Group Discussion Tips for Job Interviews
Group Discussion Tips: How to Use it in an Interview
A group discussion, also known as a GD, is a technique that helps business organisations, educational institutions, and other companies to judge a candidate’s soft skills.
While the HR interview round analyses a candidate’s technical skills, the GD identifies their soft skills like communication, time management, critical thinking, authoritativeness, intuitiveness, listening skills, etc. Below are five group discussion tips you can apply in your next interview.
Five Group Discussion Tips for Your Next Interview
Identifying Common GD Topics
Do you keep track of industry trends? Are you well-read about current affairs or issues of social importance?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then there is a high chance that you will make a lasting impression in the GD round, wondering why. It’s because most group discussion topics revolve around current affairs or issues of social importance.
Therefore, being abreast of recent social events will help make a mark and actively participate in the GD.
How Can You Identify Common GD Topics?
Generally, GD topics focus on social issues, current affairs, trends, controversies, facts, and case studies. So, the best way to identify common GD topics is to revise every piece of information available on public forums in the past few months.
Moreover, revising common topics will help you build a strong opinion by gathering facts, statistics, and examples. It will make your voice relevant and louder in a room full of educated, skilled, and trained professionals.
Take the Lead
You will have to create opportunities to speak up and discuss your point in a group discussion. It is because group members will not allow you to talk if you don’t try. Start with finding gaps between the arguments to put across your point or make the GD’s starting or closing argument to make an impression.
What Does ‘Taking A Lead’ Mean, And Why Is It Important?
Taking the lead means actively engaging in the conversation during GD. It is essential to actively engage in the GD round because it helps create a lasting impression on the interviewer.
How To Take the Lead?
Here are some points that will throw light on how to take part in a GD and stay active throughout the discussion:
- Listen carefully. Listening to everyone’s views will help you draw meaningful insight and the conversation in the right direction. It will also help you add to the points listed by other participants.
- Be relevant. To sustain a GD, you must have essential observations and hard facts in your ante.
- Choose the right time to speak. Choosing the right time to step into the discussion is very important. It helps you gain a competitive advantage, get noticed, and make an impression. In addition to that, it helps highlight the point you have put across.
- Be concise and quick. You wouldn’t want to convolute your point by talking about it for more than a few minutes. Be quick to enter the conversation and concise enough to make your point in a few words.
- Continue the conversation. A great way to maintain the lead in the conversation is to pick up from the last speaker’s point and mould it accordingly to your requirement. Once a participant finishes expressing their view, you can add your opinion on that.
Pro-tip: The main aim of group discussions is to ascertain a candidate’s communication skills. Moreover, effective communication skills are essential for every candidate to lead in GD. Being a good communicator helps you add value to the conversation and steer the GD in the right direction with your valuable add-ons.
Work On Your Body Language and Appearance
Body language and your appearance are the type of non-verbal communication that gets noticed first. Therefore, the next group discussion tip is to work on your body language and appearance before the interview round.
Why and How to Work on Your Body Language and Appearance?
From entering the room to carrying yourself during the discussion, from talking with your peers to wearing formal attire, the interview monitors everything you do gets noticed by the interview. So, it is imperative to work on your body language and appearance before the GD round.
The best way to amp up the preparation is by seeking the help of different YouTube videos or personality coaching classes to learn positive body language tips and workplace fashion.
You can also read some of our blogs that will help you improve your non-verbal communication and interview skills.
Use Supporting Statistics and Examples
This group discussion tip is a must-take away from the group discussion preparation tips list.
Mainly because bringing facts to your group discussion arguments helps gain a competitive advantage and assists panellists in understanding that you have prepared beforehand and create an impression that you have a solid point to make.
Participate In Mock GD
Be a part of a mock group discussion. It will help you diversify your thought process and find new ideas to discuss in the actual group discussion. Moreover, it will help you realise your shortcoming and work on them or avoid them in the real GD.
Pro-tip: Participating in mock GD before the D-day will help you judge your calibre and potential among other participants. It will also let you realise your strengths and weaknesses; concentrating on them will help you make a lasting impression.
Furthermore, it will help you find out unwritten GD rules that often go unnoticed:
- Maintain a firm posture
- Take charge of the discussion by being active
- Retain or rehearse your standing postures
- Do not get emotional or bogged down by a downfall
- Come prepared and make mental notes about the people and their names participating in the discussion
Does Continuous Learning Help in Excelling Group Discussion?
Well, upskilling benefits your professional career but does not affect your performance in GD. It equips you with advanced skills and more knowledge, but your soft skills help you excel in group discussions.
However, if you are planning to upskill or believe in continuous learning, taking a certificate course is the first step in the right direction. It helps you acquire skills and knowledge related to your area of interest in a short duration with an enhanced and in-depth learning curriculum.
Emeritus India is a pioneer in online education. We have partnered with renowned Indian universities to offer some of the best certificate courses for freshers and working professionals. We have certificate courses in data science, marketing, sales, logistics, etc.
