GROUP DISCUSSION

Group discussion is once again a filtering process. Here the communication ability and the ideas of a candidate are evaluated.
A topic is given and 8 to 10 of you are allowed to speak on the subject for around 10 minutes. The topic of the GD is generic (simple). It may range from cricket to software industry, to Indian culture, to the future of humanity to anything, but it will be simpler. So one needs to have some kind of general awareness and needs to update with current affairs.
Now how do you face it?
* Usually the topic is debatable, so one needs to quickly decide whether you are far or against the given topic. I suggest, try to be different in your choice the group. You are given some 2 minutes time to make points about the subject.
* If you initiate, you will get the advantage, but don’t initiate without ideas. It’s better to speak after two to three have spoken.
* Be cool and look fresh.
* Don’t look at the judges
* Speak clearly and loudly facing all. Try to anchor the group, not dominate it.
* Clearly explain your ideas with few weighted words. Don’t speak too much of nonsense.
* Don’t murmur or stammer.
* Don’t criticise others.
* Always look at the person who is speaking and nod your head so that judges will see that you are listening.
* If somebody is speaking more, you can say ‘you have spoken enough, let’s give chance to this person’ or ‘I agree with him’ or ‘you are going out of topic, let’s stick to the topic’
* Speak around 2-3 times. I mean don’t speak just once for 2 long minutes and keep quite for rest of the time, so try to speak in bursts. If somebody is listening to the discussion from outside, he should see that you are alive inside.
* Try to conclude yourself (if they ask to)
One can practice mock GD with his friends to become familiarise with it. Actually Mandira Bedi’s group, ‘Extra Innings’ on Sony max on world cup 2003, had inspired me.