MEETINGS & GROUP DISCUSSION

- By Mihir Gandhi 125 Rohitt Khaitan 126 Aayush Agrawal 151 Jayati Agrawal 152 Arvind Kumar 153 Prachi Ashani 154 Parth Barot 155 Subhasish Baruah 156

MEETINGS
An Assembly of People for Discussion or Entertainment

Reasons for Meetings

The 3M Meeting Management Team has identified thirteen of the most common reasons for calling a meeting. They are as follows:
To accept reports from participants

To reach a group judgment or decision

To analyze or solve a problem To gain acceptability for an idea, program or decision To achieve a training objective To reconcile conflicts view

Reasons for Meetings

To communicate essential information to a group To relieve tension or insecurities by providing information and the managements viewpoint To ensure that everyone has the same understanding of the Information To obtain quick reactions
To reactivate a stalled project To demonstrate a product or system

To generate new ideas or concepts

Common Complaints about Meetings

Planning
The agenda was not prepared or sent out prior to the meeting, hence the participants were unclear about the meetings purpose The wrong people were invited to attend

The time of the meeting was inconvenient

The room was to small or was not set up correctly Audio-visual equipment was not available

Leadership
The leader did not follow the agenda
The leader was domineering and attempted to impose personal views on the group The leader did not facilitate communication among all the participants

Participation
Participants were unprepared for the meeting
Some participants contributed too much at the meeting while some contributed too little

Some participants were disruptive or uncooperative

Meetings Outcome
Decisions are not implemented Assignments agreed by participants are not carried out Recommendations are not passed on Findings are often ignored

Subh, The lazy bums part

Preparations for the Meeting

Audiovisual Requirements
Display easels LCD projectors Microphone and speakers Overhead projector Projector screen Laptop /computer Internet connection

Room layout

U-shaped
Center table/boardroom Classroom Theatre/auditorium

Setting Rules of Order

Major advantage of setting rules is
Group leader is less likely to be accused of personal bias in decision making. Increases leaders credibility

Everyone should know the rules in the beginning

Knowing the Group

When preparing for the meeting, find out how the other members of the group are likely to interact. Collect as much information as possible about how the meeting will be conducted, what topics will be discussed, and who all will be present.

Non-verbal Communication
Non verbal communication, including such concepts as proxemics, territoriality and chronemics plays a key roles in members level of participation, decision-making.

Goals of a Meeting
There are three types of goals
Organization goals Group goals Individual goals

Documentation of Meeting
All the documents required for the meeting should be in order. Meetings provide useful opportunity for sharing information, making suggestion and proposal, taking decisions and obtaining feedback.

Notice and Agenda

Notice and agenda are usually combined in one document. The portion at the top is know as the notice. Notices-gives details of type, place, day, time of the meeting, Agenda is the list of topic to be discused in the meeting.

Minutes of the Meeting

Minutes are the record of what toke place in the meeting. Types of minutes
Minutes of resolution Minute of narration Verbatim minutes

GROUP DISCUSSION
Exchange of Thoughts and Ideas among Members of Group

Why Group Discussion????

Group Discussion is used for mass elimination! Selection criterias are based on actual company requirements. It is the first criteria for screening the candidates for face-to-face interviews.

Skills Assessed
Leadership skills
Communication skills Interpersonal skills Persuasive skills

Sub-skills Assessed
Clarity of thought
Ability to work in team Handling conflicts Listening and Investigation

Knowledge of the subject

Openness and flexibility towards new ideas

Companys Perspective
GDs

Topic- based

Case-based

Factual

Controversial

Abstract

Factual topics

Factual topics are about practical things. Typically socio-economic topics.

These can be current or unbound by time

Controversial topics
Controversial topics are argumentative in nature. They are meant generate controversy.

These topics are given discussion, the noise level is usually high.

Abstract topics
Abstract topics are about intangible things Their possibility cannot be ruled out

These topics test your lateral thinking and creativity

Case-Based
Tries to stimulate real-life situation

There are no correct answers or perfect solutions

Reasons for having a GD

It helps you to understand a subject more deeply. It improves your ability to think critically. It helps in solving a particular problem. It helps the group to make a particular decision. It gives you to chance to hear the others ideas. It improves your listening skills. It increase your confidence in speaking. It can change your attitudes.

Strategies for Improving GD Skills

Observe
How do other students make critical comments? How do they ask questions? How do they disagree with or support arguments? How do they signal to interrupt, ask a question or make a point? What special phrases do they use to show politeness even they are voicing disagreement?

Practice Participate

Discussion Etiquette
DO Speak pleasantly and politely to the group. Respect the contribution of every speaker. Remember that a discussion is not an argument. Think about your contribution before you speak. How best can you answer the question to the topic? Try to stick to the discussion topic. Be aware of your body language when you are speaking. Agree with and acknowledge what you find interesting. DONT Lose your temper. Shout. Use too many gestures when you speak. Dominate the discussion. Confident speakers should give quieter students a chance to contribute. Draw too much on personal experience or anecdotes. Interrupt. Wait for a speaker to finish what they are saying before you speak.

Leading a Group Discussion

Introducing yourself and the members of group. Stating the purpose of the discussion. Inviting quiet group members to speak. Being objective. Summarizing the discussion.

