A GD is a methodology used by an organization to judge whether the candidate has certain personality traits and/or skills that it desires in its members. In this methodology, the group of candidates is given a topic or a situation, given a few minutes to think about the same, and then asked to discuss the it among themselves for 15-20 minutes.

1. Knowledge: Your ability to state convincing and possible solutions for the topic or case study will determine how good you are in applying what you have learned till now. The panel ranks the ability to use your knowledge in real life situations rather highly. Your ability to build a strong knowledge base is dependent on your understanding.

2. Listening Skills: You are in a GROUP discussion. You must participate as a group member. If you include the viewpoints of others in your viewpoint, then you will be seen more favorably by the Group Discussion panel.

3. Respect: DO NOT criticize or laugh at the viewpoint of another participant no matter how silly it may sound. Group Discussion participants are expected to be dignified and professional in their behavior. Always speak positively and supportively of other participants

Use the above tips to quickly think of solutions for the given topic whether economic or abstract. Remember why you are in Group Discussion in the first place.

Some of the personality traits the GD is trying to gauge may include :-

1. Ability to work in a team               
2. Communication skills
3. Reasoning ability
4. Leadership skills
5. Initiative
6. Assertiveness
7. Flexibility
8. Creativity

Companies conduct group discussion after the written test so as to check on your interactive skills and how good you are at communicating with other people. The GD is to check how you behave, participate and contribute in a group, how much importance do you give to the group objective as well as your own, how well do you listen to viewpoints of others and how open-minded are you in accepting views contrary to your own. The aspects which make up a GD are verbal communication, non-verbal behavior, conformation to norms, decision-making ability and co-operation. You should try to be as true as possible to these aspects.

Tips for Success in GDs (Group Discussions)

Initiate - Break the ice, be the first one to start the discussion, if somebody else has started, relax. There are a lot of opportunities later.

Listen - Carefully. Communication is a lot about listening. Listen, Comprehend, Analyse. When you listen carefully, it allows you to contemplate and analyse which helps in speaking the right thing at the right time.

Remember - Names, Facts, Figures, Quotations. It helps a lot if you know who has spoken what. If permitted, you can use a notepad to write.

Observe - Body language, how conversation shapes up, gets diverted. Then do the right thing at the right time.

Manage - People. At times there are people who create difficult situations. These are best opportunities to demonstrate assertive attitude.

Communicate - Be frank, clear, firm and jovial in your communication. Your voice should reach out but not irritate people.

Summarise - If you did not initiate the talk, this is the right time. If you have been listening carefully, your summary will be the best one.

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