Aspiring MBA? Tips to ace your Group Discussion

Posted by TCYonline.com on June 5, 2010

Contributed By:  Sidharth Balakrishna
The Group Discussion (GD) round is an important part of the selection process for MBA institutes. Different institutes assign varying weightage for GDs and interviews, but almost all institutes use this process to assess the suitability of the candidate for the course they offer.

Unfortunately, many students leave their preparation for GDs and interviews till too late. This is due to over-confidence at times, or lack of awareness on how to prepare for these rounds. In this article, we shed some light on the latter aspect so that prospective candidates can start working towards the fulfillment of their dreams.

Preparation strategy

Content
If you wish to speak well and make a good impression in a GD, you need to have a fair degree of comfort with the topic that is given to you. Without this, you will struggle to say much; or even if you do have a few points, others may state them before you get a chance.

Keep in mind that for GDs, you could be given any topic: it may pertain to politics, economics and business, sports, social issues. Also, topics are not limited to national or local issues, but could cover broader global themes.

So how can you prepare? You would need to read widely and extensively over a period of time. This will help you in bringing a unique perspective to the discussion which others may not have thought of. A sustained effort at reading about important issues, across a variety of topics, is crucial.

Having done your reading, try and predict topics that may be given to you — what are the important issues that are playing themselves out currently? For example, for this year, topics pertaining to climate change, the environment and global warming, the Commenwealth Games, the issues in Indian hockey, the re-organisation of states in the light of the Telengana agitation, the Womens’ Bill, etc are relevant.

Try and make notes on these topics. Add to your notes the moment you come across a relevant point.

Analysis
Candidates should try and demonstrate sound ability in analysing issues. The top management schools certainly look for this feature in your discussion. You should try and go beyond mere opinions and use robust logic, data and examples to justify your point of view.

For example, if you state that China is doing better than India in terms of the strength of its economy, how would you justify this? You could quote figures pertaining to the relative GDP of the two countries, their GDP growth, per capita incomes etc. You could speak about the relative availability and quality of infrastructure present in the two countries. Then you could speak about trade and the presence of a trade deficit or surplus in the two countries, etc.

Such points help you justify the opinion you may have expressed — that China is doing economically better than India.

How can you develop your ability on this parameter? Whenever you read something, ask yourself certain questions: why did a certain development take place? Whom does it impact and how? What are the likely future repercussions of that particular development?

Once again, make notes of important statistics, data etc which you feel could be useful for GDs.

Communication skills and teamwork
These skills are important and refer to the ability to effectively put across what you know. It is important to create an impact-besides content, the way you express your point is also evaluated.

I advise that you put your point across firmly and confidently, but not aggressively. Do not speak just for the sake of saying something and registering your participation — it can be negative if overdone. At the same time, it is absolutely vital to speak during a GD, and the earlier you do so, the better.

Remember also that speaking just once will not be enough. Try and make at least three interventions during the GD — be a regular participant.

In addition, teamwork is also evaluated — listen to your fellow participants. You can build on the points put forward by others. If challenging someone or opposing his point, try and do so in a polite, non-confrontational manner.

Need for practice
Finally, practicing in at least a few mock GDs may be very useful — you can practice keeping the above points in mind. Also, practice will increase your confidence levels of interacting in groups and you can develop your abilities in communicating effectively in a group. Remember, people will try to interrupt you — you need to learn how to handle it, and handle it well!
Source: http://getahead.rediff.com

BODY LANGUAGE

Posted by girish seshamani on May 1, 2010

BODY LANGUAGE

Body Language is a powerful way of expressing your views non-verbally.

Body Language as a science has evolved and grown over a period of time.

Let it be a casual discussion, an official meeting, a group discussion, a speech or an interview, your body unconsciously keeps on giving signals.

The beauty of body language lies in the fact that an individual can lie convincingly, but some part of the body, may be his eyes, face or gestures tell the person sitting on the other side, that he is not speaking the truth. There are books on Body Language,                Ad Nauseam, by so-called experts, but one gets a feel of Body Language only with the experience of keenly observing people. With two exceptions of film stars and politicians, who have perfected the art of manipulating body language, it is impossible for the common man to hide it.
Body Language would generally mean:

1) Eye Contact
2) Smile
3) Gesture
4) Posture
5) Facial Expressions

EYE CONTACT
Eye Contact is a very vital part of communication. How would you feel if someone speaks to you looking down? Aren’t you angry? Don’t you feel insulted? Whenever we speak to people, it is absolutely essential to look people, in their eyes.
This clearly sends out the following messages:
1) You are honest and speaking the truth.

2) You genuinely care for the audience and want to share your ideas or thoughts with them, for which you have taken lot of trouble.
3) Maintaining eye contact also helps you to get a feel of how the audience is responding to you. In a one to one conversation also, you can easily make out as to how receptive the other person is, by observing his Body Language.

For example, if someone is yawning, looking at the watch, looking outside or looking at the ceiling, these are clear indications for you, that the audience is not interested in your speech. You probably need to change your speaking style, introduce humor, narrate a story, etc to get your audience back and take them with you.

SMILE

Smile indicates that:

1) You are confident and well prepared
2) You are eager to share your thoughts, views or experiences with your audience

Your smile should be genuine and not a fake one.

GESTURE

Gesture involves use of hands to express something. Our gestures come naturally during the course of our conversation or speech.

POSTURE

Posture is the way you stand, sit or walk. Your posture should be comfortable and adhere to set etiquette based on the situation.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Lot of everyday emotions is expressed through facial expressions. Emotions like surprise, anger, happiness, shock, affection and so on can be read easily.

To conclude, one needs to have a passion to observe and study people. Nobody is an expert on body language. Our knowledge is enhanced only over a period of time.