A work book…

Highlighting the importance and need

of

GROUP
DISCUSSION
Presented by: Amit Pundir
Roll no.: 0821001655
 Introduction

Firstly, I would like to express my heartiest

thanks to all those who helped me in the

accomplishment of this workbook. I have

tried to make this project, upto the it is

expected to be via all best available means of

assistance.

This workbook is pouring light on the need

and importance of Group Discussion, as a

commonly used management activity in

worldwide organizations for problem solving

and most importantly in decision making

process. Also I would really like to get the

feed back of so made workbook which would

help me to take care in the future

assignments.

WHAT IS GROUP DISCUSSION?

Nowadays Group Discussion is being extensively used along
with personal interviews for the final selection of candidates.
It plays a main role in selecting the best among the best.
Having scored high marks, students who get selected for a
higher/another course or employment are placed on a par -
on equal footing - based on their age, qualification and
experience. It becomes necessary to conduct further
screening for choosing a few among many. It is here, the
Group Discussion plays an important part. It helps in
choosing the socially suitable candidate among the
academically superior achievers. It is one of the best tools to
study the behavioral and attitudinal responses of the
participants.

Rightly speaking, Group Discussion is more a technique than

a conventional test. In fact it is one of the most important and
popular techniques being used in a number of personality
tests. It is a technique or a method used for screening
candidates as well as testing their potential. It is also
designed as a situation test wherein a sample of a
candidate's group worthiness and potential as a worker
comes out quite explicitly
WHAT ARE THE DESIRABLE ATTITUDES
IN GROUP DISCUSSION?

The participants should adopt two important attitudes

which alone will facilitate a productive and satisfying outcome in
any Group Discussion:

1. All participants in the group must accept responsibility for the

smooth conduct of the group activities. This orientation means
that each member takes on leadership responsibilities even
though he is not entrusted any such a role. Instead of passively
waiting for someone else to do what has to be done, everyone
must actively seek and accept responsibility. In an effective group
discussion, there are no absolute followers but different levels and
kinds of leaderships and these leaderships keep fluctuating.

2. Another important attitude is open-mindedness -the willingness

of the candidate to consider a broad range of ideas and
suggestions from others. He must be flexible and must be open to
change. Instead of taking rigid stands on issues, the flexible
member tries to adapt to the best interests of the group. This
requires objectivity- in order to make unbiased, impartial
judgments. This does not mean that you completely suppress
your subjective and emotional reactions. You try to balance them
with objective observations. This requires maintaining a proper
perspective, that is, either becoming too involved in problems to
maintain objectivity nor remaining too distant and uninvolved to be
fully unaware of their nature. Finally the participant with the
orientation of equality should not nourish notions of superiority
and must realize that the fellow participants are equal to him/her
in all aspects. You also get an opportunity of noticing and
comparing the verbal ability, depth of knowledge, extent of ideas,
logical reasoning and the convincing capacity of others and this
should enable you to prepare yourself to match with them.
HOW IS THE PERFORMANCE JUDGED?

Selection is done based on the impact created by each

candidate on the group. Who does get selected?

 One who expresses his ideas well.

 One who has sound arguments, and shows
keenness and interest.
 One who has sufficient knowledge of his subject
and convinces the group by his argumentative
presentation.
 One who has a logical and systematic approach.

Above all, it is the one who has the tendency to cooperate

and who does the coordination and is liked by the group.
HOW TO START PARTICIPATING?
Group discussion tasks involve many roles for the
participants to take up. Choosing any role, each
participant can perform multiple functions. Any discussion
starts with an initiative made by one. Someone should
propose the subject with his/her ideas or procedures. This
gets the group started. Since getting started on any task is
usually difficult, this is an important role. Inevitably he/ she
who does this takes up the presiding or leading role.
Further he needs to produce new ideas and perspectives
for the continued life of a group.
Okay. You missed the opportunity. Someone, a more
tactful candidate has taken up the lead role. What is left
for you?
There are still ways.
You can furnish more information by usurping his place.
You can politely interfere giving evidence, opinions and
relate experiences, personal or others, relevant to the
discussion. In fact the quality of the discussion is
dependent on the information generated out of the
discussion. The more information you provide on the
subject, the more prominent your place will become in the
group.
Okay. You missed this opportunity too. A vociferous
participant has stolen the show. All have nothing to do
except to listen. The best way is to play the role of an
information seeker thereby making your participation
important. By way of asking information from others and
seeking clarification one can make his participation felt.
There are various ways to make your presence important.
Instead of just presenting information one can strongly
present his own point of view. Usually people will not
reveal their opinions out of fear of criticism. But an
effective presenter expresses the opinions freely and is
prepared to invite argument to his side. By stating one's
own beliefs, attitudes and judgments, one can take up a
main position in the discussion. But you must ensure that
your opinion is on the winning side and there is nothing
negative in your opinion because a negative opinion is
disliked by others.
Another role left for you is this: If you cannot make up your
position , prevail upon the opinions of others. The effective
participant actively seeks other's attitudes and convictions,
especially of those members who are hesitant to speak.
Unlike others who are content with presenting their own
views and neglecting other opinions you will win the favor
of other participants by seeking their opinions.
There is always room for participation if you elaborate the
ideas of others and clarify as well as expand the opinions
of others through relevant examples and explanations.
This is the best way to attract the attention of the rest.
Slow and steady, you can win the race. If you have not yet
got an opportunity, take up the role of integrator who
classifies the relationships between various facts, opinions
and suggestions and integrates the ideas of others
thereby assuming the main role of presenter. After a
considerable time has been spent on discussion, the need
for integrating and summarizing all that transpired so far
becomes essential. You can do that by way of orientation,
that is, by keeping the group directed toward its goal, by
summarizing what has taken place and clarifying the
purpose or position of the group. Essentially you insure
that the group has a direction and also that it heads in the
"right" direction and assumes the role of a leader.
There are some more ways in which the participants can take up
group maintenance. You should make your presence important
by initiating the group's interpersonal relationships. An
encouraging speaker is always liked by fellow participants. He
praises and agrees with others providing a warm support to
others. But one ought to be careful because he who is a
contestant should maintain his position keeping his attention on
excelling others. Similarly your sense will be appreciated if it
does relieve tension. It will be very much appreciated as you
create a relaxed atmosphere by reducing formality and
interjecting humor. When tension increases, people become
emotionally involved which will not be conducive for smooth
discussion. At times the role of pacifying others and providing
relief will achieve leadership position. Equally important is the
role of one who controls the channel of communication
providing proper balance in the amount of participation of each
member. You can also gain the leading position by encouraging
those who might otherwise not speak while tackling those who
tend to dominate over others or monopolize the discussion
What Are To Be Avoided?
There are certain attitudes which act negatively and they
spoil the chances of selection. Constantly objecting others
and speaking pessimistically will block the smooth flow of
discussion. A totally negative attitude prevents progress
and people who are always complaining and always
dissatisfied will not be found suitable. Equally unsuitable
are those who insult and criticize others betraying jealousy
or animosity. The aggressive attitude is usually
disapproved. Another avoidable attitude is telling irrelevant
stories and personal experiences. Motivated by a need for
attention, some participants interject comments that call
attention to their achievements and successes. They are
boastful while trying to appear not to be so.
What is the secret of scoring sure
success in a group discussion?

