineering and Technology, Madurai. Her hobbies include playing guitar, badminton and reading books. She has also been awarded the first prize for a social welfare project titled “The Life Saving Block Detector”.