Having a group discussion as one of the qualifying rounds for the selection to an institute such as a business school, landing a job or internship opportunity or even for getting into a college society is commonplace in today’s times. Merely clearing the written entrance exam is no longer sufficient because companies and higher studies institutes today are looking for something more than just academic knowledge in an individual. Once you’ve proved your scholarly worth, group discussions help them assess your soft skills and how you will cope up in different real-life scenarios because let’s face it, what our curriculum teaches us and what life offers us, rarely aligns.
In a typical setting, group discussions are conducted by bringing strangers together on a table, asking them to discuss on a topic which is more often than not is given on the spot and come to a conclusion.
Group discussions help bring out diverse perspectives and widen our horizons as individuals. In this round, candidates are judged as individuals as well as team players. There are various parameters on which the candidates are assessed such as: -
· Initiative: Speaking first takes courage but also brings in brownie points for confidence. This, however, doesn’t mean that you can only take initiative by going first. Even a speaker who participates later in the discussion may be high on initiative. It merely depends on your ability to add something new and relevant to the discussion. Good, concise content with a clarity of thought is always appreciated.
· Contribution: If you don’t start first, you can always contribute to the discussion by being an active participant. If you agree with someone, support them and add an example from your end. If you disagree, be ready with some strong reasons why.
· Verbal Communication: Obviously, how you speak holds a lot of importance too in addition to what you’re saying. Being fluent, articulate and modulating voice ensures that your audience is engaged in what you’re saying and listens to you keenly.
· Non-Verbal Communication: The panellists take a lot from your body language, your posture, how active and energetic you are apart from what you’re saying. Maintaining eye-contact with everyone but not staring, sitting straight but not like an iron rod, being energetic and participative but not impulsive and using hand gestures but not overusing them or fidgeting are some of the things that need to be taken care of.
· Group Dynamics: Striking a balance between presenting yourself as an individual and as a team player can get tricky. Developing positive dynamics with the other group members is important as it showcases your adaptive and adjusting nature but that doesn’t mean that you’ve to compromise on your beliefs or be a people pleaser. Be polite, listen to what others have to say and if you disagree with them, no one’s stopping you from having an opinion. You just need to be tolerant enough to accept that you agree to disagree.
Group discussions can be of broadly classified into three kinds:
· Topical Group Discussions: As the name suggests, these discussions are more focused on specific topics which can range from recent events taking place in the country to static matters such as the pros and cons of Demonetisation in India or the Goods and Service Tax.
· Case Studies: In these kinds of group discussions, usually a complex business situation is presented in front of the participants involving various aspects and multiple problems embedded into it. Both the individual participants and the group are required to analyse the situation, identify the problems, and suggest a way out.
· Abstract Group Discussions: As the name says, these discussions are highly abstract and open to interpretation for the participants. They have no definite framework and can be taken in any direction. Topics are vague and can even consist of just a single word. It is up to the participants how they interpret it and choose to speak on it.
No one is a born pro at group discussions. It’s a skill for which you basically prepare your whole life and continue to do so even after you’re through with your selection procedure. It’s a skill that requires a lot of practice, a habit of reading regularly about the current events and being aware, generally, of what’s happening around. As you read more and more, not only your vocabulary gets built but you start thinking by your own self without being influenced by others’ opinions and how they feel. You not only find your own voice but also develop the ability to understand why if a person feels differently, feels so. You become more accommodating and tolerant and you realise that you are what company employers or university deans are looking for. A few tips and tricks to ace any group discussion are: -
· Be a good listener: Group discussions are not all about speaking as much as you can. They are about having a healthy discussion with your peers and for that, listening to others is imperative. When you listen to what others have to say on a topic, you are in a position to agree or disagree with them which can help you further the discussion by supporting them or give you counterpoints for disagreeing with them. When you continue on something which the other person was talking about, whether supporting or opposing them, or you quote someone on the table or make a reference to someone’s point, it shows that you’re vigilant and an active participant.
· Read on diverse topics: As mentioned earlier, most of the times, the topic for the group discussion is announced on the spot and 3-5 minutes are given to the candidates to prepare what to say. As the topic can be very diverse ranging from Economics to Environment, from Management to Socio-cultural issues and from Politics to Science, it is advised to read newspaper and relevant magazines regularly to enhance your knowledge database. Being aware of what’s happening in your country and internationally and having an opinion on different issues is something that can make group discussions a piece of cake for you.
· Watch debates and discussions: Aside from reading about current issues, listening to what experts or experienced journalists have to say on them also helps to form opinions and retain information in your mind for longer periods of time. It helps you analyse things better and develop critical thinking skills which come in handy when you are a participant in such discussions.
· Be articulate: An effective speech is always the one which is short, concise and spoken in a fluent manner without using a lot of filler words. For this, it is necessary that you know how to structure your thoughts and present them logically. One way to improve upon this aspect involves writing essays on a variety of topics with a word limit so that when you speak in group discussions, it is easy for others to understand what you want to say and you don’t keep on repeating your points or present your thoughts in a haywire manner.