The examiners usually look for a very positive

personality with varied potential. During the progress of
any group discussion, there will be conflicting views and
as a result, heated arguments. The winner has to reveal
his positive personality traits and leadership abilities to
gain approval for his ideas. Since the test is conducted
without a leader, there are opportunities for the individuals
who reveal leadership qualities to become group leaders.
Seizing the opportunity, the aspirant should impress and
influence the group.

The ability to speak is the foremost of all. If one does not

speak eloquently and fluently, one cannot create any
impact and make his presence strongly felt. One must
arouse other's interest by the power of expression. While
talking there must be sense. Conveying all information in
well-balanced sentences in a manner that reflects a good
grasp of the subject will indicate sharp and analytical
mind. The delivery should be smooth and catching.
Important of all is the tone. It should reflect the humility of
a very knowledgeable person. There will be interruptions
and they should be borne with patience and a winning
smile .It is the ability to hold the attention of group
members which matters.

How Can A Topic Be Analyzed?

While speaking on given topic it is necessary to analyze the topic

considering its salient aspects and finding out a well reasoned
solution. One must think of sound arguments in support of one's
point of view and a logical presentation of them. It is necessary to
consider the pros and cons of the given problem. Use of available
information including those of others is important. Synthesizing
different points of view and answering them in such a way as
supportive of one's case is talent which must be cultivated.
Considering an issue or a problem in a broader angle putting the
immediate concerns in broader issues, thereby displaying the
extent of knowledge is a successful technique. But one ought to
be careful without becoming irrelevant or boastful.

Avoiding any repetition of ideas or arguments is important.

Keeping within the scope of the given subject one must contribute
towards rising the intellectual level of the discussion.
How to Excel Others in a Group?

A good support always results in a good relationship with others,

which eventually brings success. Rapport building starts from the
very first step. But there must be conflicting opinions which alone
will help to look at a problem from various angles and come up
with alternatives. As such when conflicting viewpoints arise, they
should be resolved by active participation and a positive attitude.
One can certainly disagree giving sound and valid reasons for
disagreement but one's behavior should not be disagreeable.
One's pleasantries, attitude of cooperation and sharing
experiences with others, expressing compliments and gratitude
on what others say-all create an attraction towards oneself.
Maintaining mutual respect will avoid critical judgment of others.
One's efforts at preventing the proceedings from going astray,
encouraging non-participants to enter the discussion and tactful
handling of conflicting opinions with a view to bringing about
consensus will win the admiration of other members of the group.
Another important reason of success is being attentive to others'
point of views and analyzing them in a logical manner even for
disagreeing.
REASONS FOR SELECTION: A FEW
COMMENTS
No.1: Comments at two stages of one's participation
Beginning: No1 has displayed excellent leadership ability
and handled an explosive situation with tact and
understanding. He has found an acceptable and workable
solution by displaying excellent resourcefulness. He
avoided an open split and confrontation by voluntarily
surrendering the privilege of being got elected as
chairman by majority vote. Thus he has given greater
importance to group needs than for his own selfish
requirements. He also won 7 by persuasion and by
personal example.
Ending: A brilliant and outstanding exposition presented
by No1 in admirable and extremely convincing manner.
His approach is objective and balanced. This candidate,
who had displayed consistently remarkable leadership
qualities and coordinating ability earlier, now reveals
intellectual maturity, balanced judgment and excellent
power of persuasion. Socially he is well adjusted and has
the resourcefulness to cope with difficult individuals and
situations. To sum up, he is an outstanding candidate with
high level of leadership qualities. He is specially
commended and selected with top rating.
No.3: an intelligent, imaginative and dynamic leader
His approach has throughout been positive and
constructive He is also able to get along well and
harmoniously with all. He can judge and assess others
correctly and wins over everyone with tact and
understanding. His enterprising attitude, keenness to
shoulder responsibility and capacity to compromise
successfully with crisis and obstacles enable him to
establish himself as the natural leader. In this group he is
the outstanding coordinator and leader. He is selected
with top grading No3 has grasped the subject very well
and explained its scope very lucidly. He has gone about
his task with a purpose, plan and system, revealing
organization and method. He spoke to the point and made
a strong impact on the group. He is decisive, enterprising
and takes reasonable risks. We saw that he took a
prominent part during the early stages and made useful
contribution. He has good material and selected with high
grading.
No.4 has readily and cheerfully accepted the responsibility
and made good use of the opportunity given to him. He
has consistently been displaying initiative, drive, enterprise
and imagination. Now he has known excellent grasp of the
subject and explained facts of a sensitive nature in an
easy and effortless manner. He has created a very strong
and favorable impact on the group with his conduct, ideas
and example. As was shown by No3, the group is eager to
hear him further. But as a disciplined organizer and
planner, No4 wants the discussion to proceed as decided
earlier. He is more team oriented and keen to promote
group activity. His approach is positive and contribution
constructive. He has displayed high degree of leadership
throughout. Selected with high rank rating.
No.7 displayed initiative, urge and drive and shouldered
full responsibility to launch the group on its objective. He is
gifted in all spheres-intellectual, organisational, dynamic
and social. He has extensive knowledge. He has pressed
his case from a new angle and succeeded fully in carrying
the audience with him. He is bold and faces the challenge
with courage and determination, intelligence and
imagination. Selected and accorded top rating
 Reasons for Rejection

