Unit No 02: Group Discussion
Group discussion (GD) is a comprehensive technique to judge the suitability of an individual and his
appropriateness for admission, scholarship, job, etc. GD assesses the overall personality – thoughts,
feelings, and behaviour - of an individual in a group. A topic is presented to the group members for
discussion. While the discussion is going on, a group of panelists observe them. Through this
observation, they judge the intellectual, social, leadership, and communicative skills of candidates
taking part in the GD.
Importance of GD
For admission to some of the universities, B- Schools, campus placements after graduation or for
recruitment to a multinational company, you need to have knowledge of the field and also can work in
a group as a leader or as a member. The group discussion technique is a very effective way to judge the
candidate’s ability to work in a group.
Group Discussion: Definition
Group discussion is an important activity in academic, business and administrative spheres. It is a
systematic and purposeful interactive oral process. Here the exchange of ideas, thoughts and feelings
take place through oral communication.
The exchange of ideas takes place in a systematic and structured way. The participants sit facing each
other almost in a semi-circle and express their views on the given topic/issue/problem.
Differences between Group Discussion and a Debate:
Debate is competitive in nature while group discussion is a cooperative group process. In a debate, a
speaker can speak either ‘for’ the topic or ‘against’ the topic whereas in a GD, the speaker can express
both. The final decision or result in a debate depends on voting while in a GD, the group reaches a
generally accepted opinion.
What are the skills that are judged in a GD?
• How good you are at communicating with other
• How easily you behave and interact with the other group members
• How open minded you are
• How flexible or rigid you are in accepting the view- points of others in the group
• Your leadership skills
• Your analytical abilities
• Problem solving & critical thinking skills
• Time management skills
• Your skills at putting forth your ideas in an unbiased manner
• Social attitude and confidence
Expectations of the Panel Conducting Group Discussion:
The following qualities of the candidates who are participating in Group discussion are tested.
• Team player
• Reasoning
• Leadership
• Flexible
• Assertiveness
• Initiative
• Creativity (out of the box thinking)
• Inspiring ability
• Listening
Phases in a GD:
• Initiation/introduction
• The central group discussion
• Summarization/conclusion
Do’s of participating in a GD
• Think before you speak.
• Pick up clues from the discussion and intelligently add points that come to your mind
concerning the topic, in case you don’t know much about the topic.
• Back up your points with facts and figures if needed.
• Be gentle and sure in your presentation of views.
• Speak to the point and make sure that you do not repeat the points.
• Be calm and composed while speaking.
• Listening to others is also an important aspect of participation in the group discussion, so listen
to others.
• Have a respectful attitude towards the viewpoints of others.
• Your body language should convey your ease of behaviour.
• Sometimes the discussion may take a hostile turn. In such a case it is a good idea to intervene
to make the situation relaxed. This act of yours will show your leadership and problem-solving
skills.
Don’ts of participating in a GD
• Do not initiate the discussion if you do not know the topic well.
• Do not go overboard in exhibiting your knowledge even if you know the topic well.
• Do not interrupt other members when they are speaking.
• Do not change your opinion about the topic just because most of the other participants are
having an opinion different from yours.
• Do not feel unconfident if a speaker prior to you has presented the points more effectively than
you.
• Do not ask irrelevant questions.
• Do not let your personal biases about the topic enter the discussion
