Group Discussion Skills

TYPES OF GROUP DISCUSSIONS

Generally there are 2 types of group discussions

Structured Group Discussion
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Un-Structured Group Discussion

Structured group discussions have a specific formation of seating arrangement. There are 3 different seating arrangements in practice. They are

Semi – Circular Formation

Circular Formation

Closed formations such as Square, Rectangular etc.,

Out of these three, semi – circular and circular are most preferred and easy to participate as one can maintain eye contact with everyone in the group very easily.

Now, let us quickly learn how to participate in a group discussion.

Please understand that the candidate is under scanning right from the moment she/he enters into the group discussion room till they leave the room. So, the way you enter into the formation, sitting posture, body language, language, content etc., everything will play a very crucial role.

The moment you enter into the room where the group discussion is held, one will find any one of the above three mentioned formations. A candidate has to be very careful when she/he is occupying the seat. Regardless the formation, the candidate should not disturb the chair placement by dragging it or placing it in whichever direction she/he likes.

One does not find any problem if it is a semi – circular formation, as one of the ends is open and the students can directly walk in and occupy the seats. But on the other hand, if it is a closed formation, one has to remove a chair by picking it up in-order to create a room for entry, then, the remaining students have to follow the first person and finally the last person entering in to the formation has to put the chair removed by the first person back in its original position.

Once all the participants occupy their respective seats, the Human Resource (HR) person from the company will announce a topic. Generally, there are four kinds of topics in group discussion which the HR prefers.

Factual Topics: These are the topics which speak about the scenarios which happened in reality. The participant is expected to quote facts and figures in order to prove his stance.

Some examples of factual topics are list of factual topics.

Controversial Topics: The topics where there is always a chance for an argument are termed to be controversial topics. In these topic for group discussion one will find people supporting or opposing the topics. Some examples of controversial topics are list of controversial topics.
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Abstract Topics: These are the topics where the title mentioned does not have either any specific meaning or any specific intention. A participant has the freedom to speak whatever he wants strictly adhering to the topic, but he cannot speak anything not related to topic.

Some examples of abstract topics are list of abstract topics.

Case – Studies: These are very critical topics, where a group is given a situation or a scenario and are asked to imagine themselves in that situation. A candidate has to think from all the perspectives possible and think very intensely and propose a simple and effective solution. Generally, these kind of group discussion topics are preferred by the companies who are looking for highly effectively people.

Now that we have a clear idea on what are Different types of group discussions, we shall learn about the group discussion skills a candidate needs to get through this round successfully.

If you are really pumped up to clear the GD round you need to possess the group discussion techniques which makes you stand apart from the crowd and charge towards the final round of job interview.

A candidate need to possess the qualities mentioned below to successfully get through the GD. It is not mandatory that every candidate should possess all the skills mentioned here, however it is an added advantage if one can cultivate all the group discussion skills. This in-turn will help them to know how to get a job.

I will try to give detailed information related to roles and their respective group discussion skills and techniques which help them mould themselves. These are the candidates the HR looks for during the group discussion round. Let us know each role in detail.

Generally the HR looks for the following people during the group discussion.

Aggressive people or BULL DOZERS:

These people are very aggressive during the GD. They argue for each and every point the other member speaks. They use high pitch and belligerent body postures to convey their message. These kind of people are generally eliminated from the GD round.

Passive People or STONES:

These people do not show any interest while participating in the group discussion. They neither listen or maintain positive body language throughout the process.

Assertive People or DIPLOMATS:

These people participate very actively. They listen to what others say, speak and also let other speak and also take we very action to make the group discussion to look lively. DIPLOMATS are further classified according to the roles. They are…

Initiator: The person who takes the leadership to start the group discussion is called initiator. Anyone in the group can be an initiator. But, one should remember that she/he can start the discussion only if one can comprehend the topic very accurately and precisely. One should not be an initiator with half knowledge just to attract the attention of the other members. It might lead to a negative impression. An initiator’s point should be strong enough to encourage the other members of the group to talk.
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Content Builder: Every person who talks after the initiator are considered to be content builders. It is not necessary that the person who speaks next to the initiator has to support him. The content builder either can support or oppose the topic or initiator within the proximity of the topic. Content builders are constrained to talk points which revolve around the main idea of the topic.
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Moderators: These people take the ownership of the group discussion to see that everything is going as per the norms and all the points are related to the topic. They see that the entire group is emotionally balanced and direct the group as and when required.
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Concluders: These are the people who are very crucial in the GD. Their job is to bring the discussion to a halt by keeping the time effectively. Concluder’s should be very neutral in giving their opinion towards the conclusion.

This completes the group discussion round.
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From Ur's -- Bellapuri Saikumar