Group Discussion Preparation

Some Basic G D Tips which will help to excel in group discussions.

Nowadays Group Discussion is being extensively used along with personal interviews for the final selection of candidates. It plays a main role in selecting the best among the best. Having scored high marks, students who get selected for job are placed on a par - on equal footing - based on their ability to handle the situation. It becomes necessary to conduct further screening for choosing a few among many. It is here, the Group Discussion plays an important part. It tests the candidate’s managerial skills like communication skills, knowledge and ideas regarding a given subject, capability to co-ordinate and lead, etc. among the academically superior achievers. It is one of the best tools to study the behavioral and attitudinal responses of the participants.
Rightly speaking, GD is more a technique than a conventional test. In fact it is one of the most important and popular techniques being used in a number of personality tests. It is a technique or a method used for screening candidates as well as testing their potential. It is also designed as a situation test wherein a sample of a candidate's group worthiness and potential as a worker comes out quite explicitly. Following are some basic tips that you should keep in mind while preparing for Group discussion.

• Be as natural as possible. Do not try and be someone you are not. Be yourself. A group discussion is your chance to be more vocal. The evaluator wants to hear you speak.
• In a discussion, if you talk in a long winded way, then the other participants will not be courteous and wait for you to come to the point. Hence, speaking in a concise manner is very important.
• Address everyone in the group so while you are making your point you are not talking to one person only but the whole group. At the same time, do not look at the moderators as they are not a part of the group.
• Your body language says a lot about you - your gestures and mannerisms are more likely to reflect your attitude than what you say.
• Address other participants with respect. Do not gesticulate a lot; if you are accustomed to using your hands while making a point ensure that you do not encroach into the space in front of other participants.
• Do not point to a specific participant while talking. Do not get personal; try to be objective in your arguments.
• Avoid using extreme words and controversial statements.
• Be assertive not dominating; try to maintain a balanced tone in your discussion and analysis.
• Don't lose your cool if anyone says anything you object to. The key is to stay objective: Don't take the discussion personally.

You can also have a mock GD round with your friends and try implementing the above Group Discussion preparation tips. This will certainly help you to improve your GD skills.