GD

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GROUP DISCUSSION

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Group Discussion

A GD is a methodology used by an organization to

gauge whether the candidate has certain personality
traits and/or skills that it desires in its members.
In this methodology, the group of candidates is given a
topic or a situation, given a few minutes to think about
the same, and then asked to discuss it among themselves
for 15-20 minutes.

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Some of the personality traits

the GD is trying to gauge
may include :-

Ability to work in a team

Communication skills

Reasoning ability

Leadership skills

Initiative

Assertiveness

Flexibility

Creativity

Ability to think on ones feet

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Why GDs

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To get to know you as a person and gauge how well you will fit in
their institute.
How you function as a part of a team. As a manager, you will always
be working in teams, as a member or as a leader.
How you interact in a team becomes an important criterion for your
selection. Managers have to work in a team and get best results out of
teamwork.
That is the reason why management institutes include GD as a
component of the selection procedure.

Company's Perspective

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To check on your interactive skills and how good you are at

communicating with other people.
To check how you behave, participate and contribute in a group,
how much importance you give to the group objective as well as
your own, how well do you listen to viewpoints of others and how
open-minded are you in accepting views contrary to your own.
The aspects which make up a GD are verbal communication, nonverbal behavior, conformation to norms, decision-making ability
and cooperation.
You should try to be as true as possible to these aspects.

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Types of GD

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GDs can be topic-based or case-based.

Topic based Gds can be classified into three types :1. Factual Topics
2. Controversial Topics
3. Abstract Topics

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Factual Topics

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Factual topics are about practical things, which an ordinary person is

aware of in his day-to-day life.
Typically these are about socio-economic topics. These can be current,
i.e. they may have been in the news lately, or could be unbound by time.
A factual topic for discussion gives a candidate a chance to prove that
he is aware of and sensitive to his environment.
E.g. The education policy of India, Tourism in India, State of the aged in
the nation.

Controversial Topics

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Controversial topics are the ones that are argumentative in

nature. They are meant to generate controversy.
In GDs where these topics are given for discussion, the noise
level is usually high, there may be tempers flying.
The idea behind giving a topic like this is to see how much
maturity the candidate is displaying by keeping his temper in
check, by rationally and logically arguing his point of view
without getting personal and emotional.
E.g. Reservations should be removed, Women make better
managers

Abstract Topics

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Abstract topics are about intangible things.

These topics are not given often for discussion, but
their possibility cannot be ruled out.
These topics test your lateral thinking and creativity.
E.g. A is an alphabet, Twinkle Twinkle little star, The
number 10

Case-based GD

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Another variation is the use of a case instead of a topic.

The case study tries to simulate a real-life situation. Information
about the situation will be given to you and you would be
asked as a group to resolve the situation.
In the case study there are no incorrect answers or perfect
solutions.
The objective in the case study is to get you to think about the
situation from various angles.

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Why should we have GD?

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It helps to understand a subject more deeply.

It improves ability to think critically.
It helps in solving a particular problem.
It helps the group to make a particular decision.
It gives the chance to hear other persons ideas.
It improves listening skills.
It increases confidence in speaking.
It can change a persons attitude.

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A group discussion
consists of:

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Communication Skills
Knowledge and ideas regarding a given subject
Capability to co-ordinate and lead
Exchange of thoughts
Addressing the group as a whole
Thorough preparations

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GD Tips

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Initiating a GD is a high profit - high loss strategy.

When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to
speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your
fellow candidates.
If you can make a favourable first impression with your content
and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help
you sail through the discussion.
But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong
facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.

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Body of the group discussion

Different techniques to initiate

a GD and make a good first impression:
i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii. General statement

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Summarization/ Conclusion
Most GD do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where
the whole group decides in favor or against the topic.
But every GD is summarized. You can summaries what the
group has discussed in the GD in a nutshell.

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Keep the following points in mind

while summarizing a discussion:

Avoid raising new points.

Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.
Keep it brief and concise.
It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.
If the examiner asks you to summaries a GD, it means the GD has come to an end.
Do not add anything once the GD has been summarized.

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GD Dos
Speak pleasantly and politely to the group.
Respect the contribution of every speaker.
Remember that a discussion is not an
argument. Learn to disagree politely.
Think about your contribution before you
speak. How best can you answer the
question/ contribute to the topic?

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GD Dos
Try to stick to the discussion topic. Don't
introduce irrelevant information.
Be aware of your body language when you are
speaking.
Agree with and acknowledge what you find
interesting.

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GD Don'ts:
Lose your temper. A discussion is not an
argument.
Shout. Use a moderate tone and medium pitch.
Use too many gestures when you speak.
Gestures like finger pointing and table
thumping can appear aggressive.

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GD Don'ts:
Dominate the discussion. Confident speakers should
allow quieter students a chance to contribute.
Draw too much on personal experience or anecdote.
Although some tutors encourage students to reflect on
their own experience, remember not to generalise too
much.
Interrupt. Wait for a speaker to finish what they are
saying before you speak.

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MBA GD Topics
The Age of Information
Is Philosophy just an
armchair theory?
Success is all about human
relations
Borderless worlds - Dream or
reality?
Quality is a myth in India.
Education and success - Is
there a correlation?
We don't learn from history,
we repeat it
Death of Socialism

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Role of women in
development
Kids today are not what they
used to be
The role of NGOs in
economics and politics
Repeated elections - Should
taxpayers pay for it?
Management Education - Is it
necessary to succeed in
business
Generation X - Drivers of our
future or are they our lost
souls?

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Do You Have

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