How Can I Effectively Train Students for Group Discussions and Interviews?

I have learned a lot from fellow friends at CiteHR. Can anyone guide me on how to train students on group discussions and interviews? Thanks.

I am Ruban, pursuing MSW (H.R). I have attended a lot of group discussions, and from my knowledge, the first step is to introduce a familiar topic known to everyone and then start motivating the students to speak in their local language. The second step is to train the students to listen, speak, take initiative, and lead a team if the conversation goes off-topic – these aspects can earn extra marks for the students. The third step involves training the students by conducting numerous group discussions. This is how I learned. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks and regards,
Ruban Kumar

Students can do better in group discussions if they are encouraged to read newspapers, magazines, current topics, etc., and practice verbal communication skills extensively. The more you think in a language, the better you will speak it.

Practice is another mantra for discussions, as Ruban has already mentioned. For interviews, prepare a set of questions that are generally asked, including some basic questions and some that are subject-specific. Then, conduct mock interviews with the candidates or students.

Hope this answers your query.

Regards,
Archna

Hello Bindusriram, I had the opportunity to attend many sessions on Group Discussion in my school and college life. From what I have learned, I can suggest that there should be a systematic approach to G.D. Firstly, there should not be more than 8-10 students in a group. Out of these, you can select one team member to be the group leader. Give a simple topic and ask them to communicate in English only. Initially, it may be a bit challenging, but gradually, they will gain confidence. Ask each group member to present points in favor or against the topic. Then, the group leader will jot down all the points and summarize the conclusion to all other group members. You can rotate the group leader periodically. The main focus of G.D. should be on discussion rather than argumentation.

Interview Preparation

For interviews, conduct mock interviews and encourage them to speak. I believe that unless they gain the confidence to express themselves, it will not be beneficial. Ask them to talk about themselves, their hobbies, etc.

I hope this guidance is helpful.

Thanks,

Pratik Raj

Benefits of Group Discussions

Group discussion is a very useful tool where you will find numerous benefits if you implement it perfectly. Below are the benefits of group discussions that you can implement for your students.

• To eliminate communication phobia (shyness), which helps them communicate effectively without any fear or shyness. It also helps them introduce themselves in a positive way rather than being left behind in the crowd.

• To practice good pronunciation tactics. Apply tongue twisters.

• To enhance reading skills - make them read newspapers just like professional news readers.

• Building a positive attitude and body language - Ask your students to watch others' individual behavior, which includes actions, gestures, sign language, etc.

• To develop command over language - effective communication skills. Ask your students to discuss and debate on a topic with limitations; otherwise, they will start arguing with each other, and the objective is not met.

• Sharing knowledge and creativity - this can help your students project or unleash their hidden talents.

• How to become a good observer - this improves patience and listening skills, which students need to practice by concentrating and implementing the active listening process.

• Mock interviews - Assign roles of an interviewer and applicant to a group of students and ask them to experience the interview process.

I do agree with Mr. Pratik's suggestions about limiting students to not exceeding 10 or 15 max. You can do a lot more in a more effective way if you plan well in advance.

Have a nice evening.

With profound regards,

Hi everyone, I'm attaching the GD for students learning...

Methods of Group Decision Making

No two groups will ever function in the same way while involved in the process of decision-making. Some are proactive groups, while others need a driving force or a facilitator to guide the process. There are several methods of group decision-making. Here are some of the common methods employed in the process of decision-making:

Authoritarian Style

The authoritarian style is like a dictatorship, where the decision ultimately rests in the hands of one person. This style of decision-making is applicable in the presence of a powerful person who dictates the entire process of decision-making and has the final authority on the outcome. This style, although used in various places, tends to have more disadvantages than advantages because the people whose opinions are disregarded might have negative feelings about the entire process. A variation of this method is the minority control method, wherein the group discusses the issues, but the power of decision-making rests not in the hands of one but a small group of people within the group.

Brainstorming

This group decision-making method is best when the decision-making has to be started from scratch, which means creating the various options and then weighing them. This is an excellent method for group decisions, which is very popular owing to the complete creative freedom it offers to all the participants. There can be a facilitator to guide the entire discussion just to ensure that the people don't digress. The facilitator can merely help to start off the conversation, provide subtle hints and nudges when the participants get stuck, and thus help to make effective and creative group decisions. The positive aspect of this method is that it values the opinion of every individual member, and the final decision is reached by consensus.

Voting Based Method

This is a group decision-making process, which is convenient to use when the group has a certain set of defined options before it and needs to pick out the optimum solution. A voting system allows every participant to cast his/her vote for the option that he/she thinks is the best. The option that gathers the maximum number of votes is selected. This method, however, does not value the individual opinion of each and every participant in the group. A variation of this method is the majority method, wherein a majority of people within the group have the power to pass the final decision.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Decisions

Like any other process, the process of taking group decisions has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of group decisions:

Advantages of Group Decisions:
- Group decisions help to combine the individual strengths of the group members and hence have a set of varied skill sets applied in the decision-making process.
- Individual opinions can be biased or affected by preconceived notions or restricted perspectives; group decisions help to get a broader perspective owing to differences of perception between individuals in the group.
- A group decision always means enhanced collective understanding of the course of action to be taken after the decision is made.
- A group decision gains greater group commitment since everyone has his/her share in the decision-making.
- Group decisions imbibe a strong sense of team spirit among the group members and help the group to think together in terms of success as well as failure.

Disadvantages of Group Decisions:
- One of the major disadvantages of group decision-making is that it is more time-consuming than the process of individual decision-making.
- Group decisions take longer to be finalized since there are many opinions to be considered and valued.
- In the case of authoritarian or minority group decision-making, the people whose opinions are not considered tend to be left out from the decision-making process, and hence the team spirit ceases to grow.
- The responsibility and accountability of the decisions are not equally shared in some cases, which leads to a split in the group and hence hampers the overall efficiency of the group.

While involved in a group decision-making process, it is always better to study the advantages and disadvantages of group decisions and hence formulate a group decision-making process that suits your group and gives you the optimum results.

Regards

I agree with your suggestions, but I want students to understand the Merits and Demerits of Group Discussions, which they will come across in their life. It's better they have practical experience before they start their career. Let's inculcate positive thinking.

With profound regards,