Chairing a Group Discussion

Introducing the topic and purpose of the discussion. Making sure all members have approximately the same time.

Thanking group members for their contribution.

Being objective in summarizing the groups discussion & achievements.

How to Face a Group Discussion ???

How to Face a Group Discussion ???

Knowledge & ideas regarding a given subject

Leadership and coordination capabilities

Communication Skills

Addressing the group as a whole

Exchange of thoughts

Group Discussion
Preparation for GD

Reading

Mocks

Tips on a Group Discussion

Initiation techniques Body of the GD Summary / Conclusion

Initiation Techniques
Get an opportunity to speak Arrest the attention of the examiner Favorable first impression with your content & communication skills will help you in the GD If you stammer/stutter/quote a wrong facts & figures, the damage might be irreparable If you do not speak after initiation, gives the impression that you started the GD just for the sake of starting When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework Initiate only if you have in depth knowledge about the topic

Body of the GD
Quotes Definitions Questions Shock statement Facts, figures & statistics A short story A General statement

Quotes
Topic : Customer is King
There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from chairman to down, simply by spending his money somewhere else. - Sam Walton

Definitions
Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic Topic: Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie Advertisement: Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media like newspapers, TV or radio by an identified sponsor.

Questions
Does not mean asking a question to any candidate, hampering the flow Ask a question & answer it yourself
Topic: Should India go to War with Pakistan ? What does war bring to a nation? We have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is: What have we achieved ?

Shock Statement
Best way to capture immediate attention and put forward your point Topic: The Impact of Population on Indian Economy At the center of the Indian capital stands a population clock that ticks relentlessly. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2000 an hour, 48000 a day, which adds up to 12 million a year. That is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it: Nothings impossible if 1 Billion Indians work together

Facts, Figures & Statistics

Make sure to quote your facts, figures & statistics accurately. Approximation is allowed at macro level. Micro level facts need to be correct and accurate.

Wrong facts work to your disadvantage.

Topic: China , a Rising Tiger In 1983, when China was still in its initial stages of reform and opening up, Chinas real use of FDI only stood at $636 million. China actually utilized $60 billion of FDI in 2004, which is almost 100 times that of its 1983 statistics.

Short Story
Topic: Attitude is Everything

A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-coloured balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-coloured balloon. The vendor told the child, it is not the colour of the balloon but what is inside it that makes it go high.

General Statement
To put a GD in a proper perspective Topic: Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of India

Before jumping to any conclusions like Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be, or No, Sonia Gandhi should not be, let us first determine the qualities one needs to be a good prime minister of India. Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi possesses. This will help us reach the conclusion in a more objective & effective manner.

Summary / Conclusions
GD dont have conclusion. They are summarised. Avoid raising new points during summarisation as it is end of GD. Avoid stating only your viewpoint. Avoid dwelling around only one aspect of GD. Be brief and concise. Incorporate all important points encountered during GD.

Dos
Be natural, be yourself. Be vocal, evaluator wants to hear your. Take time to think and organise yourself. Then only start speaking. Clarify any doubt regarding subject of GD. Work out strategies to make entry, initiate discussion, agreeing to someones point and to express your views. Give valuable insights during discussion. Mind your body language.

Dos
Use correct language. Be assertive and dont be dominating. Maintain balanced tone. Be cool. Do not take the discussion personally. Be polite. Avoid extreme phases. Brush up your leadership skills. Motivate others to speak, listen to others. Dont be aggressive.

Judging Criteria
Alertness. Presence of mind. Problem-solving ability. Team work skills. Creativity. Never try to interrupt others when they are speaking. Maintain eye contact and wait for your turn.

How to Communicate in a GD
Be crisp and to the point. Be fact based and avoid being personal. Make eye contact with participants and avoid looking at panellists. Try to speak for about 3-4 minutes.

Dont try to Convince Others & Make Them Agree to Your Point
Do not drag the discussion to conclusion. Some topics can have eternal debates and thus conclusion cannot be reached. Objective is not to reach conclusion but provide facts and productive inputs.

Leadership means Moderating

GD Myth: Trying to take control. Ordering people when to speak and when not to. Provide opportunity to silent participant. Listen to others.

Listening
Active listening can fetch extra points. Maintain eye contact with speaker. Respond to speaker- nodding, acknowledging. Dont be a threat to speaker.

Behaviour during a Group Discussion

Be patient, dont get upset when someone objects you. Dont take discussion personally. Remember 6 Cs of communication: Clarity, Completeness, Conciseness, Confidence, Correctness and Courtesy. Be appreciative. Be active and interested throughout. Participate less if you do not know about the topic. Dont try to be leader in the particular scenario. Emphasise on quality of content and not quantity.

Positive Roles in a Group Discussion

Initiator Information seeker Information giver Procedure facilitator Opinion seeker

Opinion giver
Clarifier Tension reliever Energizer Summarizer

Negative Roles in a Group Discussion

Disgruntled Non-participant Attacker Dominator Patronizing Clown

Mistakes Encountered in a GD
Emotional outbursts
Quality v/s Quantity Egoism

Not listening
Nervousness