CHAPTER 1 3 GROUP DISCUSSION Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, you'll be able to: * comprehend what group discussion is, * know the importance of group discussion, * practice and perform better during group discussion, * learn the required communication skills to participate in group discussion, Introduction You may have found people discussing social, political, religious, or economic issues at a Testaurant, bus stop, canteen, tea stall, club, etc. We too discuss various matters in our daily life with our friends, relatives, family members, and others. Even family members, too, discuss family matters at home. These discussions can be informal as well as formal. Informal discussions take place in informal setting whereas formal discussions take place in formal Setting, like at office, a conference hall, or a recruitment centre. The discussions take place to discuss some matter, to exchange views on certain topic, to resolve some prob:em, to Screen the candidates for job, and so on. After heated or cool discussion, the participants build a consensus and finalize the decision, In this chapter, we shall study the characteristics, Ways, objectives and process of ‘group discussion. 13.1 Group Discussion Literal meaning of the word discussion is ‘an exchange of views on something’ Discussion| 132 | English Comminizaig, occurs when members have differing opinions. Each member presents his/her views, j other member disagrees with the member, s/he presents his/her views. The main purpos, of a discussion is to understand various viewpoints of an issue and reach upto a better understanding. This understanding makes us better equipped to deal with the issue. Group discussion, or popularly known as GD, refers to a situation in which a small numbe; of persons form a group to exchange their views, opinions, knowledge, and information o a particular issue, problem, topic, or situation among the members of the group, The exchange takes place through oral communication. Each member of the group listens tg other members as well as gives his/her views. It is a team activity. It is like a football match where player passes the ball to his/her team member and aims at a common objective. The group-members have to interpret, analyse, and argue, so as to discuss the topic or case threadbare as a team. GD is formal and systematic, There is self-imposed discipline on the discussion and greater responsibility lies on the shoulders of the participants to make it useful. There is no named leader of the group. As the discussion proceeds, one of the participants emerges as a leader. Each participant is given a fair chance to speak and express his/her opinion. Since the number of participants is small, it is not difficult to involve every member in the discussion. There is no place for emotional outburst and display of excitement in this type of discussion. When the discussion takes place, some person(s) can be invited as observer(s). This canbe done for two purposes: > — Tolet the observer(s) learn the process of group discussion. > To evaluate the contribution made by each member. Some GD’s have a person as moderator who moderates the discussion. S/he acts like 4 leader and triggers passion among the participants. S/he makes sure that the participants have not been going off the track. After completion of the discussion, s/he provides feedback to the participants, in five point scale, (5 for excellent, 4 for very good, 3 for good, 2 for average, and | for below average). S/he rates the participants on the basis of confidence, attitude, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and intellectual knowledge. S/he provides honest feedback to each participant without any prejudice. $/he does not judge any participant by his/her own appearance or academic achievements. S/he remains impartial and free from pre-conceived notions. S/he remains supportive and sympathetic to the members. 13.2 Number of Participants It is difficult to specify the number of participants that would make the group discussio" useful. However, there can be ten to fifteen members in a group, but if there are ten OF more members in a group, some tend to avoid participation and remain mere passiv® listeners, Thus, the group discussion loses its significance because each member is expect® to actively participate in the discussion, Researches reveal if the number is kept betwee >nen | 22 %, fruitful discussion can take place. If there are less than five members, the discussion qaffers lack of diversity of views and opinions, 13.3, Ways to Organise a Group Discussion There are two Ways of organizing a group discussion: first, the topic is announced befe the discussion, and the participants come Prepared for the discussion. Secon the t pics announced on the spot. The participants are given five to ten minutes to coltect thet thoughts. In both the cases, the exchange takes place in a systematic and structured way The chairs are arranged ina circle so that every participant can see the expressions of other participants. 134 Objectives GD is a purposeful and goal-oriented activity. Each participant is usually aware of the purpose(s) of the GD beforehand. The goals are generally decided before the conduct of GD. The main objective of GD is to provide a wide range of solutions toa particular problem and reach upto a viable amicable solution. Besides decision making, it helps in eliciting personality traits of the participants. That's why several companies conduct GD’s in order to find out the qualities they are expecting from their prospective employees. A group of short-listed candidates is given a topic which is usually debatable and of current importance. The candidates have to speak on the topic within a limited period of time which ranges between twenty to forty five minutes. An observer, appointed by the prospective employer, sits through the discussion and Judges each participant's communication skills, tolerance, leadership qualities, intellectual ability, group behaviour, and approach to solve problems. The candidates are screened on the basis of their performance. A group discussion is also an instrument of education to develop and judge the students’ personality traits. It trains the students to function in the professional world efficiently. Many educational institutions also use GD’s for the screening of candidates for admission to a particular course. It is used apart from written test/ and interview. 