GROUP DISCUSSION What is a Group Discussion? Group discussion is an important activity in academic, business and administrative spheres. It is a leas, thoughts and feelings systematic and purposeful interactive oral process. Here the exchange o! take place through oral communication. The exchange of ideas takes place in a systematic and structured way. The participants sit facing each other almost in a semi-circle and express their views on the given topic/issue/problem. How does Group Discussion differ from a Debate? Debate is competitive in nature while group discussion is a co-operative group process. In_a debate,,a speaker can speak either ‘for’ the topic or ‘against’ the topic whereas in a GD, the speaker can express both. The final decision or result in a debate depends on voting while in a GD, the group reaches group consensus. Why is a group discussion an important activity at college level? As a student, it helps you to train yourself to discuss and argue about the topic given, it helps you to express your views on serious subjects and in formal situations. It improves your thinking, listening and speaking skills. It also promotes your confidence level. It is an effective tool in problem solving, decision making and personality assessment. GD skills ity and good admission or job offer. Thus it is important to be may ensure academic success, pop! able to take part in a GD effectively and confidently. Participants should know how to speak with confidence, how to exhibit leadership skills and how to make the group achieve the goals.expectati Giscussed is given (© Sbserves. The panel at jmmediately. Bach igiscussion carries of Gat short the given fim The objective of a sele ing skills. check your team playing sie h a that your team aS ‘a whole reaches 2 solution oF agreement that is. both ‘feasible and accepted by. all team members. major are! there are four Jpject knowledge, ors! ‘skills and team mana as of evaluation in Iss mmunication $I Teadership Subject Knowledge: are on which they nding of the topic abreast of the ‘ess a thorough _understé supposed to speak. You must PrePAre ourself fo talkc ona wide range of subjects. Be current events, national and {international affairs, burning ‘social and economical topics, scientific and cummmonmental issues, Key NEWSPAPCTS! va atroversial topics and any experience that may be expected oF civ dueated person, AS a member OF the group, you are expected to Contribute substantially t0 the ‘Higcussion. The originality of You! ideas, your knowledge and initiative and your approach to the topic or case contribute to your success in the group Giscussion. The best way to equip yourself is to read daily newspapers, good magazines; national and {ternational journals and also watch new bulletins and. informative programmes on the television. Internet is the greatest boon which provides you with everything you are looking for. The World Wide Web see ast database of current authentic materials that present information in multimedia form and reacts instantly to a user's input. ‘The greater your i ee esi ors Ene a oe mbless the more enthusiastic and confident you will be si lerstood the topic or issue, you should b . ¢ able to generate18 forward new ideas that may work will be accepted as ihe natural leader of the group. Tie panel will observe sha ideas put forward, their originality, the depth of analysis and their relevance to the topic. Problem solving skills are essential and do not hesitate to Bive solutions. Your approach to the case study will be observed keenly by the evaluntors, Oral Communication Skil: If subject knowledge is important, com non verbal clues. Listening SkilG: One of the GD, unless you ses of most human beings is that we Tove to listen to our own voice rather than listen to others. Listening is as important as speaking in a fen, you cannot contribute to the stated purpose of communication. It is munication skills is more important as without expression, the knowledge is of _no_use. As the exchange of ideas in a group discussion takes place through speech, one of the pre-requisites of success in a GD is the ability to speak confidently and convincingly. Good communication skills include active listening, clarity of though and expression, apt language and proper extremely important to listen very carefully, only then you will be able to pick up the thread of discussion and continue. Only active participation as a listener in a group makes a person a good leader, A leader is identified by the panel. Clarity of thought and expression: Clarity is the art of making yourself clear to the audience. Only when your expressions are clear, you can convince your team and the panel. More than words, it is the tone in which they are spoken that conveys the message. You should not be too loud or too soft. A lively and cheerful voice with appropriate modulations will attract the audience. Proper articulation of words, achieved through phonetic accuracy is very essential slang, and artificial accents are to be avoided.Apt Language: The flow of language must be smoot sentences. Appropriateness of language demands not use unfamiliar phrases and flowery Innguage. Use simple language and avoid long winding that there should be no errors of geammar. Do Be precise. Be polite and courteous. Proper non verbal clues: Non verbal clues include cye contact, body movements, gestures and facial expressions. The panel very keenly watches the non verbal behavior of the team, They generally evaluate the body language cues of the team to determine personality factors such as nervousness, co-operation, frustration, weakness, insecurity, self confidence, defensiveness, etc. A candidate who appears Professional is more likely to be noticed by the panel, A confident posture, appropriate facial expressions and meaningful eye contact with the team will create a good expression. Team befiavior: Your group behavior is reflected in your ability to interact with the other members of the group. You frust-be-mature enough-to-notose-your temper even if you are proved wrong. You must be patient and balanced. Your success in a GD depends on how well you play the role of initiator, informati ker, information giver, prow Fee atators opinion_seeker,—opinion_giver,-clarifier, summarizer, Social-supporter, ter lever, compromiser, attacker, humorist and dominator. The selection panel notes the differences in the amount of participation of the members. They observe the silent spectators, the ever dominating but not contributing much, member who participates actively exhibiting his knowledge and the moderate ones. Your ability lies in analyzing the problem well and making others to endorse your view. Finally while appreciating others point of view, you should effectively present yours without contradicting other’s opinions. Your ability in convincing the team is your successsoyeuruiog ppeny soafioug « AS -suonnjos aaneaouus 2p (2 toneopu ue 3 yawor8 pure uodd G\__ OPER puE pays proud a we See 125 v,fo BorosExpectations of the Panel You should have the following qualities Phases in a GD: ). 2) © The central group discussion D)_ + Summarizationeonctusion What to do in a GD? Team player Reasoning Leadership Flexible Assertiveness Initiative Inspiring ability Listening Awareness Initiation/introduction Speaking is important; do not sit silently. Speak freely. Do not monopolize the conversation or talk too much. Give everyone a chance to speak, Maintain eye contact with everyone in the group. Show active listening skills. Do not interrupt anyone while they are speaking. Keep the topic on track and don’t be irrelevant. Encourage someone who is silent to talk. Do not argue with anyone. Do not debate with anyone, while the group looks on. Do not repeat what has been said; be attentive; try to develop on ideas expressed or give out new ideas. Clarify your doubts and then proceed. Be brief. Do not commit grammatical errors while talking,some topics for Group Discusston: © Terrorism in India + Religion shor © Morals & i be mixed wt poles + With Media pe isDegeneraing * Weare not serious af ig and Telecastng Trivia, Censorship is the Ne © The education ten bout saving Wildlife/Environment © The Internet System needs serious reforms ee eee hype © Politics ical System Reason for our Backwardness? s run by the Barrel of Gun © Comuption is the Price we pay for Democracy * What India needs is a Dictatorship? © Nuclear War cannot be won and should not Cloning be banned? © Brain-Drain has to be stopped Should Animals be used for Testing ‘New Drugs & Met F ‘Do NGOs in India Really Work for Others OR ‘Work for their Own Security Cameras & Privacy ‘Advertisements Cheat People, Hence Should Be Bannet What is the Difference between People who do Things Things? ‘Are Peace and Non-Violence Outdated Concepts? Capital Punishment should be Banned or Allowed? Is Dependence on Computers a Good Thing? © Every Cloud has a Silver Lining + Nice Guys Finish Last «Privatization of Higher Education «How effective are Indian B-schools? search on Human be foughtShould Re A E Rightly and People who do Right E-Learning: A Substitute for Classroom Leaming? Cricket as a National Obsession is a Detriment to Other Sports.