Commonly made mistakes in a GD

Commonly made mistakes in a GD


Shradha Kaul tells us what not to do in a GD

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The moment we understand the fact that we are in a group discussion for a very professional requirement, we will definitely reduce the mistakes we are bound to make. Most of the problems stem from the basic lack of understanding of the need of the interaction.
 
To make the foremost requisites of a GD easily understandable, let’s compare it to any discussion you may have on a topic at any given time. Someone raises a topic of discussion, everybody chips in with their views and the person with the best views, superior argumentative skills, and finer persuasion abilities generally scores over the others.
 
What is the learning here? Knowledge combined with strategy usually lands you a winner. What could have gone wrong here? What generally goes wrong in such informal discussions is some people take things personally and start fighting, some might start reading something else into the meaning of the discussion, some may want to dominate by virtue of the knowledge they may have on the subject and some may simply keep quiet because of the sheer display of knowledge and emotions.
 
A formal GD is no different from a real life group discussion. The most common mistakes participants make fall into two categories: the emotional kinds which are subjective in nature and the strategic kinds which reflect lack of knowledge and strategy but are objective in nature.
 
The emotional group encompasses a range of feelings like disconcerting outbursts, sensation of hurt, display of ego and a lack of neutrality. The frontrunners will be of the management class, people who eliminate partisanship and avoid running into aimless areas which may lead to controversy.
 
Remaining focused is very important in GDs. Do remember the stakes, whenever the temptation to deviate or go overboard arises, devise a mechanism to remind yourself of the forum. This would also go a long way in remaining in a discussion mode rather a medium to air personal views on topics. It is advisable to remain detached during the discussion even if you feel that one of your very personal dislikes or a dear concern is being attacked. Remember the person does not know your likes or dislikes so it’s important to remain cool. ‘There’s nothing personal about it’ should be your watchword.
 
Keep in mind that the buzz word is ‘moderation’. Merely throwing facts and figures at the group will have no effect; the analytical use of the data that you have is what the examiners are looking for. It will be very effective if you come up with a viewpoint and then support it with data; however, it is not necessary to support every statement with statistics. It’s important to strike a balance between your awareness and your dissemination. Knowledge might impress but it’s the right use of the same which will get you the desired results.
 
Displaying team work is integral to any group discussion. Do not try and hog the limelight, listen to what the others have to say about the topic. The tendency to control completely is seen negatively and may show you in an unhelpful light and difficult to work with. The bottom line is to add significantly to the achievements of the team rather than stand out armed with facts and figures and nowhere to go.
 
Listen to the topic carefully. Don’t get overawed and flustered by your own enthusiasm. Many a times people in their agitation miss out vital words and may speak completely in antithesis to the topic to be discussed. Imagine if you miss out on a vital ‘not’ in a title like “All Indian banks should not be nationalised”. It is always worthwhile to write down the points that come into your mind and go about presenting your ideas in a levelheaded manner. Do take a little time to analyse what you want to say. It might give you that edge which you are looking for. The confidence level of handling the topic is bound to increase if you just go over it in your mind. Do not get bogged down by somebody else’s confidence and remain silent. Remember everybody is being evaluated at the same time and it’s best to exhibit your finest side and maintain a steady outlook.
 
(The author is a freelance verbal expert, trainer and writer)

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