GD Tips - 5 Powerful ways to Initiate Group Discussion

GD Tips - 5 Powerful ways to Initiate Group Discussion

You must have been advised by a lot of people to initiate the group discussion, to score more points. Well, let me tell you the truth, it is not just any start but a good start that helps you score well.



The role of an initiator in a GD is very important. Infact, far more important than you may think. Because, it is the right start to the GD that sets a right tone for the whole discussion and takes it in the right direction. And, this is what the initiator is rewarded for.

In this video, I’m going to share with you 5 approaches to initiate your GD in a sensible and creative manner. If you really serious about making through that entrance exam or placement test you are taking, stay tuned till the end.

Ok, the first approach you can take is:

1. Introduce the topic with a Definition or Explanation - This is something that you have been doing since many years by beginning your answer with a definition of the term given in the topic. This method is specially useful for conceptual topics where it is really important to decipher the meaning of the word correctly. For e.g. If you are given a topic “Should Capital Punishment be banned?”Here, it is very important to explain the meaning of the word “Capital Punishment” correctly. There’s a high probability that some people in the group won’t know this term at all and may take the whole discussion in a completely wrong direction.

So, this approach works very well for such topics. If you know the meaning of the term, take the lead and open the discussion with a short explanation.

Good! Let’s go ahead.

The second thing that you can do is:

2. Begin with a famous quote or phrase - To be able to take this approach, you would need a good command over English literature so that the right quote or phrase occurs to you at that time. So, yes, if you have a good command over English literature opening the discussion with a relevant quote or phrase can be an interesting way too. The quote that you use might be in favor of or against the topic. And, then you can continue with your point of view.

Makes sense? Let’s see, the third approach:

3. Provide some statistics - This is a very powerful and effective way to begin a GD. In order to take this approach you would require an ability to retain the figures but don’t pressurize yourself, it is not really required that you quote the figures accurately till the decimal point. It is OK to talk in terms of approximate numbers. However, just be careful that to appear intelligent, you do not over stuff the stats.

Ok? Shall we go ahead? Great!

The approach you can take to start your GD is:

4. By asking a question and answering it yourself - This is another interesting approach that you can take. In this approach,you won’t throw the question at the group. You ask a relevant question and answer it yourself. The question can be about the advantages, disadvantages or anything else related to the topic. And, then you open it to discussion. It is very important to start with a relevant question here because this question that’ll set the tone for the entire discussion.

And, the final approach that I’d like to share with you today:

5. Begin with a short story - Yes, an interesting short story of 4-5 lines can do the magic. If you want to exercise this approach, there are two things that’ll help you: i.) Your reading habit and more than that ii.) your presence of mind to relate things with the real life scenarios very quickly.

Ok, now that we done with the approaches to initiate the discussion, I have a very important alert that you can’t afford to ignore and that is - Don’t initiate the GD just because someone has told you that it’ll get you some extra marks. It’s a wrong reason. I have seen a lot of candidates who start speaking just as the bell rings but are not able to add any value to the group. Ensure that you have something substantial to say. If you do not know the topic, it is OK to let someone else begin. Find out about the topic, get your thoughts together and then talk. You are not going to lose.