GROUP DISCUSSION

DEFINITION
• Meeting of a small number of
professionals

• Discuss a problem or issue

• Objective – arrive at a consensus/

exchange information related to function,
growth or expansion of the organization
GD as an instrument for judging the
suitability of a candidate
• Quick grasping power
• Mature reaction to views expressed by others
• Positive approach to issues and problems
• Leadership qualities
• Power of exposition
• Analytical ability
• Communication skills
• Group behaviour
• GD is not structured
• No chairperson, no secretary and no
agenda
• Any member can initiate the discussion
• Time to time summarization is required
• Summarization at the end is also required
• Emergence of a solution, a common
viewpoint or a course of action
• Topic can be announced beforehand or
after the participants have assembled for
the discussion
 What should be done?
• Define the topic
• Analyze its scope and implications
• Initiate and generate the discussion
• Listen to the views of others intently
• Encourage and provide reticent members
to speak
• Intervene forcefully and politely, when the
situation demands
• Summarize views of the others before
presenting your point of view
• Be brief and to the point in the
presentation of your views
• Concede to others’ points of view, if they
are reasonable
• Try to lead the group to a definite
conclusion
• Emphasize the points you consider
significant
• Look at, and address, all the members of
the group
• Speak with proper pronunciation
• Help the group conclude the discussion
within the allotted time
• Maintain a relaxed and pleasant
atmosphere throughout the discussion
• Summarize the main view-points at the
end
• State the conclusion reached
 What you shouldn’t do?
• Don’t be assertive in presenting your views.
• Don’t dominate the discussion
• Don’t make any personal remarks
• Don’t jump to conclusions
• Don’t enter into dyadic discussion
• Don’t speak continuously for a long time
• Neither raise your voice too high nor speak too
softly
• Don’t speak in monotone
• Avoid using speech mannerisms and time-
fillers
• Don’t use aggressive gestures
• Neither recline in your chair nor lean
forward
• Don’t ignore any member of the group
 Criteria for evaluation

• (extent and quality of contribution) - Relevance

of the views expressed
• Significance of information presented
• The frequency of interaction
• Reaction to the views of others
• (techniques used for discussion) - Manner in
which presentations and interventions are made
• (communication skills) - Skills of pronunciation,
delivery, voice modulation and use of body
language
• (leadership qualities) - Generating discussion
• directing it on the right track
• Maintaining a smooth flow of communication
• Prompting a group to reach an agreed view-
point/solution
• (group behaviour) - Courtesy and consideration
for others
• Concern for eliciting the views of all members
 Evaluation sheet
• A – EXCELLENT

• B – VERY GOOD

• C- AVERAGE

• D – POOR

• E – EXPOSED –WHEN A PERSON DOES NOT

MAKE ANY CONTRIBUTION
 Topics for GDs
• Knowledge intensive: Here, the background knowledge
of a subject is required for effective participation (for
example: Should India go in for full convertibility of the
rupee?).

 Non-knowledge intensive: Requires structured thinking,

but subject knowledge is not required (for example: Do
women make better managers?)

•  Abstract: Requires out-of-the-box thinking, analogy and

example-based discussion (For example: Money is
sweeter than honey, blue is better than red).