Login/RegisterGroup Discussion all you need to know
Introduction to Group Discussions
Typically used by organizations such as companies, institutes, business schools etc., Group Discussion, also popularly known as GD, is a procedure to measure certain traits of candidates. Group Discussions are quite widely used for the process of recruitment or admission in companies and educational institutes.
The format -
As the name suggests, a group of candidates is provided with a situation or a topic, given some time to think and jot down their points on the topic, and then asked to start discussing the topic amongst the group within a limited time duration. A GD is similar to the game of football where the team passes the ball to the next team member in order to achieve their common goal, group discussion if also work of teamwork - integrating the views of different group members to reach a common goal.
The essence of GDs in an interview or admission process
As explained, a group discussion is a communicative process where the participants are allowed to share their viewpoints and opinions on a certain topic with the other group members.
The Need -
The purpose of conducting a Group Discussion Round by educational institutes and companies is to look out for candidates who possess crucial qualities of contributing effectively and efficiently to accomplish the goals of the process. Business management, being an act of teamwork, requires to check such team skills in a company which can be tested by group discussion activities easily. If you are up for a managerial role, your performance in a GD can really help to create a positive impact on the recruiters.
Other than teamwork, the skills being observed are - your communication skills, leadership skills, knowledge, listening skills, ability to conceptualize and your presence of mind. Not just the group goals, but your individual goals can also be assessed by group discussions. Your personality traits are quite out in open and the recruiter can take a hint of your worth and potential to work in a group.
Characteristics of GD
Let us check out the salient features of group discussion:
Interface
Group Discussion is a good interface to place various members for an interaction where they can communicate by paying attention to each other.
Leader and Members
A group discussion activity consists of leaders and group members where the leader initiates summarizing the facts and figures, compile them and gets all the members to a consensus solution to the problem. To this, the members also give active responses and participation.
Participation
A healthy group discussion will always have maximum participation leading to an effective communication which in turn gives out efficient solutions to the problems being discussed by the members.
Interpersonal Attraction
Group Discussions brings out the interpersonal behaviors of the members and expose them to each other. During the discussion, likes and dislikes thought process and state of mind, all are out on the table and the members develop empathy towards each other by getting involved in their problems.
Pressure to Conform
A group discussion always gives you the element of pressure to play by the rules. There are predefined standards to be followed in order to attain a positive response from the group discussion.
Conflict
One of the most interesting parts of a group discussion is the difference of opinion or the disagreement amongst the group members which escalates the discussion with facts and figures. If the problem statement has alternative solutions, a conflict is bound to happen. The conflicts accelerate the direction of the discussion to a consensus which might be a midway solution to everyone. Thus a conflict may be of help. However, political discussions and conflicts might go in a different direction altogether.
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