Blog

What is a Group Discussion (GD)

Posted On: August 16, 2013

Group discussions (GD) are popular assessment tools during interviews in many companies in India. I am not aware of this practice being undertaken in the US, although there are many benefits to this approach.

Candidates are placed into groups of 6-10 and given a topic to discuss. Sometimes, group members are given five minutes to plan their stance before starting.

 

What is a Group Discussion (GD)?

Group discussions are nothing but a discussion or conversation which takes place in a group. Group discussion skills are essential for being an effective team member, leader, or manager. Regardless if you are a participant or a facilitator of a discussion at work, conversational skills and the ability to ensure all individuals feel the psychological safety to share their thoughts in a safe space is essential. 

Dominating or speaking up or speaking loudly to speak over someone to get your own voice heard is not what we are looking to achieve. As they say the best leaders (and we are all leaders, even if our title doesn’t suggest it- yet) listen more than they talk. 

Group discussion activities help the assessors understand the candidate on any of these aspects:

• • Assertiveness
  • Critical Thinking
  • Encouraging others
  • Leadership
  • Initiative
  • Inclusiveness
    Group Work Skills

 

Language Skills

• • Pronunciation
  • Grammar
  • Language Handling
  • Ability to politely interrupt
  • Listening
  • Eye Contact
    Summarizing

To learn more about how to prepare for a group discussion, dos and don’ts and how assessments happen, take a look at the slide shows below.

(This slideshow is not produced by Authentic Journeys.) 

(This slideshow is not produced by Authentic Journeys.) 

Thank you.