The keenness and eagerness of No3, his readiness to

shoulder responsibility, his confidence to face the group
and his initiative are no doubt his plus points. But his
approach is selfish, authoritarian and annoying to others.
He is too assertive and very dominating. His brazen
attempt to buldoze others will provoke them and result in
quarrels and clashes. These, in turn, will hinder group
activity and realization of the common goal objective,
which is successful completion of the discussion within the
time allotted. A leader or manager must carry his
teammates with them and not antagonize them. No3,
unfortunately, appears to be lacking in this very important
aspect. REJECTED

No2 does not know much about the subject He has the gift
of the gab and hence waffles aimlessly. There is no logic
or rationale in what he said he lacks organisation, system
and order. He talks at random, jumping from one topic to
another in fits and starts. Earlier we saw him acting rigidly
and selfishly .He will cause friction and quarrels in the
team, behaving like a bull in china shop. REJECTED
No5 had remained aloof and silent throughout. He is dull
and devoid of ideas. He admits his limitations but does not
show any interest or determination to overcome them. He
wastes opportunities and shies away from responsibility.
Being weak and docile and unenterprising, he will not be
able to come up as a leader. REJECTED
No8 This candidate is a mere camp follower without any
initiative, urge, drive or originality. He finds excuses to
avoid and shirk responsibility. He has throughout been
disinterested, distant and aloof and has not made any
contribution to group activity. An extremely dull and insipid
individual who will prove to be a great burden to the
organization.REJECTED
No.1 wastes the opportunity offered to him on a platter. On
his own also he did not display and initiative and drive. He
pleads ignorance and confirms that he lacks ideas. This is
a general knowledge topic and anyone familiar with
current events should be able to make some interesting
contribution to the discussion. He offers excuses and
prefers to be the last speaker. If he does not know, he can
at least ask a knowledgeable colleague in the group to
explain the nature and scope of the topic first. On the
other hand, he straightway shirks responsibility. He is a
dull and insipid candidate who lacks self-confidence and
leadership potential. REJECTED
Sulks and refuses to cooperate. He also wastes the good
opportunity offered to him. He is rigid and fails to adapt
himself to the situation. He has good expressive faculty
but his ideas are confused and overlapping. He waffles
unnecessarily instead of going directly to the point. His
ego and pride prevent him from extending cooperation and
establishing rapport. Because of his personal quarrel with
No.6, he refuses to the half of the group. With this marked
negative qualities. No.2 will be a serious hindrance to the
team. REJECTED.
This candidate has understood the subject and has the
self-confidence to the challenge No.5 and produce quite a
few original and convincing arguments to support his
stand. But he still continues his collision path. He prefers
to attack those who disagree with him in a brutal and
direct manner. He quarreled with No.2violently earlier.
Now he repeats the same behavior pattern. It is doubtful
whether he could improve by training REJECTED
This candidate lacks initiative and originality. His ideas are
limited he has nothing useful to contribute. He is afraid to
take any firm decision and commit himself. He has wasted
the opportunity afforded to him. With such marked
negative qualities he cannot make the grade as a strong
leader. REJECTED
A fairly active and well- motivated group in which Nos.7
and 5 display natural leadership qualities and prove
successful in launching the group on its task. They
overcome the obstacles which they encounter with
imagination, speed and tact. This GD being a team work, it
cannot be executed without someone assuming the
responsibilities of a leader and coordinator. Nos1,2 and 3,
though spoke among themselves, did not come toward to
shoulder this responsibility on there own initiative. On the
other hand No.7 displayed natural leadership abilities and
assumed the responsibility to launch the group on its task,
on his own No.5 who gave excellent support to No.7, also
displays good leadership qualities. We find No2 to be
hesitant, diffident and overcautious. No.1 appears to be
lacking in ideas and he is unable to half No.2 actively.
Without admitting his limitations No.1 tries to evade the
issues or pass the buck on the others. No3has acted in
light vein which indicates certain amount of irresponsibility
Nevertheless he offers to be the opening speaker. Hence,
he has to be watched further, Nos.4, 6and 8 have so far
remained as silent spectators.
In this group Nos.3 and 7 initially wanted to assume
leadership and made their debuts. But they bitterly
quarreled between themselves as to who should be the
leader. Unfortunately, both lacked tact and social
cohesiveness. They were also rigid and selfish. Team
spirit and cooperation on the part of both were sadly
lacking and they were obstructing the progress of group
activity. On the other hand, No.1 emerged as the natural
and highly gifted leader. He was able to motivate his team
mates and move the group towards its goal with
remarkable success. He could handle Nos .3and 7 with
competence and else displaying appropriate techniques.
Nos.5 and 4 came forward to lend good support to No.1
and also showed adequate leadership traits themselves
No.6,8 and 2 were ineffective camp followers and did not
make any contribution to promote group activity. Thus, the
only successful candidates of this group are Nos.1,5 and 4
in that order.
There are some Do’s and Don’ts while participating in Group
Discussion. So lets put some light on the same…
 GD Do's!

