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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Basics of Group Discussion

Group Discussion
GD Basics
Group Discussion basically involves a group of people, generally around 10-12, who are supposed to discuss on a particular topic. The time limit for a GD normally ranges from 15-20 minutes. The topics can be broadly divided into three categories viz. General, Technical and Abstract.
Topics
a) General – Those topics which are based on current issues, general knowledge and stuff.
Eg. Is war the only solution between India and Pakistan?
Ethics and Advertisements donot go hand in hand.
India is a democratic functional anarchy.
PILs should be curbed in India.

b) Technical – Those topics which require specialized knowledge in order to speak about.
Eg. Inflation.
Stockholm Syndrome.
The role of WB in the development of developing nations.

c) Abstract – Those topics which donot have a boundary as in the range of the topic is not defined.
Eg. Red.
Chalk and Cheese.
The grass is green and the sky is blue.

Dos in a GD
· Body language:
Very positive body language has to be maintained throughout the GD. Includes having a lot of energy, enthusiasm and other such positive body language symbols.
· Personality:
Be what you are. Be yourself!
· Speak:
GD is a chance to speak and express you, please be vocal.
· Organize:
Think!! Think of what you are going to say.
· Eye contact:
Maintain an eye contact with everybody in the group. Please don’t do the same with the moderator or the supervisor.
· Content:
Content is the king. Develop it by reading quality newspapers and magazines. E.g. The Indian Express, The Economic times, The Hindu.
· Initiative:
Workout various strategies to help you make an entry. Initiate the discussion or agree with someone else’s point and then move on to expressing your views.
· Assertive:
Be assertive and not dominating. You should state your points in such a way that everybody gets convinced with your points and that can only be done through giving relevant examples.

Don’ts in a GD

· Slangs:
Avoid using slangs like ‘yaar’ / ‘bey’ etc.

· Over Aggression:
Over aggression kills. So don’t pin point fingers at anyone and raise your voice un-necessarily.

· Bluffing:
Never bluff as the panel would easily make out that you are an accomplished liar.

· Disinterest:
Never show disinterest or be disinterested. Signs are lack of eye-contact with the speaker, drooping shoulders, and other such negative body language symbols.

· Accent:
Be natural. Don’t use heavy accents.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Success defined....

SUCCESS....something what everybody runs for....and many people give various definitions for the same..well though I am a rookie as far as SUCCESS is concerned, here is my take on that:

Earning lot of money....Having an extremely good status in the society....Being quite popular....Being wooed by thousands or possibly lakhs of people around....Getting the first rank in the school...Having and living a peaceful life....and the story goes on.....Different people and different ideologies!!!!

So, ultimately what is success??

Success according to me is to achieve what YOU want to achieve. What is 'success' for one may not be for others! It is a relative term.

For an e.g. getting a job of Rs. 10000 might not be success for many, but, it is success for a person who always dreamt of having such a job!!!! Possibly that might greater than her expectations..so that is success for her.

How can it be achieved????
Passion....Its simple...follow whatever you are passionate about....success will be yours...examples galore...Amitabh Bachchan, Harsha Bhogle, Sachin Tendulkar and many other such persons....unconventional yet successful.

Remember, the odds will be many, don't be bogged down by 'em....be determined...follow your passion and SUCCESS will be YOURS....

Hardik K. Parikh