· Communicate effectively: Being fluent in the language the group discussion is going to take place is not sufficient. You need to make sure that you are able to put your point across which is only going to happen if you’re able to grasp the attention of your audience for as long as you speak. This can be done by making sure that your tone isn’t flat. Keep modulating your voice. Stress on words that express valuable points and are important to your argument.
· Grooming: Group discussions always take place under the observation of some panellists. Even before you begin speaking, you cast an impression on them and your peers with your appearance. Being dressed lousily gives an impression that you don’t care enough or that you’re not taking this event seriously while being dressed in well ironed clothes, wearing polished shoes and making sure your hair’s in place actually makes everyone around you feel that this thing is important to you and you’re willing to make an effort for it.
· Good Research: Doing research on previous years’ topics, topics which keep getting repeated with minor variations or are trending for that year’s group discussions in different institutes can take you a long way. Such awareness can put you on an advantageous position by giving you ample time to prepare for the same. Make sure you know these topics well and can come up with some unique, insightful points along with some data.
· Body language: Communicating with body gestures adds to your overall speech. The panellists observe the way you sit and react in the course of the discussion. Try sitting straight, avoid leaning back on to the chair or knocking the table with a pen or your fingers. Try not to get distracted easily.
· Gesticulation: Using gestures while communicating is something that we all do naturally. They come as a reflex to us. While gestures, if appropriate and positioned well, add to the overall communication effectiveness; an overdose of these may label you as impulsive and restless. So keep your bodily movement when you speak under control. Also, avoid pointing fingers and curtail unnecessary leg movements.
· Speech Rate: When you speak, your motive is to make anyone you’re talking to or towards whom your speech is directed, understand your thoughts. A communication barrier that may arise in such a case is your speech rate, i.e., how fast or slow you speak. If you speak too quickly, your listeners may not be able to follow the content. Similarly, if you speak too slowly, then people will try and finish off the subject of the conversation. It is the variety of “speeds” which gives power to your conversation; slowing down to make a particular point, speeding up to add emphasis and excitement. This change in rate gives feeling and enthusiasm to what we say which ultimately leads to effective communication.
· Take Notes: To remember what different candidates said or to be able to quote them if you want to counter them or further the discussion by asking questions on their statements, you need to clearly remember what was said. This can be done by taking notes in shorthand. Also, if you’re one of the candidates who hasn’t spoken till then or aren’t speaking a lot otherwise too, these notes can come handy when you need to summarise the discussion in the end and also show that you are an active participant.
· Play the Mediator: At times it may happen that you aren’t well versed with the topic of the group discussion and feel that you’ve nothing to say. In such a case, you can enter the discussion a little late and listen for the first few minutes. You can seek clarifications or ask people to elaborate on certain points and raise questions in front of them. In the end, you can take up the task of summarising what everyone said and conclude the discussion as well. In this way, not only you will be able to participate in the discussion but also learn something new.
· Show your creativity: Although it may happen rarely, there’s still a possibility that all the participants agree on some issue in the early stages of the discussion and it may become stagnant. In such a case, you can exhibit your creative side by bringing up different aspects of the issue or discuss what may happen if it is actually implemented. For example, all the participants might agree that there should be reservation for women in the parliament. Here you can bring up the issue of how many seats should be reserved for them- 30% or 33%? This can be one way of taking the discussion forward and keeping it going.
· Don’t digress: More often than not, while speaking, we lose our train of thought and start deviating from the topic. We may start talking about things that are irrelevant to the discussion if our thoughts aren’t organised and well structured before we begin speaking. This may cast a bad impression on the panellists. To avoid such a situation, always think and organise your thoughts before speaking. You can also do this by listing key points in your notebook and refer to them while speaking.
· Stay calm: Such group discussions may become heated when the topic is controversial or something someone believes in very strongly. This can lead to antagonistic behaviour from their end which if directed towards you, can be provoking. Try to stay calm in such a situation. Remember it’s a discussion not a debate. Being short tempered isn’t going to take you anywhere. Therefore, always speak in a courteous manner to your peers and avoid any sort of shouting, table-banging or pointing fingers.
· Don’t dwell: At times you may find that people around you aren’t ready to see reason or listen to a counter argument. This may lead to you two just arguing endlessly and the discussion going nowhere. This is a situation you need to avoid. If you feel that you are correct and the other person feels that he is correct too, you don’t need to dwell on your argument. You have said how you feel about that issue and so has he. The next logical step is to agree to disagree and take the discussion forward. Don’t feel that just because you suggested moving on, you lost the argument. This is not a sign of weakness but that of maturity. It reflects well on your personality as a team leader.
· Practice, practice and practice: The best thing that you can probably do is practice. A few tricks to do that are: -
1. Indulge in dining table discussions with your family at dinners or with you friends and cousins whenever something new happens and you guys meet. You’ll be surprised to know how differently the people you’ve known for a life-time think!
2. Practice your speech in front of the mirror and self-analyse.
3. Write essays on a variety of topics to practice organising and structuring your thoughts before you speak.
4. Hold virtual group discussions with friends and family living far away.
5. Be a voracious reader. Stay updated on world events even if you don’t like reading the newspaper. You’ll eventually start developing an interest on what’s happening around or find your interest piqued to know what happened next when you start following an issue.
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