13.5 Characteristics of Group Discussion Group discussion has following characteristics: (2) Purposeful Activity : GD is organized for a specific purpose. The clear to every participant beforehand. Every participant takes pi meet the objective. purpose is made art in the GD to eraction among the group members. It raises a c of views. Every member presents his/her bers may have differing opinions, but the Basically, it is a cooperative group (b) Interactive: GD is based on int Particular issue for a positive exchang views on the issue. However the mem interaction takes place ina healthy environment. process, It is designed to reach on a consensus.English a | ae 1B rin the A (c) Equitable Distribution of Participation: Wer neat “aang GD en 5 i f isa ed rights, Each member is important and no one i very member can present his/her views independently. Members eNcou, other to participate in the discussion. Atmosphere: Group discussion takes place in a friendly, cg nbers cooperate with each other, un, (a) Cooperative and cordial atmosphere. Group mem and appreciate different points of views, and try to pool them together jn develop group consensus. However, disagreements do exist but they dg to serious conflicts. These differences enrich the process of discussion and the horizon of the group. (c) Shared Leadership: There is no named leader of the group. The mem group share and perform the leadership function. They themselves discussion, keep the discussion on, check the progress, and encouy participants to speak. (f) Democratic Process: GD is a democratic process. No view is forced upon the members. The decisions are taken through consensus. However the takes place to reach upto a consensus, but a large number of group dis end without consensus of the group. (g) Flexible: GD is flexible as compared to other forms of discussion. It is les! in style and functioning. The rules can be changed according to the requ There is no restriction of time on any participant. $/he can take enough! present his/her views. (h) Cooperative Process: GD is based on mutual cooperation. Every cooperates with other member(s) and encourages other member(s) to 5 13.6 Essential Requirements Group discussion is an effective technique for the evaluation of candidates’ P traits in order to select for a job or admission to professional courses. A candidatel to acquire certain skills in order to prove him/her. S/he must Posses (a) All-round Knowled knowledge of curren advancements, envir environment around related to the topic. ge: Other than subject, the participant(s) ™ 1 affairs, burning social and economic issues, Onmental issues, and lot more, S/he must be a¥® him/herself. S/he must have perfect knowledge of ™ (b) Oral Communication Skills: Participant(s) needs to be profici confidently and convincingly is discussion. The observer(s) clos Group discussion is an oral acti” ent in communication skills. Ability’ One of the prerequisites of success" ely evaluates oral communication 5! Group Discussion 7 (o) (d) (e) (f) (8) (h) (i) candidates. S/he generally intonation, and effective no; Listening Skills: A to the comments of other her views forcefully, as i Ssesses the clarity of expression, pronunciati n-verbal communication, | mit i Participant should be a Patient listener, S/he should first list! Participants, wait for his/her turn, and then present hi Clarity: Clarity i i , Sreecniae ine or making meaning clear to the audience. It includes clari ees thoughts. Whatever a member presents should be cle.” pe eea ars fe. S/he should avoid indirect expressions, exaggeratio | ‘ » and ornamentation in speech, S/he shi i ui and specific language to present his/her view, should use dct ce Non-verbal Skills: Body language makes oral communication more effective. Ti participant should use non-verbal cues, such as eye-contact, gestures, facia expressions, and so on. Proper eye-contact reflects confidence; shirking of e- communicates nervousness, frustration, weakness and insecurity. S/he should al. use proper hand movements wherever required. | Leadership Qualities: Every participant should possess leadership qualities. The. is no named leader of the group, but a good leader takes self-initiative ar, establishes him/her as a leader. S/he must: \| initiate the proceeding of discussion, try to keep the discussion on a right track, promote positive atmosphere, vvvvyv H i clarify points when required, if lead the discussion to a successful conclusion. i} j Analytical Approach: The participant should have analytical bent of mind an rational thinking. S/he should analyse the situation, problem, condition, and toy S/he should listen to each participant carefully in order to analyse his/her views Self-confidence: The participant should be self-confident. S/he should talk wit i confidence and self-assurance. His/her body movements should reflect confidenc| ‘A participant's confidence may not only impress the examiner(s) but also hel | him/her to lead the group. S/he should avoid being boastful and pretending that 5 forget that overconfidence causes failur he knows everything. S/he should no} 4 whereas under-confidence leads to lack of productivity. S/he should be bold an assertive without being offensive, aggressive, and rigid. | kills to by Team-management Skills: Every participant needs team-management s| i the candidates who can work in a team-oriente, .ccessful in a GD. Employers look fo who can | eeicamenr The bares assess whether the participant is a team player who ca get along with people or an individualist who is always fighting to save his/her oaBs | @ (k) y English Commuricatioy Team-management skills include- positive attitude, adaptability, cooperation, ang coordination, Patience: The participant should never lose his/her patience Sie should remain cool and not get provoked. S/he should not show aggression. In spite of provocation, s/he should handle the situation with patience. Systematic Approach: The participant should adopt eee haunt and realistic approach, S/he should be impartial, rational, and factual 7 nt e sI ould view the situation objectively and utilize concrete and foolproof illustrations. The ideas and arguments should be backed by relevant facts and figures. 