“Just
reading newspaper or watching news on the day of your GD will not be good
enough. You must know the background of all the ongoing happenings to
contribute fruitfully in the GD”
“Just reading newspaper or watching news on the day of your GD will not be good enough. You must know the background of all the ongoing happenings to contribute
The
B-schools are all set to welcome new batch of students. But before that, the
students have to prove their managerial capabilities to the B-schools. To judge
your skills and potential, the B-schools conduct Group Discussion rounds. When
10 to 12 students equally fight for one seat in the coveted B-school, you must
display the special factor which will separate you from the rest of the lot. In
this special series of articles, we will share with you the tips to succeed in
a GD round. In the first article of the series, we will share with you the
types of GD and methods of preparation.
Types of GD
When you hear the term Group Discussion, the image that comes to your mind is a group of 10 to 12 students seated in a circular or semicircular arrangement and involved in serious discussion. Not all the GDs are same. The topics can be on diverse topics. The common types of topics are Factual, Abstract and Case Study.
While factual is based on the topics of current and controversial topics. For this, you need to be up with your IQ and current affairs. The topics can be anything from the Politics, Business; Sports etc.
Types of GD
When you hear the term Group Discussion, the image that comes to your mind is a group of 10 to 12 students seated in a circular or semicircular arrangement and involved in serious discussion. Not all the GDs are same. The topics can be on diverse topics. The common types of topics are Factual, Abstract and Case Study.
While factual is based on the topics of current and controversial topics. For this, you need to be up with your IQ and current affairs. The topics can be anything from the Politics, Business; Sports etc.
The
abstract topics involve lateral thinking and unconventional perspectives. As
the name suggests, these topics can be open to any perception. You can drive
the topic towards any direction according to your convenience. Some such topics
include ‘Deep Blue is not blue enough’, ‘Be an idiot’, etc.
In the Case Study based GDs, you will be given a case let on a business, economic or political scenario. The question which is dealt at the end of the discussion is posed from the point of view of the stakeholders.
In the Case Study based GDs, you will be given a case let on a business, economic or political scenario. The question which is dealt at the end of the discussion is posed from the point of view of the stakeholders.
Methods to prepare
As the experts opine, the preparation for GD is not a matter of few days. It is a continuous process. The following points will help you prepare for the GD in the remaining days to your GD at a top B-School.
Brush up your GK & Current Affairs
The best method to update your knowledge on current affairs is to read, watch and listen. Read the newspapers and magazines on current issues, specially the year-end issues that capture the highlights of the year gone by. Also watch and listen to the news and current affair programmes on news channels.
Work on your voice
Your voice is your biggest strength in a GD. You have to modulate in the right way. You should not be too loud, nor should your voice go too soft. Practice on the throw of your voice and know the techniques of controlling. For example, if you are starting the GD, your voice should be louder than usual as many people would like to start the GD. When you see that everyone is listening to you, you should lower your voice a beat. Similarly, your voice should go up during the crests and lower during the troughs of the GD.
Be articulate
You should be articulate enough to put your point across. It often happens that you have a good point in your mind but you are not able to express it due to lack of appropriate words. Hence you should practice speaking and stock up your vocabulary with the right words. You must keep in mind that you should not use any unparliamentarily words or phrases in a GD. Hence along with reading, watching and listening, you must also start speaking.
Develop your perceptions
This point is specifically helpful for the abstract GD topics. As these GD topics are not direct, you need to first think what would be relevant to the given topic. So you should have the prompt thought process to relate the abstract topic with something more concrete. For this, you need to practice hard. Take the abstract topics which came in the GD of past years and try and relate it with several angles. For example, if the topic is ‘Blue is the new red’, you can relate it with the war between Pepsi and Coca Cola. These perceptions will come after regular and enough practice. So before you brainstorm at the GD, try this at your practice sessions.
As the experts opine, the preparation for GD is not a matter of few days. It is a continuous process. The following points will help you prepare for the GD in the remaining days to your GD at a top B-School.
Brush up your GK & Current Affairs
The best method to update your knowledge on current affairs is to read, watch and listen. Read the newspapers and magazines on current issues, specially the year-end issues that capture the highlights of the year gone by. Also watch and listen to the news and current affair programmes on news channels.
Work on your voice
Your voice is your biggest strength in a GD. You have to modulate in the right way. You should not be too loud, nor should your voice go too soft. Practice on the throw of your voice and know the techniques of controlling. For example, if you are starting the GD, your voice should be louder than usual as many people would like to start the GD. When you see that everyone is listening to you, you should lower your voice a beat. Similarly, your voice should go up during the crests and lower during the troughs of the GD.
Be articulate
You should be articulate enough to put your point across. It often happens that you have a good point in your mind but you are not able to express it due to lack of appropriate words. Hence you should practice speaking and stock up your vocabulary with the right words. You must keep in mind that you should not use any unparliamentarily words or phrases in a GD. Hence along with reading, watching and listening, you must also start speaking.
Develop your perceptions
This point is specifically helpful for the abstract GD topics. As these GD topics are not direct, you need to first think what would be relevant to the given topic. So you should have the prompt thought process to relate the abstract topic with something more concrete. For this, you need to practice hard. Take the abstract topics which came in the GD of past years and try and relate it with several angles. For example, if the topic is ‘Blue is the new red’, you can relate it with the war between Pepsi and Coca Cola. These perceptions will come after regular and enough practice. So before you brainstorm at the GD, try this at your practice sessions.
Regards
Team Dimr
Team Dimr
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