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employee2owner
Group Discussion - An Introduction
Group Discussion like an interview is essentially a conversation, not as some consider, an
argument. You could find yourself in a group discussion situation any where- informally in your club
or peer group, talking casually about a film you liked, a hobby you pursue or a passion you have; or
you could be a part of a formal group in your organization where you might be discussing some
very important business strategy or trouble shooting. Most job seeking individuals, though, have
come to associate GD with the methodology designed by employers to ascertain certain personality
traits and skills like initiative, ability to work in a team, communication skills, reasoning ability,
leadership skills, assertiveness and the ability to get along with other people, in a candidate.
At the root of acquiring proficiency in Group Discussion lies a basic understanding of the common
sense rules of conversation skills. Speech is not the only way of expression but it certainly is a very
important form of communication. Every time we speak, we reveal something about ourselves to
someone else - not just in what we say, but how we say it.
So the number one guideline for effective conversation is to speak clearly and speak sincerely. If
what you have to say is important to others you will never have to shout to be heard. Learn to
make yourself heard without shouting, interrupting or talking over others. Empathy is the word. If
you put others before your self you will never have problem being heard. Say what you think and
how you feel, but say it without hurting others' feelings. Unless we hone our conversation skills we
will never be good at group discussions. Some conversation do's and don'ts:
Conversation DO'S
- Look at the person or people you are talking to. The person who is worth talking to is worth
looking at.
- If you haven't met before, introduce yourself and ask their name.
- Use the person's name when talking to him. The sweetest sound to people’s ears is the
sound of their own name.
- Ask questions to clarify when you don't understand something
- Stick to the subject
- Pay complements. Say nice things to people. Say nice things about them. Recognise people
for their achievements - even small achievements.
- Be very polite when you disagree with people.
Conversation DON'Ts
- Don’t look away from the person you are talking to
- Don't listen in on conversations you aren't a part of
- Don't interrupt when someone else is talking
- Don't squeal, tattletale, brag, or say mean things about others just because they are absent
- Don't ask personal questions such as how much things cost or why someone looks or
dresses the way she does
- Don't point or stare
- Don't argue about insignificant things
Some words you could do well to use in your conversation
- "Thank You"
- "Please"
- "May I ... "
- "Excuse Me"
- "I'm Sorry"
…And some blunders we must avoid in conversation
- Don’t use pet words unless they are suitable to the topic or the situation. Words like ‘dude’,
‘darling’, ‘fabulous’, ‘lousy’, ‘s***’, ‘how cute’, amazing’
- Don’t use big words and phrases, just for the sake of using big words like resplendently
beautiful’; ‘let us rendezvous today’; ‘create conversations that empower you’,
‘magnanimous’, ‘deduce’ etc. They make you sound too pompous, conceited and boastful.
- Don’t exaggerate.
- Don’t get personal
- Don’t use too much slang
| Check out the employee2owner, Workshop On Communication and Workshop On Effective Communication/Interpersonal skills Other Workshops |
employee2owner