Do’s and Don’t’s for a GD

Do’s:
i.Dress properly and formally. A formally dressed person shows people that he means business and that he is serious about what he does.
ii.Exude confidence – but don’t ooze it. No one likes an over confident person but then, no one can even tolerate or waste time on someone’s who’s so nervous he can’t even pronounce his name. Smile at yourself in front of a mirror and boost yourself up with some good old-fashioned pep talk.
iii.Read a lot of books. This is a habit one MUST develop to sound intelligible on a number of topics.
iv.Maintain eye contact with all the members of the group during the GD. Don’t stare at one person throughout or the person will tune out soon. Eye contact is also important because this will show everyone that you consider each and every person important and that you value his/her viewpoint. Doing this will also ensure that you don’t antagonise anyone – this will be important later on when you want support when you’re finally able to come to a conclusion.

Don’t’s:
i.Don’t interrupt anyone while they’re talking. Give everyone their own space. Everyone has a valid viewpoint – whether it is right or not is not up to you to decide.
ii.Don’t argue unnecessarily or try to prove that you are always right. You might think this will show the organisers that you are capable of winning an argument but it will not. You will come across only as an argumentative, rude and finally, a querulous childish person. If you don’t agree with what the person is saying, wait for them to finish speaking and then say something politely contradicting such as, “ While I’m sure you’re right, I think there’s another way to tackle this problem…” or “ I’m sorry but I beg to differ…”. There a million different ways to politely disagree – try to use them if you are very strongly against what they’re saying. At the end of the day, let them know that you don’t agree with them but that you still value what they’re saying.
iii.Don’t be stubborn. If the other person is able to prove you wrong, just for the sake of sounding firm on your point, don’t stick to it like a leech. If you think you’ve been defeated – which you should not, since none of this should be taken personally – accept defeat gracefully.
iv.Take nothing personally and don’t try to get personal at the same time. The GD will not last for more than an hour at the maximum. Try to prove you are a professional in this period of time instead of as someone who wants to win a “fight”. This is the time to prove your merits and not your demerits.
v.Don’t fake your accent. People will be impressed with an American or a British accent but they’ll be able to catch you within a few minutes of the GD which can be embarrassing and terribly damaging to your integrity as a person.
GDs are an excellent fun way to prove yourself and learn new things at the same time.

Try them out sometime at your own college!

References:
A CD we were asked to listen to in the multimedia lab, and more importantly, our lecturer’s (Ms. Suneela) suggestions and ideas.