8 Useful Tips for Group Discussions you just can’t ignore – Success Notes from Among the GD training experts

1. Try to initiate a discussion: Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy. When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates. If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through the discussion. When you start the GD you are actually giving the GD a direction, so start the GD only when you have proper topic knowledge.

2. Make relevant contributions: You could make valuable contributions by stating facts and figures. Use quotes if possible to put forth a point. Relating your points with examples is an excellent way to impress the moderators. Keep entering the GD at crucial points so that you are heard throughout the discussion.

3. Allow others to speak: You must ensure that the group hears you. If the group hears you, so will the evaluator but let others also voice their opinion. Be attentive and show that you are interested when others speak. Do not interrupt anyone in between while speaking. Even if you don’t agree with someone’s point of view, do not interrupt him/her but instead make points and clear them when it’s your turn.

4. Try to build consensus: The next most important thing is that you must be clearly seen to be attempting to build a consensus. This shows your ability to work in a team, your ability to adjust yourself in new surroundings and help others in your team to reach a definite conclusion amidst difference of opinions. After all this is what all Group Discussions aim at: To be able to discuss and arrive at a consensus.

5. Maintain a positive posture: Your gestures and mannerisms reflect your positive attitude. Try and maintain eye contact and hand movements, but don’t stare at the participant. Use voice modulation to highlight important points and statistics. Don’t close your hand/fists as it reflects a negative attitude. Avoid using exaggerated hand/body movements to make up for lack of words.

6. Flexibility & Assertiveness: You must be open to other ideas as well as to the evaluation of your ideas: That is what flexibility is all about. You must put forth your point to the group in a very emphatic, positive and confident manner. Participants often confuse assertiveness with aggressiveness. Aggressiveness is all about forcing your point on the other person, and can be a threat to the group. An aggressive person can also demonstrate negative body language, whereas an assertive person displays positive body language.

7. Be in a formal attire: Wear comfortable formal dress as it reflects professionalism. Try and avoid overdressing. Wearing a formal shirt and trouser with a tie is ideal for men; women on the other hand can wear either western formals or traditional Indian dress like a salwar kameez.

8. Summarise the GD: Most GDs do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against the topic. But every GD is summarised. You can summarise what the group has discussed in the GD in a nutshell.

Keep the following points in mind while summarising a discussion:

* Avoid raising new points.

* Avoid stating only your viewpoint.

* Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.

* Keep it brief and concise.

* It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.

* If the examiner asks you to summarise a GD, it means the GD has come to an end. Do not add anything once the GD has been summarised.

During conclusion, do end with a conclusion note, which shows your leadership qualities.

Best scoring points are:

1. Initiation of discussion,

2. keeping/trying to keep discussion on track

3. Conclusion on time

4. Your capability to keep your cool and listen as well as putting forth your point.