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Amalan R, Assistant Professor, Department of English, GCE-DPI

Group Discussion (Handout)

Introduction:

 About 7-8 million Indians are entering the labour market annually but most deal with
challenges in acquiring the right skills for good employment opportunities.
 What ultimately matters at the end of any career is a good placement.
 The student should be industry-ready and meet the demands of the job as a fresher.
 Along with the domain knowledge and the hard skills, the most crucial requirement is
of soft-skills.
 Unfortunately, it is the area where students are unable to perform and are deprived of
good job opportunities and remain unemployed after several years of struggle and
study.
 Hard skills can win a degree but not an interview.
 Skill gaps affecting Indians' prospects in tech jobs, says IBM chief Ginni Rometty.
 Soft skills key to survival in the jobs market. [The Economic Times/: Jan 30, 2019, /
Roshni Chakrabarty]

What is a Group Discussion?

o A group discussion is a method used by Institutions/Organizations to gauge whether
the candidate possesses the group or team skills that it desires in its members.

When is it conducted?
o Prior to the GD, the assessment of a candidate by his potential employer is based on
his resume, test scores and in some cases telephonic pre-screening.

How many participants will be there in a GD?

o Group Discussion is a process where applicants sit together (typically 8 to 12).

What do the participants do in a GD?

o Discuss a topic with an objective to analyse an issue given to them or find a solution
to a given problem.
o The expectation from a group is to civically discuss the topic at hand and to arrive at a
consensus or a solution.

How do the participants sit in a GD?

o A circular, semi-circular formation (U) or round a rectangular table.

How much time will it take?

o Two-three minutes are given to think about the topic.
o Followed by 10 to 15 minutes of discussion which then ends with a
summary/conclusion worth 2 to 3 minutes.
o So, the total time duration comes to (2+10+2) or 15 to 20 minutes.
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Amalan R, Assistant Professor, Department of English, GCE-DPI

What are the types of Group Discussion?

 Broadly Group Discussion can be divided into two categories:
1.Topic-Based Group Discussion
2. Case Studies

Topic-Based Group Discussions:

1. Current/Factual Topics
2. Argumentative Topics
3. Abstract Topics

Current Topics or factual Topics:

o These current topics are based on recent issues which are factual about practical
things which an ordinary person is aware of in his day-to-day life
o A factual topic for discussion gives a candidate a chance to prove that he is aware of
and is sensitive to his environment.
o Current topics can range from social, political, economic, environmental, legal and
international front.
o Here the moderator is looking for knowledge, creative abilities, general awareness
and reasoning ability.

Examples:
(a) The New Education Policy
(b) Tourism in India
(c) The state of the Aged in India
(d) Does Pakistan work better with a military dictatorship?
(e) Why economic divide should be the focus of countries today, rather than political
divide?

2. Argumentative Topics:
o Such topics are controversial in nature, are a subset of factual topics which require a
candidate to take a stand either for or against the topic.
o While discussing these topics, you may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
o In GDs where these topics are given for discussion the noise level is usually high,
there may be tempers flying.
o The idea behind giving the topic like this is to see how much maturity the candidate is
displaying by keeping his temper in check, by emotionally and logically arguing his
point of view, without getting personal or emotional.
o These topics are given to create a difference of opinion and to check how open the
candidate is to the new ideas and how easily can a candidate evaluate ideas and issues.

Examples:
(a) Television / mobiles degenerate moral values in the youth today
(b) Reservations should be removed
(c) Women make better Managers
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Amalan R, Assistant Professor, Department of English, GCE-DPI

3. Abstract Topics:
o Abstract topics are mostly ambiguous in nature.
o While discussing this topic you have to think laterally and ultimately to link the
abstract with the known fact.
o The checkpoints of this discussion are creative thinking, imagination and common
sense.
o These are the most difficult and test one's ability to think when confronted with
unexpected situations.

Examples:
(a) Grass is greener on the other side
(b) Black
(c) Pink
(d) Noise and Chaos
(e) Waste land

4.Case-Based Group Discussion:

o Another variation is the use of a case instead of the topic.
o The case study tries to simulate a real-life situation.
o Information about the case/situation will be given to you and you would be asked as a
group resolve the situation.
o A couple of questions also can be given after the case.
o It is important to read the case very carefully and candidates must not miss even the
slightest detail.
o In the case study there are no incorrect answers or perfect solutions.
o The objective is to get you think about the situation from various angles.
o Examples here are often typical of organizations in real-life situations.