Be as natural as possible. Do not try and be someone you

are not. Be yourself.

1. A group discussion is your chance to be more vocal.

The evaluator wants to hear you speak.
2. Take time to organize your thoughts. Think of what you
are going to say.
3. Seek clarification if you have any doubts regarding the
subject.
4. Don't start speaking until you have clearly understood
and analyzed the subject.
5. Work out various strategies to help you make an entry:
initiate the discussion or agree with someone else's
point and then move onto express your views.
6. Opening the discussion is not the only way of gaining
attention and recognition. If you do not give valuable
insights during the discussion, all your efforts of initiating
the discussion will be in vain.
7. Your body language says a lot about you - your
gestures and mannerisms are more likely to reflect your
attitude than what you say.
8. Language skills are important only to the effect as to
how you get your points across clearly and fluently.
9. Be assertive not dominating; try to maintain a balanced
tone in your discussion and analysis.
10. Don't lose your cool if anyone says anything you
object to. The key is to stay objective: Don't take the
discussion personally.
11. Always be polite: Try to avoid using extreme phrases
like: `I strongly object' or `I disagree'. Instead try phrases
like: `I would like to share my views on…' or `One
difference between your point and mine…' or "I beg to
differ with you"
12. Brush up on your leadership skills; motivate the other
members of the team to speak (this surely does not
mean that the only thing that you do in the GD is to say
"let us hear what the young lady with the blue scarf has
to say," or "Raghu, let us hear your views" - Essentially
be subtle), and listen to their views. Be receptive to
others' opinions and do not be abrasive or aggressive.
13. If you have a group of like-minded friends, you can
have a mock group discussion where you can learn
from each other through giving and receiving feedback.
14. Apart from the above points, the panel will also judge
team members for their alertness and presence of mind,
problem-solving abilities, ability to work as a team
without alienating certain

GD Don’ts!
• Do not be loud or aggressive.

• Do not go overboard with enthusiasm if you

are familiar with the topic.

• Do not interrupt other speakers.

• Do not deprecate other speakers.

• Do not speak first if you are unfamiliar with

the topic. Grab the opportunity to speak, you
also grab the attention of the examiner and
your fellow candidates.

• Do not change your opinions.

• Do not ask irrelevant questions.

• Do not stop abruptly.

• Do not get nervous if the previous speakers

have presented their points in a better way.

• Do not exhibit your emotions

How To Get The Most Out Of Group

 Discussions
Even if your group discussions are fairly successful, it is
likely that you want to make them better. You may even
notice that there are areas where you need to improve.
There are a number of problems that could occur during
group discussions, and these can stop the group from
reaching a desired goal or objective.
By avoiding these problems, you will have the necessary
tools to push your organization towards success. In
group discussions, you may find it helpful to use a
moderator.

Studies have shown that more companies are interested

in qualitative research than ever before. These
organizations realize that only having the voice of a CEO
or board of directors is not enough. A company or
organization could be likened to a pyramid, and it is the
employees of that organization that make up the base of
the pyramid. Most companies place the power of making
decisions in the hands of a CEO or board of directors.
There are a number of problems with this practice. First,
the perceptions of the CEO or board of directors is
limited. Because they are at the top of the proverbial
pyramid, they will often not have a view that is the same
as the employees who are on the lower levels of the
pyramid.

Because they don't have this view, the ideas that they
come up with will be limited. Marketing strategies which
are limited can lead to the company failing to meet their
objectives. Group discussions are tools that can be used
to solve these problems. Instead of only getting the
perspective a a few people at the top, you can get the
view of people on the lower levels. By having views
which are balanced between the two, you can come up
with powerful solutions or strategies that can allow your
company to dominate the market. One industry that has
caught on to the importance of discussion groups is the
pharmaceutical industry.

Despite the advantages of a group discussion, there are

a number of problems you will want to avoid if you wish
to be successful. The first problem that you will want to
avoid is hosting a group discussion because you have
run out of options. While there is nothing wrong with this
on the surface, there are a number of pitfalls it can
cause. The first pitfall is a lack of planning. If you start the
group discussion because you have run out of options,
this may become evident to the participants. You should
use group discussions as an integral part of your strategy
instead of a last resort. Organizations that do this will
reduce their chances for success.

