Group Discussions - Part III
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Important questions from the stand point of a test-taker. This is the second set
of questions answered by the experts: -
Is it true that the person who
speaks the most in a Group Discussion is bound to be the most successful?
This is a myth. Generally, a
person who has sound knowledge about the topic, and is a clear thinker, tends to
speak more. This leads students to wrongly believe that success is directly
proportional to the amount you speak. Just speaking for the sake of speaking
will not take you far.
Will I be quizzed in my
Interview about my participation in the Group Discussion?
If the interview immediately
follows the Group Discussion, then this is likely to happen. You may be asked to
rate the performance of all members in the Group Discussion, or to state your
opinion on the topic, etc.
Is it true that the Group
Discussion is used more as an elimination technique than as a selection tool?
In institutes other than the
IIMs, during the preliminary stages of selection, the Group Discussion is used
as an elimination technique. In the final stages of the selection process, it is
used to actively select rather than to discard. This is because most of the
elimination has already been done at the earlier stage. At the IIMs, since there
are no such stages, the Group Discussion is used to select and not to eliminate.
What is the level of accuracy
desired in the facts and figures that you quote in Group Discussion?
For a micro-figure like the 7
wonders of the world, etc., you are expected to be 100% accurate, but in a
macro-figure, an error margin of 5% on the higher / lower side is permitted.
Is motivating other persons in
a group to participate looked upon favorably?
If you try to motivate people by
openly requesting them to speak then it might not be acceptable. You might be
forcing someone to talk at the expense of the other members of the group. Also,
the person whom you are "helping" may not really want to speak at that point. It
is, therefore, better to use other methods of motivation. These include agreeing
with halting speakers, adding on to their point, implicitly supporting them and
giving them direction, etc.
