GROUP DISCUSSION

What is Group Discussion?

• It is interpersonal communication that involves three or more people with a common purpose.

• A Group Discussion (GD) is a technique used by corporate companies, educational institutes, and other organizations to judge the communication skills of the participant.

In group discussion people ____ .

• solve a problem

• arrive at a decision

• answer a question of mutual interest

A decision is a “good” decision if ____ [Select all that apply]

• it has good reasons or explanation behind it.

• it is supported by leadership.

• people support it.

• it doesn’t cost a lot of money.

Which of the following is NOT something you should do in the early stages of a meeting?

• Make sure everyone understands how a final decision will be made.

• Summarize the discussion.

• Make the purpose of the meeting clear.

• Share information.

What are the four basic stages in the process of decision-making, in order?

• Making a decision, generating ideas, evaluating ideas, communicating the decision.

• Generating ideas, making a decision, evaluating the decision, sharing information.

• Sharing information, generating ideas, evaluating ideas, making a decision.

• Discussing options, generating ideas, evaluating information, making a decision.

What are some ways of making sure that deep thinkers or quiet people have a chance to give their input? [Select all that apply]

• Call on them directly.

• Ask them to give written input after the meeting.

• Encourage them to be more outgoing.

• Just wait when discussion stalls on a given topic before moving on.

Which of the following are given as reasons to check back at different points throughout the discussion? [Select all that apply]

• To test for disagreement.

• To confirm agreement.

• To introduce the purpose of the meeting.

• To clarify ideas or statements.

Which of the following should you NOT do when facilitating a decision-making meeting?

• Bring up arguments against someone’s idea.

• Evaluate each idea as it comes up.

• Give everyone a chance to express their ideas.

• Allow people to bring up new information.

To effectively lead a group, start by building trust and goodwill among the group members. You should also mediate all discussions and issues that come up in the group effectively and be willing to manage tasks and goals in the group.

• TRUE

• FALSE

In a group discussion, there may be many people discussing on a topic. Initiation is an attempt to start or initiate a “talk”. Initiation does not mean you interrupt and not allow others to speak. Initiation also means take hold of an opportunity to speak.

• TRUE

• FALSE