13.7. Process of Group Discussion Group discussion is a systematic and purposeful oral-process. It is characterized by structured exchange of views on a particular topic, issue, problem, or situation in a formal setting. It is conducted in a systematic way. It consists of three parts: > > > (a) (b) (©) 13.9 Examples 1 Initiation Body Summarization Initiation: It is the first stage of GD. The group is given a topic to discuss, They are mediated by a person who announces the topic, allotted time, general guidelines and procedures governing the GD. The mediator withdraws to the background, leaving the group free to carry on the discussion without external interference. As there is no elected or designated leader of the group, one of the participants starts the discussion. S/he tells her/his views on the topic and proceeds the discussion Then other participants take on the discussion. Body: This is the second sta; ge of group discussion. This is main part of the discussion, Every participant gets involved in the discussion. Summarization: Most GD’s do not have conclusion, It rarely happens when all the group members reach onto a consensus. But every GD is summarized. One of the participants summarizes in a nutshell what the group members have discussed | The GD comes to an end with the summarization, | Group Discussion on the Topic- ‘Need of Distance Education. Seven participants- A, B, C, D, E, F, G have been taking part in the discussion.f f up Discussion + India has a larg A: eee Tee eet Of colleges but formal system of education has failed to reach rising demand of educati aS 'an Urgent need to develop some system that can meet the dab On. ‘This system was ‘education through distance education. It has proved a boon for India, Numberless people have heen getting education through this, system. Government has opened open schools and open universities for those students who cannot take formal education or are unable to secure admissions in reyular coll to study further, admissions in regular colleges You're right! But would they reap the benefits of regula ? No! They'l to get benefit of classroom teaching, Sr teptr cane Nel They nt heat D: My dear, it’s not there. They attend PCP ¢ and teachers clear the doubts. Moreover, open universities relay their programme material to the students, which is of very lasses on holidays. They come with their doubts they study through radio and television. Many s through mass media. They send their study high quality. C: But what about practicals? Yes! Many schools and universities provide the facility of laboratories. Students visit the study centre and perform their practical there. They remain open on Sundays and holidays. this system is beneficial for the students who work somewhere. They take their jobs during week days and attend their classes on weekends. But do the universities and employers consider their degrees equal to the degrees of regular courses? Some employers consider their degrees inferior to that of regular degrees. F: Itsnot there. Their degrees have equal weightage. The students get admissions, jobs, and promotions on the basis of the degrees provided by the open schools and open universities. A: Asa developing country, India has several impediments. Some of them are high illiteracy rate, growing population, poverty and limited resources. Two third of India’s population resides in villages. Government cannot provide school and college in every village. However the government is trying its best but it’s difficult to reach upto every individual with education because of limited resources. Distance education is a boon for those who reside in far flung areas or villages. Moreover, women are not allowed in villages to attend schools or colleges because of orthodox mentality. Distance education provides them the ‘opportunity to continue their studies. Ido agree with all of you. The failure of the formal system of education has led to the inception of distance education. It has absorbed the students who could not find admission in regular colleges, could not continue their studies, or so. It is really beneficial for the students. | 57 2. Group discussion on the topic- ‘Need of Examinations. (Seven persons- Amita, Bi Chetan, Diwakar, Falguni and Geeta- are the Participants.) Amita; It is true that examinations cause stress and tension in students’ minds, but they are important to find out real skills, talents and knowledge of the students.inni hetan: hetan: alguni: eeta: mita: roti: .st the performance of students, amination is a measuring stick that is used to te : enna 2 yy to showcase their talent and Examination provides the students an opportunity skills. agree with my friend that exam students’ performance on a common pl overlooked. Even to this day, students are ju ‘or semester examination. How can we know about the nination is a measuring stick, but, by judging the latform, their individual talents are dged on common platform of annual talents of a person within three hours? But examinations are essential for students. They get motivated to secure good marks in the exam. They concentrate on their studies before examination. Examination gives them