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Sureshbala

CAT GD Dynamics - Part 1

Author: Sureshbala

Finally, the first hurdle CAT, if not an audacious seize, is at least out of the way. Now let's frame our modus operandi for the next phase i.e. Group Discussion.

First let's have a glance at the Anatomy of a typical B-School Group Discussion.

Number of Participants:	10-12
Average Time for a GD:	25-30 minutes
Assessment:	Personality Traits

In order to put up a decent performance in a Group Discussion, knowledge about the personality traits that the B-Schools look for is desirable.So let us get into this right now.

Teamwork & Team Player: Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common vision, is the ability to direct individual accomplishments towards organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

B-Schools lay great emphasis on this parameter because it is essential for managers to be team players. The reason: Managers always work in teams. At the beginning of his career, a manager works as a team member and later as a team leader. Lacking this skill will definitely hamper your chances of getting into a top B-School.

Logic & Clarity of Thought: Your Logic plays an important role while expressing your opinions or ideas in a Group Discussion.

For example, an opinion like "Increase in the number of IIMs will help more students to get quality pedagogy" can be better stated by demonstrating your logical ability by saying: "Increase in the number of IIMs,by providing quality education to more students, will definitely encounter brain drain besides which our nation will take the pride of creating professionals required by the top class companies". You can also counter statements like quality of education will deteriorate by saying "The hike in the fees will definitely meet the costs to attract good faculty, create good infrastructure and upgrade technology".

Leadership: "The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects the wind to change but a leader adjusts his sails". Let me be more clear on this.

The following are the situations that can arise in a Group Discussion:

A Group Discussion where participants are unable to establish a proper rapport and do not speak much.
A Group Discussion where participants get emotionally charged and the Group Discussion gets chaotic.

Here a leader is the one who acts correctly and makes the Discussion where participants discuss the topic assertively by touching on all its nuances and try to reach the objective.

Remember that a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.Hence merely doing the moderator job doesn't mean you possess leadership qualities. Here are the qualities of a great leader:

A leader, no matter how hard-fought the issue, never gets personal. He never says or executes anything that may come back to haunt him on another issue
A leader does his homework. He is very well aware of the fact that he can't lead without knowing what he is talking about
A leader uses his abilities and power to persuade, not to intimidate
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand."

So try not only to contribute to the Group Discussion with your ideas and opinions, but also try to steer the conversation towards a goal.

Assertiveness: There are many definitions and ideas on what assertiveness means. Enjoying your rights, expressing your feelings, asking for what you want, stating your views - with integrity, honesty, directness, respect for others is the definition that is relevant to you and your circumstances in the Group Discussion.

As an assertive person, you must be able to handle the following situations in a Group Discussion.

an aggressive person doesn't listen to your views/needs, so you need to make them listen
an unassertive person doesn't express his views, so you need to encourage them to express their views
a passive-aggressive person avoids any real dialogue, so you need to engage them in the discussion

A person's leadership skills are often gauged by his Assertiveness.As you can see in the adjacent image, a leader is one who strikes a balance in this quality. Possessing either a low or a high assertiveness is considered to be a negative personality trait. So remember to put forth your point to the group in a very emphatic, positive and confident manner.

Participants often mistake assertiveness for aggressiveness. The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well being of others. Aggressiveness is all about enforcing your point without paying attention to the opinion of the other person, which may hamper your team's targets and goals. An aggressive person can also demonstrate negative body language, whereas an assertive person displays positive body language.

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