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  • Normally, when you sit in a Group Discussion room

  • 'she' starts opposing you,

  • 'he' starts Shouting

  • and those two people are arguing among themselves only.

  • And in this noisy room you are supposed to impress the examiner

  • so that you clear the GD round.

  • Be it for MBA, Job Recruitment or Bank Exams,

  • Group Discussion is an important round

  • and also full of Chaos.

  • But as LittleFinger says,

  • 'Chaos is a Ladder'

  • and I am going to tell you how to climb it.

  • Think of it this way...

  • When we are with friends and family, we are so good at talking

  • because we have an opinion about everything.

  • Group discussions are exactly the same

  • but all we have to do is to know what kind of topics will be thrown at us

  • and be prepared.

  • And today by the end of this video, I am going to get you prepared.

  • So in today's video we are going to learn

  • What is Group Discussion?

  • What does the examine want to know about you through the GD?

  • Different parts of GD along with sample answers.

  • But most importantly, towards the end, I'll give you a

  • Bonus Tip that will help you clear the GD round!

  • Hi, I am Taskeen.

  • And if you like the work I am doing and want to motivate me to make more videos

  • make sure you hit that 'Like' button.

  • Let's begin!

  • A group discussion is where a set of candidates (say 10-12)

  • are given a topic and are asked to discuss among themselves

  • for a set duration.

  • Now the kind of topics given in a GD round

  • can be broadly classified into 4 categories.

  • #1: The General Category

  • which can be related to facts, education policy of our country, current affairs etc...

  • For example: 'Should Yoga be made compulsory in schools?'

  • 'Is India ready to go 100% cashless?'

  • The purpose of these topics is to find out how aware you are

  • of what is happening around you.

  • The second category is Controversial topics.

  • For example: 'Is Beef Ban logical?'

  • 'Women make better managers.'

  • 'Freshers are better than laterals.'

  • As you can see, these topics are argumentative in nature

  • and that's exactly the purpose....to provoke you!

  • Because the examiner wants to know how mature you are

  • in keeping your temper in check.

  • The third category is Abstract topics

  • that don't really point to a particular subject.

  • For example: 'End justifies the means.'

  • 'The farther we look, the closer we are.'

  • These topics are meant to test your lateral thinking

  • and creativity.

  • And the final category is Case-study based.

  • For example: A company fired an employee and as a result

  • other employees went on a strike.

  • The question is, 'Why do you think the company fired the employee..

  • ..and what can they do to end the strike?'

  • These use cases are usually a short description of a problem

  • and the team together is required to come up with a solution.

  • Now let's see what skills does the examiner want to see in you

  • and how to show them that you possess those skills.

  • #1: They want to know how good are your communication skills.

  • So avoid using informal phrases like,

  • 'I dunno'

  • 'Kya yaar'

  • 'Tch..chalta hai'

  • On the other hand, you don't have to use

  • complicated words like Shashi Tharoor

  • or be a Grammar Nazi.

  • It's okay to make a few grammatical mistakes here and there.

  • Just make sure you are confident while talking.

  • #2: They want to know how flexible you are in accepting other people's views.

  • This is important because eventually you will work in a team where

  • not everybody will agree with you.

  • Your co-workers will come from different backgrounds,

  • lifestyle, opinions, beliefs, religions.

  • So it's important that you are open to new ideas

  • even if they don't align with the way you think.

  • #3: They want to know your subject knowledge i.e

  • how much you read

  • and how much you pay attention to what is happening around you.

  • But most importantly they want to know how are your listening skills.

  • So relax, listen carefully and maintain eye contact

  • with whoever is speaking.

  • Remember, the group discussion is not about you.

  • It's about the team.

  • The Group Discussion can be broadly classified into 3 parts.

  • #1: The Start

  • Now a lot of people will tell you that you should be the first person to start the Group Discussion.

  • umm...

  • The advantage of starting first, is that

  • you grab everybody's attention and can make a great first impression.

  • But if you talk nonsense while everybody is looking at you

  • then it's going to go ...

  • But if you start second, you will get extra time

  • to think about what you are going to say next

  • and best yet, suppose you don't understand the topic

  • then thanks to the first person who started speaking

  • you will kinda start understanding what the topic is about.

  • But be it first or second,

  • you need to have something meaningful to say.

  • You can start with a quote, a fact

  • or best yet, start with a short incident from your personal life

  • that you can relate to the topic.

  • For example, suppose the topic is

  • 'Was Demonetisation a successful move in India?'

  • then you can start by saying...

  • So in this answer, you start with your personal experience

  • related to the topic and then immediately move on to the next point

  • where you express your opinion.

  • Remember, it is important to not stretch your personal experience to the point

  • where everybody gets bored.

  • After the start, comes the body.

  • Now, throughout the GD, you need to remember these 3 points.

  • #1: In GDs I have seen people hitting the table

  • and screaming at others if they don't agree with them.

  • May be that's how you get selected in Roadies

  • but in real life, you will be kicked out of the next round.

  • So, if somebody doesn't agree with you, you don't

  • have to be aggressive about it.

  • Aggressive people make bad employees

  • and worse managers.

  • Instead, be assertive and put your point across rationally.

  • Suppose you get a controversial topic like

  • 'Women make better managers than men'

  • and if a guy doesn't agree, then don't be like

  • 'My mother makes a better manager than you!'

  • Instead you can say something like...

  • #2: It's best to keep a notepad or a paper with you throughout the GD

  • so that you can note down the ideas that keep coming to you

  • and the name of the other participants.

  • Because if the argument gets heated

  • then taking a person's name is the best way

  • to attract their attention

  • so that you can put forward your point without having to shout.

  • #3: You don't have to dominate the GD

  • by speaking on and on...

  • There is no rule as such but in a 15 minute GD with 10 participants

  • if you speak for around 2 minutes spread across 4-5 occassions

  • then it should be good enough.

  • And finally, the examiner will ask you to summarise

  • and the best way to summarise is to

  • acknowledge other's opinion,

  • state your opinion

  • and find the middle ground to both in as less words as possible.

  • For example, if the topic was

  • 'Will India emerge as a Super-Power in the near future?'

  • and you were 'for' the topic, then you can conclude by saying ...

  • Now India will become a Super power for sure.

  • But if you want to be a Super Power, then make sure you

  • 'Subscribe' to my channel and hit that 'Bell' Icon because

  • I make Career and Finance videos only for you.

  • Finally, it's time for the Bonus Tip.

  • If you want to clear the GD round, then you need to do these 2 things.

  • #1: Consume data that makes you smart.

  • It's okay to watch Comedy Skits and Vlogs on YouTube once in a while.

  • But focus more on consuming data that makes you

  • Smart.

  • Like watching Infotainment videos, reading the newspaper,

  • atleast read Comic books because they will improve your

  • English language skills.

  • If you want to know how I learnt English

  • then check out this video.

  • I have left the link in the description.

  • #2: Pick 2 - 3 of your friends or family members

  • and create an informal GD group

  • and meet regularly to discuss a particular topic.

  • This is the best way to practise before you appear for your actual GD.

  • So go and form your GD group but

  • before you leave, here is your first GD assignment.

  • Comment below and let me know in 2 - 3 sentences

  • how will you start the Group Discussion on this topic.

  • 'How do you think India should deal with terrorist attacks?'

  • Don't worry about grammar, don't worry about punctuation.

  • Just write.

  • Because that is how we will learn.

  • I'll be waiting to read your comments.

  • On that note, I promise to see you again very soon

  • until then..

  • Keep fighting, The Urban Fight to be Fit!

Normally, when you sit in a Group Discussion room

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