the spirit of competition and they study hard. But, children, at a very young age, start to take tension and stress of the exam. This hampers physical growth and mental development of the child. The examination system is so designed that they learn by rote method and never understand the concept. They wish to fare well to come up to the expectations of their parents and teachers. Sometimes untoward happenings, like sickness, accident etc, ruin their chance of scoring good marks in exam. But, examinations help the teachers and parents to judge the child’s knowledge and amount of labor put in by the child in gaining it. They also make the students strive for excellence. Examinations keep the children always on their toes. They wish to fare well to come up to the expectations of their parents and teachers. They clear their doubts before the exam. Peer pressure also makes them feel the need to outdo the others. But parental expectations and peer pressure take load on them. It is also found that parents make their love conditional to the performance of their childre their examinations. This makes the children feel pressurized. Failure in examination prompts many students to put an end to their lives. Assessment of examinees’ performance depends entirely on examiner. Very often, the questions, prepared by a teacher, are found to be ‘out of syllabus’ which affect the children’s marks. Sometimes, the examiners merely rush through the answer books without assessing them properly, in order to check more than specified number of answer books. The swinging moods of the examiners also play a part in the marking of the answer sheets of the examinees. Such actions lead to wrong assessment of examinee’s efforts. Examinations teach writing skills, time management, how to express thoughts and opinions, and so on. Students, who are good at studies, maintain their record in all the examinations. Jobs are also awarded on the basis of written examinations and viva-voce tests. A degree, acquired from a reputed university, does not guarantee a job. Nepotism, bribery and being inexperienced in the practical field, pose problems before the modern youth in securing a job. As a result, they take to crime and become offenders of law.| 9 There are certain nfl their responsibility of yin te eXamHination systems as well The teachers restrict are made lo give all roy parting knowledge only limited to syllabus. No efforts nd know 7 restricted only to the Tented eee to the students, The student's knowledge is Iris evident that exami there are many ies ee has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, importance. There ix» see gmese examination system, but we cannot deny is through training. There is need (0 ee eter which would impart education d 5 ; Teena ay © evaluate a student's performance during the and keep their expectations at a reasonable and attainable level. Group Discussion on the topic- ‘Impact of TV Serials. (Five persons- Ashok, Shreya, Swati, Mahesh and Rohan- are the participants.) Hallo everybody! We are here to discuss the impacts of TV serials. As all of us know, television is the most reachable means of mass entertainment that has gripped the nation by wide range of coverage and has been yielding fast and great impact on the society. With the expansion of TV network, the culture of TV serials appeared. These serials have many interwoven stories or sometimes past and present is amalgamated to extract maximum publicity among the viewers. These are so popular among urban, semi-urban, and rural populace that sometimes viewers miss a professional appointment but not the serial. Most of the serials are setin high society, sophisticated settings, with modern furniture, expensive dresses, jewelry, cars and luxurious life-style. Serials set trends among the young people who ape everything, which appeal their instinct. They watch latest fashion and etiquettes in the serials and follow them. But this pomp and luxurious life-style has been degrading the youth. They try to grab these luxuries by hook or crook. They take short cut route to become rich and use unfair means to grab it. It is because of the impact of serials. But serials also inculcate moral values among the viewers. We can take examples of the serials, ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata. These religious serials provide information on our past in a new perspective especially to the young generation. Historical serials, ike ‘Akbar the Great, “The Sword of Tipu Sultan’ and “The Great Maratha, supply the saga of our past. lagree with my friend, but what about the serials based on Saas-Bahu saga, These eset in the traditional Indian social household environment, particulacly ighlighting the joint family aided and with myriad problems, ranging fom pat lashes to intrigues and adultery. These are responsible for the disintegrat pe Social values and joint-family system. Adventurous serials, like ‘Shaktimaan, creB10 | the character in the serial, waves among the children ee they ty ean Tae saan May children had to lose their lives in th ; 3 ; producer tries to give a new fillip that shows something unhealthy unconventional. i i recious period for young lots an: Th t be denied that serials kill time, a very p' p 0 a Rohan pala rae professionals, But serials have greater place in modern life. Theres, a greater need that the serials must be intended to preserve social values rather than spoiling them in the race of minting money. 32> Exercise Write the content of the group discussion, on the following topics: India should opt for nuclear energy. Human cloning should be allowed. English should not be the medium of instruction in schools and colleges. Multinational corporations Are devils in disguise. Terrorism should be dealt with heavy hand. Position of Women in India. Movies have negative effect on the youth. Love marriage is more favorable than arranged one. Demonetization has failed to achieve its objective.