Another problem that you will want to avoid is not being

ambitious with the goals of the group discussion. It is not
enough to just get the attitudes and opinions of the
members who are participating in the discussions. It is
also important for you to generate detailed strategies that
can allow you to make critical decisions that can help the
company succeed. If you have never held a group
discussion before, you should think of them as being a
type of laboratory. The people who participate in this
meeting may be able to come up with creative ideas that
the top executives in the company have never
considered.

Another problem that can hurt your company is not

having enough discussion groups. Based on the
information your have read in this article, it should be
easy to see why group discussion are important. It allows
you to promote communication between the various
levels of your organization. Why are group discussions
so powerful? They are powerful because they will give
your organization information. It has been said that
information is the ultimate weapon. Many large
companies are now storing their information computers
that are called data warehouses. They are even using
advanced neural networks to search through the
information to find patterns in a process that is called
data mining.
Group discussions are a powerful way to generate information
from the people who work for you. This information can be stored,
analyzed, and reviewed. Once this has been done, the company
can use this information to come up with powerful ideas that can
make them more competitive in the market place.

Process of Group Discussion

In a Group Discussion the candidates are divided in
groups of 8 to 10 and each group is tested by a panel of
Judges. Usually topics of general interest are given by
the panel to the group and the group is asked to proceed
with discussion. Every candidate is supposed to express
his opinion and views on the topic given. The time for
discussion is approximately 20 minutes. During the
discussion, the panel of Judges quietly observes the
performance and behavior of the candidates and makes
his own assessment. A group discussion can be
categorically divided into three different phases :

a) Initiation/ Introduction
b) Body of the group discussion
c) Summarisation/ Conclusion

Let’s stress on the initiation and summarization:

Initiation Techniques

Initiating a Group Discussion is a high profit-high loss strategy.

When you initiate a Group Discussion, you not only
If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and
communication skills after you initiate a Group Discussion, it will
help you sail through the discussion.
But if you initiate a Group Discussion and stammer/ stutter/ quote
wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.
If you initiate a Group Discussion impeccably but don’t speak much
after that, it gives the impression that you started the Group
Discussion for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of
points earmarked for an initiator!
When you start a Group Discussion, you are responsible for putting
it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you
have in depth knowledge about the topic at hand.

There are different techniques to initiate a Group Discussion

and make a good first impression :

1.Quotes
2.Definition
3.Questions
4.Shock statement
5.Facts, figures and statistics
6.Short story
7.General statement

Quotes
Quotes are an effective way of initiating a Group Discussion.
If the topic of a Group Discussion is: Should the Censor Board be
abolished?, you could start with a quote like, ‘Hidden apples are
always sweet’.
For a Group Discussion topic like, Customer is King, you could
quote Sam (Wal-mart) Walton’s famous saying, ‘There is only one
boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company —
from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money
somewhere else.’

Definition
Start a Group Discussion by defining the topic or an important term
in the topic.
For example, if the topic of the Group Discussion is Advertising is a
Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not start the Group Discussion
by defining advertising as, ‘Any paid form of non-personal
presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through
mass media like newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an
identified sponsor’?
For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer
relevant, you could start by explaining the definition of the
Malthusian Economic Prophecy.

Questions
Asking a question is an impactive way of starting a Group
Discussion. It does not signify asking a question to any of the
candidates in a Group Discussion so as to hamper the flow. It
implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.
Any question that might hamper the flow of a Group Discussion or
insult a participant or play devil’s advocate must be discouraged.
Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.
For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could
start by asking, ‘What does war bring to the people of a nation? We
have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is:
what have we achieved?’
Shock statement
Initiating a Group Discussion with a shocking statement is the best
way to grab immediate attention and put forth your point.
If a Group Discussion topic is, The Impact of Population on the
Indian Economy, you could start with, ‘At the centre of the Indian
capital stands a population clock that ticks away relentlessly. It
tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day which
calculates to about 12 million every year. That is roughly the size of
Australia. As a current political slogan puts it, ‘Nothing’s impossible
when 1 billion Indians work together’.’

Facts, figures and statistics

If you decide to initiate your Group Discussion with facts, figure and
statistics make sure to quote them accurately.
Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level
figures need to be correct and accurate.
For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian
population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation
allowed).
But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures,
no approximations).

Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.

For a Group Discussion topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could
start with, ‘In 1983, when China was still in its initial stages of
reform and opening up, China’s real use of Foreign Direct
Investment only stood at $636 million. China actually utilised $60
billion of FDI in 2004, which is almost 100 times that of its 1983
statistics.”

Short story
Use a short story in a Group Discussion topic like, Attitude is
everything.
This can be initiated with, ‘A child once asked a balloon vendor,
who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-coloured
balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-coloured balloon. The
balloon vendor told the child, it is not the colour of the balloon but
what is inside it that makes it go high.’

General statement
Use a general statement to put the Group Discussion in proper
perspective.
For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime
minister of India?, you could start by saying, ‘Before jumping to
conclusions like, ‘Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be’, or ‘No, Sonia
Gandhi should not be’, let’s first find out the qualities one needs to
be a good prime minister of India. Then we can compare these
qualities with those that Mrs. Gandhi possesses. This will help us
reach the conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.’

Summarisation Techniques
• Most Group Discussions do not really have conclusions. A
conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against
the topic.
• But every Group Discussion is summarised. You can summarise
what the group has discussed in the Group Discussion in a nutshell.

• Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion :

• Avoid raising new points.
• Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
• Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the Group Discussion.
• Keep it brief and concise.
• It must incorporate all the important points that came out during
the Group Discussion.
• If the examiner asks you to summarise a Group Discussion, it
means the Group Discussion has come to an end. Do not add
anything once the Group Discussion has been summarised.
There are numerous ways to define Group Discussion.
Its importance can be evaluated from its importance in
present corporate trends.
We can also judge the effectiveness and need of
group discussion through some of the comments by
corporate researchers and daily practioners.

So let’s have some of those case studies and experts

comments over the requirement and effectiveness of
Group Discussion.
Group Discussion in Online Statistics
Courses
By Michelle Everson, Department of Educational
Psychology, University of Minnesota

I recently played a role in creating online versions of three

statistics courses offered through my department. We
decided to create online versions of these courses
because we found that we were continuously running out
of seats in our face-to-face courses. We also knew that
many students who enrolled in our courses traveled to
campus from all over the state, and we hoped online
sections would better accommodate them. I spent one
year working closely with our academic technology
specialists to adapt our semester-long face-to-face
courses to the online environment. I then began teaching
two of these online courses—the undergraduate- and
graduate-level introductory statistics courses—in the Fall
of 2004. In the Fall of 2005, I taught a graduate-level
intermediate statistics course for the first time.
Using Small-Group Discussion Assignments

When developing the graduate-level statistics course for

the online environment, I tried to adapt what we did
successfully in the classroom. Our statistics courses are
innovative in that we try to keep lecture at a minimum and
instead spend class time working through activities and
engaging students in discussion. We try to create a
classroom environment where students can apply what
they learn and collaborate with one another in order to
better understand important concepts. In accordance with
the recent Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in
Statistics Education [3], we attempt to foster active
learning in our classrooms and provide opportunities for
students to develop a more conceptual understanding of
course material.

Within the last ten years, several statistics educators have

published descriptions of online statistics courses that
incorporate opportunities for students to interact not only
with the instructor, but with one another Interaction
opportunities often involve engaging in weekly chats with
the instructor and other students, working in assigned
discussion groups on a regular basis in order to answer
specific questions posed by the instructor (or by other
students), or working in discussion groups to complete a
single group project. To facilitate collaboration in my online
course, I decided to require students to complete a series
of small-group assignments throughout the semester.
These assignments were designed to provide students
with a discussion forum in which they could explore
statistical concepts, share opinions and ideas, and help
each other learn important course material.

At the beginning of each semester, I assign students to an

asynchronous discussion group. Enrollment in each of my
online courses is capped at 35 students, so I try to create
a total of six discussion groups, each with roughly five to
six students. Students work within their particular
discussion group all semester. I use WebCT in my
courses, so each group is given its own discussion board
area within the WebCT environment. As I assign students
to groups, I look closely at my class lists and attempt to
include a mix of different majors or areas of study within
each group. This way, I hope that students will bring
unique perspectives to group discussion and learn more
from one another.

Each discussion group is required to work on eight small-

group assignments during the course of the semester. For
each assignment, they are given a particular topic to
discuss, and questions to answer based on this topic. For
example, one week, students might be given a description
of an experiment and they might be asked to critique this
experiment and to come up with a better experimental
design. Another week, after learning about a particular
analysis technique, students might be asked to come up
with unique examples from their own fields of study in
which that technique could be used. Some assignments
involve using statistical software or other computer
applications to explore data sets or learn more about
particular concepts, whereas others might focus more on
interpreting statistical output and discussing the
applications of statistical ideas. Each group assignment is
designed to expand upon a topic that students are
studying about that particular week.

Groups have up to one week to discuss the assignment,

and they must elect a group leader who's willing to
summarize the group discussion and submit an electronic
summary to me by a particular deadline. The group leader
always receives one point of extra credit for summarizing
the discussion, which typically ensures that every group
discussion will be led by at least one student, and that all
groups will submit a summary. I provide students with
detailed guidelines at the beginning of the semester about
what I hope to see in their discussions. To get full
participation credit, the group assignment must be
submitted by the deadline, and each student must not only
post their own thoughts about an assignment, they must
also reflect upon and respond to at least one other posting
made by one of their group members. Thus, although the
group works together to complete the assignment, each
student is still graded individually. In the guidelines
provided to students at the beginning of the semester, I try
to provide examples of what it means to be reflective and
to respond in a meaningful way to what other students in
the group have posted. I encourage students to ask each
other questions, summarize and elaborate on what other
group members have said, to help a fellow group member
understand a concept if he or she posts something that
seems incorrect, and to ask for help from the group
whenever it's needed. I want students to use these groups
as a way to actually discuss concepts and learn material,
so I try to provide incentives for them to read what their
peers write and actually respond to these messages. I do
not want students to get into the habit of just posting their
own thoughts and never going back to read what their
group members write.

Another portion of the overall participation grade involves

students grading each other at the end of the semester.
Approximately 25 percent of each student's participation
grade is based on the average grade given to that student
by his or her discussion group members. I provide
students with detailed instructions about how to grade one
another, and students know at the beginning of the
semester that part of their grade will be based on peer
review. Originally, I thought that if students knew they
would be graded by not only me but their peers, they
would take the discussion assignments more seriously.
The lecture notes I create and post online for students
often are based on the contents of group discussions. I
use the group summaries to help create my notes,
because I want lecture notes to address what students are
having difficulty understanding. Therefore, rather than
posting lecture notes at the beginning of each week, I wait
until group discussions end and post lecture notes at the
end of the week. This gives students an opportunity to
learn material on their own and discuss it with one
another, and it gives me the opportunity to tailor the
lecture notes to misunderstandings or misconceptions that
students have. I typically summarize all group discussions
in my lecture notes, expand on the content students
learned about during the week, and provide extra
examples from which students can learn.