Example:
(a) A case of how an HR manager should deal with a directive from his management
to reduce the workforce of a company when he disagrees with the decision; or a
case of how to deal with a strong performer in a company who delivers results, but
has very poor interpersonal skills.

(b) You are the project manager of a team of 25 members. You have the option of
promoting only one member in your team. The two candidates you have
shortlisted are:
(1) A 37-year-old employee who has been working with the company for last 5
years and is very sincere and technically sound.

(2) A 25-year young professional who has recently joined the company, but has
shown tremendous improvement and skills and promotion would do him a
world good. You decided on the 37-year-old employee, just then you came to
know that he's been diagnosed HIV+ and is not likely to live for long. What
would be your course of actions?
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Amalan R, Assistant Professor, Department of English, GCE-DPI

Topics for Group Discussion:

 Agriculture Role in India and Subsidies: Problems & Challenges

 Women Empowerment & Gender Justice: Addressing the Equality Challenges
 End of Globalization/ De-Globalization/ Nationalization
 Climate Change/Pollution
 Retirement Homes: Do the advantages of living in them outweigh the disadvantages?
 Social Media: Impact on human behaviour and society
 Impact of technology on Jobs
 #Me too campaign
 The IT Industry in India -Will it create more jobs in the future?
 Poverty in India: Facts, Causes, Effects, Solution
 Agriculture Role in India and Subsidies: Problems & Challenges
 Media Freedom: Should there be a limit?
 Is India ready for Electric Vehicles?
 Linking of Aadhaar: Is making Aaadhar mandatory a good idea?
 Gender bias in portraying Women in Advertisements

Abstract Topics:

 Friends, Enemy or Frenemies?

 Your failures can be your stepping stones or your stumbling blocks
 Ethics or Profit?
 Zero (0)
 Black or Grey
 Work-Life Balance is a Myth
 FAMOUS Vs IMPORTANT
 Roses are red; crows are black
 Water or Oxygen
 East or West India is the best
 Patience: A virtue in Business and Management.
 Innovation Vs Invention: What is more important?
 Change is the only constant
 Freedom is a myth
 Leader or Follower
 Brevity is the soul of wit

Positive Task Roles:

 Initiator
 Information Seeker
 Information Giver
 Procedure facilitator
 Opinion Seeker
 Opinion Giver
 Clarifier
 Summarizer

Negative Roles to be avoided:

 Non- Participant
 Attacker
 Dominator
 Clown
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Amalan R, Assistant Professor, Department of English, GCE-DPI

Skills Accessed in Group Discussion:

1. Ability to work in a Team

2. Communications Skills, including listening
3. Innovation, creativity and lateral thinking
4. Flexibility
5. Reasoning
6. Ability to Influence
7. Leadership and Assertiveness
8. Group Behaviour
9. Knowledge
10. Presentation
11. Initiation.
12. Body language
13. Cooperation

How to start:
There are several ways of starting a discussion.

One may start with:

a) A Quotation,
b) A small poem or anecdote,
c) Your personal or imaginary experience,
d) An incident,
e) A very small tale,
f) A small joke,
g) An incident from the movie or mythological story

Conclusion:

The person concluding the discussion must follow the following soft- skills:
a. Should be an active participant during the discussion
b. Should have been an active listener who took notes capturing the key points made by
the participants - including positions of agreement and disagreement.
c. Ability to get the buy-in of all members to summarize the group's views.
d. Crisp and concise communication skills with a high degree of clarity.

Important Points for Summing Up:

 There is no scope for raising or introducing any new point not discussed before in the
course of the discussion.
 The summing up is to be done impartially - with no bias, leanings or prejudice.
 Summing up must be clear, concise and compact
 No elaboration of the points that have already been discussed.
 Summing Up should be ended with a vote of thanks.
 The discussion should end on a cordial note- preferably with warm handshakes and
smiling faces.
 Repetitions of the same points have to be avoided.