A Group Discussion (GD) refers to a
communicative situation that allows its participants to share their views and
opinions with other participants. It is a systematic exchange of information,
views and opinions about a topic, problem, issue or situation among the members
of a group who share some common objectives.
GD is a popular methodology used by many organizations (company, institute, business
school, etc.) to gauge whether the candidate has certain personality traits;
such as interpersonal communication skills, confidence in public speaking, team
spirit, leadership abilities, social behavior and problem-solving skills. GDs
form an important part of the short-listing process for recruitment or
admission in a company or institution.
In this methodology, there are usually 7-12
participants in a group. The group of candidates is given a topic or a
situation which could be either factual, abstract or case based, and typically
given some time to think and make notes about the same. After this, the group
of candidates is, and then asked to discuss it the topic among themselves for a
specific duration ranging between 10-40 minutes (which may vary from one
organization to another). While the group discusses the pertaining issue at
hand, the Moderators/Panelists silently observe each candidate on various
pre-determined parameters. The Panelists assign scores to every candidate
based on his/her individual performance as well as how he performed within the
group.
Following are some of the roles that
members engaged in a GD adopt:
1)
Initiator:
This position belongs to the member who will start the discussion. The member
has to be extra conscious as this position is a bit risky. The member has to be
confident and will have to set the tone right at the very beginning. But this
doesn’t mean that they have to keep silent for the rest of the discussion. They
need to be active throughout the discussion.
2)
Clear facts:
There are always members in a GD that belong to this category, the ones who
have all the facts. These members are data driven. They will support their
statements with facts and statistics. But they have to make sure that the facts
are correct. Also, merely stating facts won’t help them win a discussion. They
need to interpret them well and make their point stronger with the help of the
facts.
3)
Controller:
These members like to control the discussion. They want everyone in the group
to approve of what they are saying.
4)
Moderate Referee:
These members act as coordinators. They ensure that every member of the group
gets sufficient time to speak and put forth their perspective. They never lose
their calm. When an argument gets heated up, they try to bring the discussion
back to normal.
5)
Fault Finder:
These members try to find faults in what others are saying. They have objection
in almost everything. They do not bring anything new to the discussion, rather
try to bring down others in the group.
6)
Stopwatch:
These members are interesting to observe. They always keep a track of the time.
They don’t get lost in the discussion. They know how much time has passed and
how much is left, who all have gotten chance to speak and who haven’t. However,
they should also focus on putting forth their impactful views.
7)
Audience/Viewer:
These members are easy to spot. They are quiet. They will be listening to and
observing what others are speaking. They won’t put any points in the discussion
as they do not have their own point of views.
8)
Gist Maker:
This member is the one who will end the discussion. It is a very important
position as the member has to summarize the entire discussion and draw valid
conclusions.
According to the roles mentioned above, the
negative roles assumed would be:
Controller, Fault Finder and Audience/Viewer
Here are the remedies on how one can come out of these roles:
·
Controller:
The members of this
category should learn that every other member in the group will have their own
perspective. You cannot force your views on others. In order to change, these
members have to keep their minds open and think in all directions. They should
not restrict themselves in exploring points and views put forth by others. They
should expand their way of thinking as well.
·
Fault Finder:
These members probably act
so as they might not have their original points & hence bank upon others’
point to make an entry in the GD.
These members should come up with their own point of views rather than proving
others wrong. They present a very negative image of themselves to the judges
and other group members, and makes them lose marks.
·
Stopwatch:
Even though these members
try to positive act in the GD, they miss their chance in participating in the
group discussion. One can also say that keeping a track of time is important in
a GD, but what is more important is to put your points and actively participate
in the group discussion. They should not restrict themselves in only keeping
the track of time but also equally participate in the discussion. In this way,
they can gain some extra points for themselves.
Be mindful of the role you assume when you participate in your next GD! 🙂