Some Important Lessons Learned

Each semester, I post a midterm feedback survey and an

end-of-semester feedback survey on my course site, and I
invite students to complete these anonymous surveys for
extra credit. I am very feedback-oriented in my approach
to teaching, and I use the feedback provided by students,
along with my examination of student performance on
various assignments and assessments, to make
improvements in the course. I have received a lot of
feedback over the last year and a half about students'
perceptions of the usefulness of group discussions, and
this feedback has helped me continuously revise small-
group assignments. It has also helped me better
understand just how students learn statistics.

Although the majority of my graduate-level students

participate regularly in small-group discussion
assignments and tend to agree that participating in these
assignments contributes to their understanding of
statistics, some students have expressed important
concerns about working in discussion groups. For
example, those students who are less enthusiastic about
this component of the course indicate that it is sometimes
difficult to respond to what other students in the group
post, especially if everyone quickly arrives at the same
answers to the group assignment. Some students worry
about trusting what their discussion group members have
to say. Others feel that more time is needed to fully
discuss certain concepts, and that more interjections from
the instructor (or teaching assistant) are necessary, if only
to let the group know if it is on the right track.

After the Fall 2005 semester, I made some important

changes in group assignments based on my synthesis of
student comments and concerns. First, I carefully went
back through all of my group assignment descriptions and
tried to incorporate more opportunities for students to
brainstorm and apply what they are learning about to solve
real-world problems. I also asked students to reflect more
on why an understanding of different statistical concepts is
important. I hoped, by revising the assignments in this
way, that students would each bring a unique perspective
to the discussion, and that this, in turn, would lead to more
opportunities for students to respond to one another
during group discussion. Second, I extended the deadline
for students to complete group discussions. Rather than
require group summaries to be submitted by 5 pm on
Friday, I now require that students submit these
summaries by 9 am Monday morning. This allows
students to continue working on the assignment through
the weekend if they prefer. Third, I decided not to include
peer-grading as part of each student's overall discussion
grade. Although I tried to provide detailed guidelines for
students to follow in order to assess the participation of
their discussion group members, I found that some
students would inevitably resort to using their own
personal rubrics, and this meant grading was not
consistent across different discussion groups. Some
students took the task of grading their peers more
seriously than others, and I sometimes felt the grades
students assigned to their peers did not reflect what I
witnessed in terms of individual participation in group
discussion.

The biggest change I made in group assignments involves

my own role in group discussions. Initially, when I first
began teaching online, I worried that I might alter the
dynamics of different discussion groups if I involved myself
too much. I wanted students to learn from each other and
to help one another develop an understanding of the
course material, and I worried that my involvement in
group discussions might somehow prevent this from
happening. I thought it would be best for me to monitor the
discussions without actually trying to participate in them
unless it was absolutely necessary. So, during my first
year of teaching this course online, I only participated in
group discussions if all group members were on the wrong
track, or if something inappropriate was going on in the
discussion group. My role at that time, as far as the
discussion component of my course was concerned, was
more of a monitor.

I soon learned, largely through student feedback, that

students wanted to hear more from me as they were
working on their assignments. Although I always provided
students with feedback about discussions when I created
my lecture notes, many students wanted more
personalized feedback. They wanted to know if their
discussion group was thinking about things in the right
way, and they wanted some assurance that things were
not being said in their discussion group that might lead
them to develop misunderstandings about important
concepts.
I now see the value of being more visible in the different
group discussions, and I make it a point now to post at
least one time in each discussion group during every
small-group discussion assignment. I feel my role now in
discussion groups involves being a monitor, a facilitator,
and a teacher. When I post, I might simply try to cheer the
group on and let them know they are doing a good job. Or,
I might highlight something important one group member
has posted, or try to clarify if I see that a student has a
misconception about something. Sometimes, I may even
expand on something a group member posts, or I might
ask the group to elaborate on something that was posted.
Although I have only been participating this way in group
discussions for less than one semester, I have already
noticed that there seems to be more discussion going on
in each group (as compared to the volume of discussions
during previous semesters). I have also had individual
students tell me that they appreciate my involvement in
their discussions.

One thing I did not fully anticipate when I began teaching

online is how much I would grow as an instructor, and how
much I would learn about the ways in which students
reason about statistics. Using discussion assignments in
my courses has allowed me to gain an understanding of
student learning that I am not sure I would have fully
developed in the classroom. Certainly, a benefit of being in
the classroom is that the instructor can use different visual
cues (e.g., student body language, facial expressions,
etc.) to better assess whether students are
comprehending particular course material. The instructor
can also provide more immediate feedback to students in
the classroom by addressing questions on the spot. Visual
cues are absent in the online environment, and
sometimes, questions might remain unanswered for
several hours. However, one main advantage about using
discussion groups in the online environment is that the
instructor can witness the full evolution of a group's
discussion.

In the classroom, I often break students into groups in

order to discuss different concepts and ideas. I then walk
around the room, and I hear bits and pieces of each group
discussion. Yet, I am never able to witness any group
discussion from start to finish, and this means that I
sometimes do not pick up on important misconceptions or
misunderstandings that students might have. I am also not
able to know for sure just how much each student has
been able to contribute in these classroom discussions,
and unless the group is able to tell me the entire contents
of their group discussion, I may not have an opportunity to
address or try to correct serious misconceptions about
course material.

