Group
Discussion
What is GD
●It is not debate, it is a
cooperative sharing of ideas,
facts or information within the
group
●A conclusion is reached at the
end.
● Expression power, articulation,
confidence, thought process, listening and
speaking skills, personality and attitude
are judged through Group discussion
● GD performance should be according to
the job profile
● It is a shortlisting process that involves
extracting cream candidates
GD Process
● Seating
● Posture (you must have an attentive body posture,
no leaning forward, no use of backrest of chair)
● Introduction between participants (maybe/may not
be)
● Attendance
● Time frame and other rules disclosed by the
conductor
● Topic introduction
● Preparation time (max 5 minutes)
● Wrap up
● Conclusion
● End
Some ground rules to remember
always
● Treat each other with respect
● Keep your point of view ‘positive’ towards the
topic
● Strict no use of abusive language, no name
calling, no personal attacks
● Argue on other’s opinion/idea & not ‘on’ the
person expressing those. Need not to get
defensive
● Everyone must get to share their ideas/opinions
equally
● Psychological tip to be impactful (Shifting opinion
on topic from negative to positive, use of
Rubrics of GD
● Contribution
● Content
● Articulation of speech
● Communication skills
● Body language
● Interpretation
● Attitude (+ve or -ve)
Types of topics in GD
1. Topical is where you form an opinion, either yes/no,
true/false, agree/disagree etc
(E.g. India going digital, Imports from China should be
completely banned, etc)
2. Case study based
(E.g. ‘Fair n Lovely’ now ‘Glow n Lovely’; a victory against
colorism)
3. Abstract topics are those which are difficult to understand,
and they always have some moral hidden in them.
(E.g. Every cloud has a silver lining, There is no right way to
do a wrong thing, Haste make waste, etc)
Key pointers that can increase
your effectiveness and visibility
among the group
● Role of tone or pitch
● Intonation
● Entry / exit / conclusion
● Adhere to the rules explained before GD by the
convenor
● If the topic is simple and clear don’t waste time
defining it
● Avoid false and incorrect or misleading information
(try and include current scenario and facts,
statistics, future aspect)
● Try to use simple vocabulary (not applicable to all)
● Do not repeat the point already spoken before by
Phrases that you can use in GD
for putting your point forward
● I am afraid I do not agree with you………
● What do you think is the reason for……………
● I would rather not go with your opinion
because……………..
● I have noticed that i have slightly different POV here,
as………..
● More people like to think it as……………….
● One way to really improve this *work would be
……………
● I appreciate your POV, but let’s see it in this
way………………..
● You might want to consider this fact as well
that……………….
Continued..
● Yes you are right, it’s true that we…………….
● That’s right / Absolutely
● I agree up to a point, but……………
● I am not so sure about that…………
● That’s partly true, but………..
● I agree because I think that……….
● You’re right, that is a good point………….
● You have a point here………..
● In my honest opinion , I feel that………….
Phrases that you can use while
interrupting in between
● Sorry to interrupt, but…………….
● Can I add something here?.........
● I might add something here, that’s not always the
case…………..
● May I ask a straightforward question?..............
● Can we wait a second? On your last point, I want to
make sure you understand………..
● May I add a point of explanation here…………
● There is a lot more to understand, before we go to that
point. It is that…
● Do you really have something valuable to add?........
Continued…
● Is there a valid reason?.................
● May I quickly add something here before we move
ahead………………
● Well, it reminds me of …………
● That makes me think of………….
● That was really well put together, however………….
● Before you go on, I would like to say
something………….
● Do you mean that…………
● I do not want to be rude by interrupting you but how
can we miss the fact that…………
“Conclusion” of the Group
Discussion
It is a Summary; Do’s
Include no of participants, topic, significance of the topic,
key points put forward by the participants (as much as you
can remember), which side was more favoured and why
you think so, how both point of views were put forward,
your final verdict (it can include your final viewpoint)
Don’ts
Do not include any new point
Don not start with final view point
Use phrases like
FOR START - “I take the opportunity to conclude the
discussion…..”
“I take this chance to conclusively wrap our discussion …..”
(include no of participants, and appreciate how everybody
contributed in this discussion)
IF ALL POINTS PUT FORWARD WERE ALIGNED -
“We had a good discussion and could reach a consensus…..”
“We had an informative discussion and were able to agree…”
(include all points that you can remember )
“The discussion was smooth..”
Continued…
IF ALL POINTS PUT FORWARD WERE NOT ALIGNED -
“We had a good discussion but could not reach consensus…..”
“All of us were divided on the topic…”
“It was not a very smooth discussion… , though some points
were really good like…..”
“Some of us had the view that….” “While others felt that……”
“So all the ins and outs of the discussion, today, remained quite
informative/didactic/enlightening/factual/revealing/educational/si
gnificant….”
Remember
Selection is unpredictable, so don’t stress and
don’t self criticise
You are being scrutinized at every step you
make
Stay aware about the current affairs happening
around nation and world
Include examples, examples and examples
The End
