Top 9 Tips for Group Discussion (GD) Preparation – 2

This is the second and Final part of our Top 9 Tips for Group Discussion(GD) Preparation.

5. Listen:

This is an important rule of thumb. A discussion is not only to talk but also for listening. Listen to the conversation sincerely and appreciate what others are saying. Evaluators will judge your listening skills. Others views and thought will invoke and trigger your thoughts. You may get some additional points to talk. It is an additional benefit of listening. If you could remember few names of the participants, it is an added advantage. If you say “I agree with Suresh’s view”, it will show what a good listener you are. People will think that you have properly listened to the self-introductions as well. Keep nodding when others speak.

6. Don’t be arrogant:

Do not continuously speak on and on. Do not repeat the same point again and again. Remember, it is a discussion. Allow others to speak as well. Encourage and facilitate participation from others. Do not be aggressive.

7. Sort Out Disagreements:

Sort out disagreement and contradictions. If you do not agree with someone’s view, let them complete and then raise your objection. When you object someone’s view, back it up with solid reasons. Intervene if someone else is talking out of the topic and going away from the subject. Providing a meaningful direction to the discussion will always give a good impression about you.

8. Use facts:

Use the facts, statistics, quotes, everyday life examples to express your thoughts. It could be a related news in the newspaper about the topic or a quote from a leader etc. It will help you to score in GD. For example, if you are talking about war and peace, you can use quote what Mahatma Gandhi said about peace, it will give an impression that you have in depth knowledge about the subject. Use it wisely!

9. Conclude:

Finally conclude the discussion or summarize. It will give you an additional scoring points. It may not be decision to be taken from the discussion. You can take the opportunity of summarizing the entire discussion or you can say what you have learnt from the discussion. When you do so, it will clearly update the evaluator that you have listened to the whole conversation and participated well in the discussion.

All the best for your group discussion!