Group discussion (GD) in simple words means discussion among a group of people. GDs are now increasingly being used by corporate and institutions for selection of candidate for employment or admission. The question before us, therefore, is: How does one sail through GD and come out with flying colours?
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A group discussion is not something which is totally different form routine friendly discussions which daily take place between friends, colleagues and class-fellows, requiring one to acquire a completely different set of skills. All of us are continuously involved in informal discussion with one group of people or the other. The general rules of such discussions that apply to a formal group discussion are also used in the selection of candidates for various assignments.
Problems Faced During GD
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While participating in a GD, you might have at some time or the other faced one or more of the following difficulties:
- Now one listened to you.
- You felt that your idea was great but others might have brushed it aside.
- The more aggressive member got his say.
- There was a definite bias, favorable or otherwise, towards any particular person and his ideas.
These problems, naturally, do arise. How to avoid these pitfalls in a GD? One way to do this is to resort to specific training in the art of handling GD. The scientific way to manage a GD primarily focuses on the following two areas:
- Handling GD, and
- Using techniques to attract and retiling group attention.
Basic Techniques for cracking GD
Some basic techniques to get your point across in a GD are the following:
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Interceding in a GD with a New but Relevant Question
Generally speaking, people tend to take on a doubt or a clarification even if they are in the middle of a GD, just to show that they know the issue in and out. The question attracts attention towards the participant raising the question and gives him and opportunity to speak. Now the ball is in your court. You may fire yet another question or start putting your thoughts across.
Communicating Openly and Clearly
When proposing an idea or advancing an argument, you must be very clear in your communication and thinking. Your proposal should be structured and systematically put across to other participants in the group. Your personal charm and personality will take you up to certain point but after that it will simply be your intelligence, your thought process and command of the language which can pull you through.