Both group discussion and debate involve exchange of information between individuals regarding a certain topic. They aim to produce a healthy discussion and impart essential facts and opinions. However, the former has a more amiable nature as there are less stringent rules on timeframe and mode of speaking.What is a Group Discussion?Based on its etymology which is “discussus” (Latin), group discussants often “break up” a topic to examine various perspectives. In this sense, a group discussion is a friendly exchange of ideas which give more light to the subject matter.

• Group Discussion Topics

Gene Balinggan is a Registered Psychologist, licensed professional teacher, and a freelance academic and creative writer. She has been teaching social science courses both in the undergrad and graduate levels. Some of the major subjects which she is handling are Theories of Personality, Experimental Psychology, Historical Foundations of Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology.She co-authored a manual in General Psychology and a textbook, “Understanding the Self”. She is also currently the Psychology-Behavioral Science Society adviser in their university.

Gene has also been a research adviser and panel member in a number of psychology and special education paper presentations. Her certifications include TESOL (Tampa, Florida), Psychiatric Ward Practicum Certification (Baguio General Hospital), Outcome-Based Education, and Marker of Diploma Courses (Community Training Australia). She finished her BS Psychology at Saint Louis University and her MAT Special Education and MA Psychology at the University of the Cordilleras.

References:0Image credit: credit: Richard. Competitive Debate.

New York: Alpha, 2008. Print.3Galanes, Gloria and Adams Katherine. Effective Group Discussion.

New York: McGraw Hill, 2013. Print.4Wolfson, Jonathan. The Great Debate.

Naperville: Lightning Bolt Press, 2012. Print.Articles on DifferenceBetween.net are general information, and are not intended to substitute for professional advice.

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What You Will Learn:.Importance Of Group DiscussionsAs it is said that, the first impression is the best impression. The way you communicate professionally with your peers, heads and most importantly the customers is directly or indirectly an add-on to the quality of services that your company offers to the masses.Hence, GD is a means of the strainer to strain the right candidate from a pool of applicants.Why should a Group Discussion be the first criteria for selecting Software Testers?Any Software Tester requires communication with different people like team members, managers, and customers. Hence, interpersonal skill is very important for the tester.Yesterday one of our readers mailed me about her problem. She is very good at work but when it comes to taking credit for her work, someone else is taking the credit.Why is this happening?She is lagging in interpersonal skills. Lagging in communication. She might be proficient in many skills, but what if she isn't able to communicate her thoughts in front of her seniors or evaluators?

She will just lose the credits of her own work!Making a good impression while speaking in the meetings or interviews is the basic skill that every professional should possess.Let's see how you can make an impression. #3) Avoid Dominance: Always remember that it is a discussion and not a battle.In the heat of the moment never lose your control of speech and decency. You are there to share your point of view and not to start an argument. Respect others views and do not try to dominate your views or point. Being patient and calm is the key.#4) Avoid Interrupting: It is considered mannerless to interrupt someone while talking.

Everyone has a say and one should respect and let your turn come for you to have your say. There could be a situation where you may need to cut short the speaker, if so then do it politely with due respect and apologize for doing so.For Example, ‘ I am sorry to intervene but considering the time limit, I may miss to put forth my point so I would like to say that.’#5) Clarity of Speech and Thoughts:Always maintain a medium speed and volume of your voice. Be prepared in the mind of your thoughts that you are about to present and be clear. Avoid fumbling and jumbling with your speech. Be confident and pardon if you make a mistake while speaking.#6) Irrelevant Talk: Avoid deviating from the main topic and be on the same track. Quality is important than Quantity.

Be short and simple and refrain yourself from involving in irrelevant talks.These are some of the important rules to be considered in the GD. Types Of GDBased on the content of the discussion there are three types of GD.#1) Topic-Based GD: This types of GD is based on certain topics which are practical and real.For Example, Socioeconomic topics, Education related like, “How Plastic is affecting our Earth?” “Is a college degree necessary to become an Entrepreneur?”These are further categorized based on their outlook:. Factual GD: These type of GDs are very informative and require a thorough knowledge of the subject. One should have actual facts and figures known before taking part in the discussion. For Example, Indian Economical growth since 1947.

Controversial GD: There are certain topics which lead to an argument and such topics are introduced in GDs to test the candidate’s way of handling the situation. This topic is a kind of mock session representing a fierce situation in a company. Here the candidate is tested on parameters like patience, situation handling, anger control, critical thinking ability, etc. For Example, Arranged Marriage Vs Love Marriage. Abstract GD: There are some topics which are not based on physical presence but are conceptual topics or intellectual topics. Such topics test the thinking capability and the analytical thinking of the candidate.

