1. Group Discussion
Personality Development and Soft Skills
Barun K Mitra
© Oxford University Press 2011. All rights reserved.

2. Group Discussion
Through the medium of a Group Discussion,
prospective employers hope to gain insight into a
number of characteristic traits of the candidates, that
are vital for working in a team and effectively executing
tasks in the professional world, and make the right
selection.
A few important Do’s and Don’ts are discussed here to
help candidates prepare themselves.
© Oxford University Press 2011. All rights reserved.

3. Group Discussion - Do’s
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Be alert
Listen attentively and take notes
Non verbal Communication
-Depth/tone of voice
-Facial expression, gestures
and posture
Verbal Communication
-Clearly
-Correctly
-Confidently
Be polite
Be a team player
-Leadership traits
-Ability to steer the discussion
-Motivate/encourage
participation
Maintain eye contact
Speak only when you have something
to contribute
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Be flexible

4. Group Discussion - Don'ts
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Don’t be arrogant, disrespectful,
condescending, dismissive,
prudish, etc
Don’t monopolize/Dominate the
discussion
Don’t interrupt
Don’t boast
Don’t lose temper/get emotional
Don’t indulge in peer discussion
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5. Initiating a GD
The responsibility of the first speaker
- Don’t rush to be the first speaker unless you know the topic
very well
- If you take on the role of initiator, you should introduce the
topic clearly and provide multiple views and arguments to carry
the discussion forward
- Follow through during the entire discussion is equally
important
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6. Group Discussion Situations
In the following slides we shall look at some situations
where candidates interact in a group discussion and
present various personality traits for the selection panel
to study and evaluate
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7. SITUATION 1
Picture this situation where one person in the group tries to
dominate another.
ANURADHA: I don’t think Global Warming is going to kill us all. Those
who create rumours, always try to exaggerate the facts. Even in the
past predictions have been made about the end of life on this very
earth. And what can you do to tackle global warming? Can you stop
moving in cars, flying in planes, running industries, using mobiles, air
conditioners and all that we cannot survive without? (Looks at a
participant sitting on her left and adds) I don’t think what you are saying
is practical. I don’t think we need to create such a fuss about global
warming.
Look how the same argument can be said in a better way:
SURBHI: Recently, I read an editorial in The Times of India that global
warming may not be as disastrous as it is projected to be. The author
had also quoted instances when such predictions were made in the
past about bigger disasters but nothing of that sort happened. That, of
course, is one point of view. There are others who have a completely
different opinion. Therefore, we simply cannot brush aside all this
concern in a whiff of over-confidence. I think we need to carefully
analyse how drastically we have to change our life-style in order to be
able to live up to the demanding adjustments and sacrifices if at all we
have to stem the tide.
© Oxford University Press 2011. All rights reserved.

8. SITUATION 2
Look how the participant in this situation loses her cool and
reacts to her co-participant’s attitude:
AMIT: (with a smirk on his face) You know, I agree with all this
women’s liberation thing but you see sometimes, women take this
liberation thing a little too seriously. I mean, a baby needs her
mother more than her father. So, a woman will have to compromise
and may be even give up her job after she has a baby. Men can’t
give up their jobs and sit at home and take care of babies… it
doesn’t help.
A participant is shown to be responding by saying this in an
intensely emotional and angry tone. She looks very agitated and is
seething with anger.
PRIYA: You are such a chauvinist (narrows her eyes while saying
this). You think children are only the responsibility of the mother
and not the father? Tell me, what is wrong if men sit at home and
look after babies? You think a woman’s professional career is not
important to her. What if she too wants to become rich, famous and
important in life? Why should she alone put a break in her career
because of the baby?
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9. SITUATION 3
A heated discussion is going on amongst 6 participants:
PRIYANKA: Friends, I think India should develop nuclear
weapons. All other developed nations have nuclear weapons,
why should we be left behind.
Jaideep is shown to be saying very softly after participant 5 has
finished…
JAIDEEP: I think we should….
Surbhi cuts in and very vehemently says:
SURBHI: No, I don’t agree. Like I was saying earlier nuclear
weapons should be banned. That is the best solution.
At this point Anuradha who is concerned that Jaideep had not
been allowed to speak says:
ANURADHA: Friends, I feel all of us are keen to know what our
friend here (extending her hand, palm facing up towards
Jaideep), has to say on this issue.
Everybody turns to look at Jaideep who then looks gratefully at
Anuradha and begins to say his point of view.
© Oxford University Press 2011. All rights reserved.

10. Concluding a GD
Summing up the discussion
- should be an active participant during the discussion
- should have been an active listener who took notes capturing
the key
- points made by the participants—including positions of
agreement and disagreement
- the conclusion should be a logical one and represent the views
articulated by the group
- ability to get the buy-in of all members to summarize the
group’s views
- crisp and succinct communication skills with high degree of
clarity
© Oxford University Press 2011. All rights reserved.