Post the results of the Common Admission Test 2005, you are now gearing up for your Group Discussion.

GDs are used to assess certain group skills that cannot be evaluated in an interview. These include leadership ability, social skills, listening and articulation skills, situational handling ability and the interpersonal ability to function as a team player.

Typically, GDs involve eight to 12 participants sitting in a circle or semicircle discussing a topic for a stipulated time, usually 15 to 20 minutes. They usually follow one of three formats: structured, unstructured or specialised GDs.

i. Regular structured GDs

Here, the time limit and topic is defined. No consensus is expected at the end. No leader is to be selected for facilitating the process. These are easier to handle. Topics chosen are usually general and do not require technical knowledge.

ii. Unstructured GDs

The format is more difficult in this kind of GD. Choosing a leader is mandatory. And you are instructed to reach a consensus at the end of the discussion. The leader has to direct the group, set the tone of the discussion and control the dynamics of the group. Proceedings are sometimes made more complicated by asking the group to propose a topic, discuss it and reach a consensus.

iii. Specialised GDs

These include scripted GDs, where candidates are given a certain brief about the roles they need to play. For example, a business situation is suggested where two companies are negotiating a deal. Here, candidates can be given the profiles of say two CEOs, marketing managers, HR managers, advisors, and a neutral entity like a consultant. Or alternately, they  may be asked to essay the roles of the five Pandavas and the main Kauravas, negotiating the distribution of their kingdom in a twentieth century setting.

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Content as important as process

Content indicates your level of preparation, your ability to organise your thoughts in a logical way, understanding the topic in its totality and your ability to innovate.

The process includes your way of expression, your communication skills, your body language and your attitude.

Most candidates are pre-occupied with process. Consequently, important questions -- like 'What did I say?', 'Do I have enough reasoning to sustain my line of argument?', and 'Can I think of examples to substantiate my logic?' -- take a back seat.

A sole preoccupation with process alone is fraught with disastrous results. Both content and process are equally important for an effective contribution to a GD.

How do you ensure excellence in both quantity and quality of content? Take a one-minute pause. This is the only way to ensure you perform above a threshold level of quality. Take your mind off the context for one minute. Utilise this minute to focus on what you are going to say and to organise your thoughts. All this must be done much before you are swept off your feet in the maelstrom that will follow.

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Critical success factors in a GD

~ Innovativeness: Your ability to look a things with an entirely different perspective.

~ Quality of content: It shows your level of preparedness.

~ Your frequent and consistent participation.

~ Logical ability: Your ability to reason, think and debate on pros and cons.

~ Behavioural skills: Aggression vs assertiveness -- aggression is viewed negatively; assertiveness is welcomed. Assertiveness is standing on your own feet, while aggression is trampling on others' feet.

~ Communication: Includes your ability to articulate, to listen and your body language. Clarity of thought leads to articulate language. A functional knowledge of language is all you need as opposed to having an accent. 

~ Leadership: Leadership involves all the above skills. More importantly, the fundamental strength you need to portray is MOBILITY.

It is mobility that lets you demonstrate leadership skill as the context demands.

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Roles people play

Broadly, participants play the following roles in a GD.

i. Mr Brains: He brings in a lot of matter and comes up with wide interpretations of the topic.

Downside: It is difficult to stop him, as he is preoccupied with the topic discussion as opposed to a group discussion. He is happily oblivious to simple things like who is sitting next to him.

At the end of the GD, if you happen to ask him whether the person sitting next to him was male or female, the answer would most likely be 'I do not know.'

ii. Shopkeeper: He is the sales man who can sell anything, has the gift of the gab, a very strong ability to relate to people and the ability be at the centre of things.

Downside: He does not usually come up with original thoughts himself. Needs Mr Brains to feed him with readymade ideas he can sell.

iii. Watchman: His role is to maintain order in the group, usually his content contribution is low. He is pre-occupied with directing the group process such as controlling entry and exit of participants. He is crucial for meeting time commitments made to the panel. Especially, in ensuring consensus in group discussions.

Downside: The quantity and quality of original content is low.

iv. Critic: He criticises everyone's ideas, left, right and centre, without contributing anything new.