In my online classroom, I feel that I have a magical

window in which to peer into ever discussion room, and
from this window, I can learn more about how students
reason about statistics. I have written records of every
group discussion from start to finish, and I can carefully
examine these records in order to better understand the
possible misunderstandings students have. I can then
address these misunderstandings for everyone when I put
my lecture notes together, and I can use what I learn from
group discussions to revise future group assignments. For
example, if I notice that many students are having difficulty
interpreting particular terms, or if they are focusing on the
wrong information when trying to complete the group
assignment, I can use this information to improve the
assignments if I choose to use them again in future
classes. Observing every group discussion from start to
finish also allows me to better determine which students
might need extra help and assistance, and I can then
contact these students and try to provide more
individualized instruction.

Conclusion

In this article, I summarized my attempt to use small-group

discussion assignments in an online introductory statistics
course. I have found that these assignments can be
successful, and they can lead to opportunities for students
to reason more about statistical concepts and help each
other learn important course material. When using such
assignments, I would encourage instructors to (1) create
assignments that do not have just one "right" answer so
that students have ample opportunities to discuss different
ideas and respond to what their group members post, (2)
allow several days for students to work on the assignment,
(3) provide students with clear guidelines for every
assignment so they know exactly what they need to do as
a group, (4) provide incentives for students to post not
only their own thoughts, but respond to what their group
members have said, and (5) provide students with
examples of what it means to reflectively respond to their
peers. Most of all, I would encourage instructors to make
their presence known to the discussion group during every
discussion. Assure students that you will be there in order
to make sure everyone is on the right track, and take
whatever opportunity you can to cheer the group on,
highlight important ideas that different members of the
group have posted, and question the group in order to get
them to think more critically about the material.

Using discussion group activities can be not only a great

way to create an interactive learning community in the
online classroom, but it can provide the instructor with
valuable information about the ways in which students
reason about important course material. This, in turn, can
inform both teaching in the online environment and the
physical classroom environment.
Decision making Techniques

Think-Pair-Share
• Concept technique (Mazur, 1997)

Jigsaw Technique
Gallery Walk
Simulations, Role-playing or Panel discussions
'Angel Card' Discussion Technique
Feedback or Scored Discussions
Nominal Group Technique
Pyramid Technique or Snowballing
• Lineup or “Stand Where You Stand”

Sharing Limited Resources

• Fishbowl

Group Discussion - Successful Group Discussion

Techniques

There are a number of things you can do to help

your group become successful. By following the
guidelines that are presented in this article, you
will be able to actively participate in group
discussions and help the team achieve a specific
goal.
First, there is nothing wrong with being quiet. At
the same time, you don't want to be too quiet.
However, speaking too much is not recommended.
Before you speak, you will want to think about
what you are going to say. It is important to make
sure the statements you make are concise and to
the point. You don't want to give the other
members the wrong impression by making
statements that are not clear.

It is also important to make sure you fulfill the

tasks of any role you've been given. For example,
if you are given the role of a team leader, it is
important to make sure you carry it out to the best
of your abilities. Once you agree to a specific role,
do not ask to be changed to something else. If you
do this, you will convey a message that you are
indecisive. If you don't understand a statment or
question that has been made by someone else, it
is important for you to make sure they clarify it. In
group discussions, it is important to avoid conflict
as much as possible. You will always want to
respect the contributions that are made by the
other members. Even if you don't agree with their
views, it is important to look at things from their
perspective.

If you are the leader of a group discussion, it is

important to make sure all the members are given
equal amounts of time to voice their views or
participate. If you give some members more time
than others, you may convey a message that
certain members are more valuable than others,
and this can lead to conflict. In any group
discussion, conflicts should be expected. However,
it is the method you use to deal with them that will
determine the success or failure of a group. There
are certain words and phrases that you will want to
avoid using when you are in a group discussion.
For example, responding to a statement made by
another member by saying "that doesn't make any
sense" will lead to conflict.

If you don't agree with the statement, instead of

saying "that doesn't make any sense," it would be
better to say "I don't know if I agree. Could you
elaborate?" When you use this statement, it will
not be as offensive as the other statement. You
should never ridicule the idea or statement of
another member by calling it dumb or stupid.
Instead, you could simply say you disagree with
them, and offer an explanation of why your feel
the way you do. To give another example, instead
of using the statement "that is not what the
assignment asked us to do" you could say that "I
think it would be better if we refer back to the
assignment."

To be successful in group discussion, it is

important to avoid conflict statements. These
statements could lead to problems between you
and other members that can make the group less
productive. An example of a conflict statement is
telling another member that they are wrong about
something. Instead, you will want to disagree with
them by using phrases such as "it may be better
to...." or "have you ever though about doing it this
way?" It should be easy to see the difference
between these two phrases and the first one.

Being able to avoid conflict in a group discussion is

crucially important. Once the conflict has started, it
is very difficult to deal with. Everyone is different
and will have strong beliefs about a topic that may
differ from others.

However, they should be respectful in how they

deal with the differences. Using statements and
questions which avoid conflict will allow you to be
respected by the other members, and you can help
the group successfully move forward. Respect the
opinions of others, and never try to push your
ideas on the other members. Remember, the
purpose of having a group discussion is to solve
problems, not create them.