For Example, Humanity.#2) Case-Based GD: This type of GD is based on case studies which portray a real-life situation. The group is provided with a case study beforehand and is given a few minutes of time to prepare for it. In this type of GD, the group has to solve the case study to give a solution.In the process of solving the case study the qualities such as problem-solving, analysis, thinking out of the box is getting tested.#3) Article-Based GD: Similar to case-based GDS, in an article based GD, the candidates are provided with an article which could be based on any field like politics, sports, technology or any topic for that matter.The candidates are given time to prepare for the discussion.

This GD helps to analyze how the candidate responds to the unknown field/ fact and how confident he/she is in presenting his/her point of view.GD TopicsBased on the types of Discussions let us see an example of a Group Discussion Topic:“Integrity is an integral part of Human Life”Let’s discuss this topic!Participant 1:Hello my dear friends. My name is Rajiv and I am here to speak in favor of the topic ‘Integrity’. “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but it is in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”Integrity is definitely required to complete our human life. We may achieve many things in life by taking a few short-cuts bypassing integrity but in the long run, those achievements will not stay with us.Participant 2:Hello everyone, my name is Sahil and I am here to speak against the topic ‘Integrity’.I beg to differ with Rajiv. We all know that our politicians are not following integrity to the desired level, but we can see them holding strong positions. They are also taking valuable decisions for our country and successfully doing it for a long time too.Participant 3: Hello, my name is Surbhi and I agree with Rajiv’s statements and would like to add further that Humanity and integrity go hand in hand.

Being true to oneself is being true to God. It is very simple, don’t break Human rights in every path of your life. Integrity will follow you naturally.Participant 4:I feel in today’s selfish world, we have to compromise somewhere or the other with humanity as well as integrity for our existence. So if we want to exist we have to be harsh and we need to break the rules.The discussion may continue further(Summarization of Topic) Participant 3: After a lot of discussion on the topic ‘Integrity is an integral part of life’, I would like to conclude that in the journey of our life we may not value the importance of integrity all the time.

But when we look deep down within ourselves to introspect, we will realize the value of integrity. Thus integrity is definitely an integral part of our life.This is a mock example of a Group Discussion for your reference.

Do's And Don'tsEnlisted below are the various Do's and Dont's in GD.#1) Keep Eye Contact while Speaking: Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye contact with every team member while speaking.#2) Initiate the GD: Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in mind – Initiate the discussion only when you understood the GD topic clearly and have some knowledge on the topic. Speaking without proper subject knowledge will leave a bad impression.#3) Allow others to Speak:Do not interrupt anyone in-between while speaking. Even if you don’t agree with his/her thoughts, do not snatch their chance to speak. Instead, make some notes and clear the points when it's your turn.#4) Speak Clearly: Speak politely and clearly.

Group Discussion Topics

Use simple and understandable words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.#5) Make sure to Bring the Discussion on Track: If by any means the group is distracted or deviated from the topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track. Make all the group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at the end of the discussion. So stick to the topic.#6) Positive Attitude: Be confident.

Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in the discussion.#7) Speak Sensibly: Do not speak just to increase your speaking time.

Don't worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and relevant instead of an irrelevant speech.#8 ) Listen Carefully to Others:Speak less and listen more! Pay attention while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and thereby you will get involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you.#9) No need to go into many details: Some basic subject analysis would be sufficient. No need to mention the exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time only, so be precise and convey your thoughts in a short and simple language.#10) Formal Dressing:Do not take it casually.

No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in a group. Positive gesture and body language will make your work easy.Following the above 10 simple rules will help you to easily crack the GD. PPT And A Video On GDLet's have some bonus tips for successful GD.Here is an embedded Power point presentation on GD.T hanks to “SoftLogic Technologies” for providing this presentation to our readers. Good ArticleIt is expected that employee/student should work in the team effectively so that the assigned Projects are completed successfully by them. While working on a particular project the.

Team members have to come together for group discussion so as to plan or to solve problems related to the project. The group discussion will be a success if the members are well versed with the method of conducting it with positive approach.

Otherwise, it will lead for argument resulting in wastage of time and other resources. Hence the students are required to know the purpose and concept of group discussion. The students will learn the method of group discussion and in future will implement the same in social and professional life. This will enable them for exhibit their skills as good team leader and player. The decisions will be made in time, the work will be completed with minimum conflicts within the team.Objectives:Understand the concept of Group Discussion.Know the purpose of Group discussion.Learn the method of group Discussion.Participate in Group Discussion.Develop skills required for Group Discussion.Now a days during selection of a candidate to competent job or even for management studies she/he has to go through group discussion, where her/his skills and abilities are analyzed. A person is assessed for his presentation, knowledge of ideas, and leadership skill along with other personality traitsRead More.