Downside: He has no original ideas to contribute.

v. Butcher: He does a great service to the group by enhancing the quality of content -- by not allowing the group to get carried with tangential ideas or letting anybody run away by saying anything. He is most welcome in a group, which has one or two aggressive elements in it.

Downside: Too much control can stifle the energy and vibrancy of the group, as even wacky ideas can contribute to the development of the discussion and of more solid arguments.

vi. Spectator or passenger: He is involved in the proceedings but plays a limited role.

Downside: His contribution is very limited and he does not affect the outcome of the group task.

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What role do I play?

Each role has several benefits in isolation. However, strong attachment to any single role throughout the GD could limit your chances of success. To do well it is important to demonstrate leadership at every moment.

You must work to achieve an ability to move across these roles as the situation demands. Anyone seen to be performing more than three of these roles will definitely make a strong positive impact on the panel. Mobility is the key word in becoming effective in GDs.

The roles discussed above are not water-tight compartments. The key to success in GDs is to be able to effortlessly move from one role to the other, depending on the situational demands, without getting trapped in any one role.

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Holding centrestage at a GD

There are certain tricks that help you retain centrestage for longer durations and which provide you with abundant chances to speak. These should be used with caution, and at appropriate moments.

~ Give data, examples, anecdotes and survey figures, compelling short stories. This gives people the impression that you know a lot, and also participants do not brand you a bore or Mr Brains. You also avoid facing interjections or arguments. However, be sure of the validity/ relevance of your data or story. Always remember the age-old formula for success: KISS -- Keep It Short, Stupid.

~ PEST Analysis. No, this has nothing to do with rodents. It stands for the Political, Economic, Social and Technological aspects of the topic.

For example, with the political aspects, start with a basic blasting of politicians in the context of the topic and you will have the whole group swearing by you.

~ Use hand motions. Try to speak point-wise and use hands as if counting the points on your fingers. Everyone will get the impression that you have several well-structured points in your head and they will not mess around with you.

~ What should you do when you have four participants speaking and hollering without a worry in the world? Identify the most nervous participant who has been desperately trying to get a word in without success, make sympathetic eye contact with him, and simply point him out by saying, 'Let's give him a chance to speak.' Irrespective of his performance, which most probably will be a non- starter, you will have yourself as the cynosure of all eyes, and it is now your call.

~ 'Are we not digressing from the topic?' This acts as a death knell for members of the group who are speaking just for the heck of hearing the noise they are capable of making. They may get alarmed and silent, and it will be your turn to move in.

~ Chattering your way to success. If you have seen Mandira Bedi [Images] in action on the cricket commentary scene, you will understand this. The method is to start your monologue without a worry in the world, in a bland tone, making eye contact with one or more individuals. If you can manage to speak on without pausing for long enough, people will listen. You require a couple of attributes to pull it off, though, including a thick skin and the ability to speak a lot.]

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The road ahead

How much you can benefit from these tips depends largely on you. Work on the 10 aspects of the interview questions. To our mind, if you spend a lot of time in knowing what is relevant in your context, you will not be at a loss for content or ideas at the interview.

Additionally, working on your personality, talking to people, seeking feedback proactively will help your cause. Along with these, reading a lot to improve your general awareness as well as in interest areas will give you the necessary content. The process needs to be worked upon by taking part in mock interviews and GDs with friends.

A word of caution -- the quality of feedback as well as the experience of people who give feedback is important. It's like an apprentice chef making a dish at a five-star hotel and the master chef finally tasting it and adding the right amount of salt.

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Cardinal sins: Never do these

~ Do not use slang like yaar, hajjar, univ, princi, etc, or verbal tics such as hmm, like, but, etc.

~ Do not stage an accent.

~ Do not use verbal stresses unless a method actor like Al Pacino or Naseeruddin Shah [Images] trains you for it.

~ Never bluff as the panel will easily know, even if you are an accomplished liar.

~ Never interrupt or finish a sentence for an interviewer.

~ Never show up late.

~ Never get defensive or try to rationalise.

~ No negative words about anyone.

~ Never give an answer that is good but does not answer the question asked.

~ Never allow yourself to lose focus after a string of unanswered questions.

Vinod Soni and Rajesh Pandita are trainers with ManyaCAT, which prepares students for competitive exams like CAT, XAT and GMAT. 

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