What is a group discussion?

Group discussion is a technique used by several educational institutes as well as companies for analysing the communication and teamwork skills of candidates that have applied for specific positions. A group discussion, as the name suggests, includes a conversation amongst multiple people on a topic where they have the chance to put their opinions and voice forward while keeping the team spirit in mind. This technique is generally used for mass screening as the analysis of a candidate’s communication skills is directly done when he is competing with several other candidates. The judgment of his teamwork skills is also done during a GD depending on whether he gives other members of the Group an opportunity to speak up their opinions as well or not. A candidate’s performance in any Group Discussion is more of an indicator of the soft skills of the candidate and it allows the company/institute to decide whether the candidate and his skillset fit into their requirements or not. Certain group discussions also have topics that deal with important current issues, thus a group discussion also helps in evaluating a candidate’s observation skills, and whether he is updated with his surroundings or not

A Group Discussion, or GD, as it is commonly called, assesses a person’s personality in terms of leadership abilities, social skills, teamwork abilities, problem-solving abilities, and mental presence.

As a result, we may define Group Discussion as an energizing discussion in which a topic is examined and explored, and the participants reach a fair conclusion. It incorporates group effort while also portraying individual characteristics.

Therefore, a group discussion happens when few people come together to discuss a certain topic, present their view on it. A distinction here needs to be made in Group Discussion and a debate. While in a debate a person is either in favour of the topic or against it since the start. While in a Group Discussion people are open to take different stances, if they have a rationale which they can present to the group. While in a debate for & against points are competed on. While in a group discussion many subtopics on the main topic are discussed, which aims at bringing diversity of opinion on table.