Ace Group Discussions

“The aim of argument or of discussion should not be victory, but progress.”- Joseph Joubert, French-Writer.”

A discussion is a healthy setup where “n” number of people gather together to talk, opinionate and come on conclusions about certain topic of interests.

Today, these discussions have taken a steep turn, and have started to benefit individuals, institutes and organizations in various ways. Discussions have now been given a superior place in the method of finding the right student/candidate for institutions and organizations.

What is a Group Discussion?

A group discussion, popularly known as GD, is a method to exchange ideas, information and opinions between a group of people. A discussion is usually organized to examine various perspectives on a subject.

Why is a Group Discussion organised?

Organising a group discussion can have various motives. For a student, it can be to see a topic in a diverse way, whereas, for an institution, a group discussion can help in finding the right students and for an organization, such discussions usually aim to qualify aspiring candidates for interviews with higher authorities.

With everything evolving, the process of evaluating an individual is also changing. Therefore, I will here, discuss points that are essential for both students and aspiring professionals while appearing for a round of GD.

Is a Group Discussion mandatory?

There are two phases when a Group Discussion plays a mandatory role–

As a student
As an aspiring professional

As both a student and an aspiring professional, a Group Discussion round helps in letting out personality traits, majorly soft skills, public speaking and leadership. But in every different stage, the importance of group discussions may vary.

A GD round for a student is an important activity for the following reasons-

It might help you in expressing your views on serious subjects and formal situations
GDs can help in promoting self confidence
Open discussions can enhance oral communication skills
Group Discussions provide you with a platform to be in the forefront, take lead and work on skills that might lag behind in you

A GD round for aspiring professionals can benefit them in-

Portraying leadership skills
Showing ability to communicate as a team
Manifesting presentation skills
Exhibiting the knowledge about certain topics

Are there different types of GDs? What are they?

The answer is Yes! Usually we might think about a group discussion as a general session where we talk about various ideas, opinions, situations and solutions. But with a very easy going nature, these discussions have broad classifications with a lot of the do’s and don’ts that should be followed.

Before jumping off to the do’s and don’ts of GDs, let’s learn about the different types of Group Discussions-

Group discussions are categorized to 3 different types-

Topic Based Group Discussions-

This type of GD uses practical and real topics and is further sub-categorized to 3 types of GDs:

Factual GD-

This topic based GD is informative in form and requires thorough knowledge of the subject
You should have the right facts and figures before taking part in the discussion.
For Example- “Changes in Indian Economy after the fall of Congress.”

Controversial GD-

These are sessions that take up argumentative topics.

Controversial GDs test a candidate’s way of handling tough and fierce situations in a company.

This GD tests parameters like patience, situation handling, anger control, and critical thinking ability.

For Example- “Is online piracy inevitable?”

Abstract GD-

This GD is based on conceptual or intellectual topics.
Abstract GD tests the thinking and analytical capability of an individual.
For Example- “Humanity”

Case Based Group Discussions-

These group discussions are based on actual case studies which portray real life situations. The major aim of this GD is to solve a particular case study.

Qualities that can help clear a case based GD are problem solving skills, analytical skills and out of the box thinking.

Article Based Group Discussions-

Article Based GDs are similar to that of Case Based GDs. For this, candidates are provided with an article based on any field. Prior time for preparation is given to everybody.

These GDs analyse how a candidate responds to unknown fields or facts and how confident he/she is in presenting his/her point of view.

As individuals, we might be sure about portraying some skills that are required for group discussions and other levels of interviews, but there are always a few points that we should follow before appearing for interviews and group discussions.

Following are a few do’s and don’ts that will help you make yourself ready for Group Discussions-

DO-

Use a strategical entry to start the GD
Establish eye contact with the participants
Take counter arguments during/after you finish talking
Acknowledge the previous speaker, before putting down your views
Recapitulate the main point of discussion to maintain the flow
Use facts, examples, illustrations, logical reasons to respond to counters in the discussion
Conclude the discussion with summarizing all points discussed throughout the GD

DON’T-

Start for the sake of starting. Plan and organize your part of the talk
Be arrogant, overaggressive towards any other team member
Lack attention. It may lead to missing out on a major part of the discussion
Indulge in cross discussions during the main discussion
Maintain informal/casual body language
Over gesticulate. This may project you as an impulsive person
Scream or shout to put across your points. Be poised and composed

Azim Premji once quoted “If there are differences of views or divergence of ideas, they can be resolved through discussion and dialogue.”

With this quote in mind, one thing is clear that to solve confusions and come up with solutions what we need is a discussion. But there are times when we make mistakes that might give a negative outcome to the whole discussion. To make sure that you don’t play a faulty part in a group discussion, follow the points that cover various mistakes which you should avoid during a discussion-

Emotional Outburst like anger is not acceptable during a discussion
You should prioritize quality of your talk over the quantity. Don’t talk uselessly
Showing off egotism may cause a drawback in personality traits. Present yourself positively
Getting noticed is a nice thing in discussions. But make sure it is for the right reason. Don’t always want to be the first.
Avoid being insecure or nervous. This may stop you from being a part of the discussion.

Indeed, GDs are an excellent way to showcase your knowledge about current trends and matters around the globe. Group Discussions also help in examining your communication, presentation skills and how well can you grasp a wide array of topics.

A discussion is a chance to put forward personal views along with actual facts, therefore you might face disagreements and difference of opinions. One thing to mark in bold is- “DON’T BE AGGRESSIVE”. All you need to be here is calm, composed and a good listener. Follow what other members contribute and create a counter argument based on that with your opinions and rebuttal.

If you are the initiator of the discussion keep in mind the following points–

“Give a solid opening statement” A small thought provoking statement is enough to spark the discussion further
Leave the introductory statement at a strong relevant point. This will help in marking your contribution

If you are summarizing the conversation/discussion, make sure you-

“Keep it on point”. Don’t drift away the conversation with baseless points
Conclude the discussion, keeping in mind everyone’s opinions, in, as less words as possible
Follow the rule- TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) / TL;DL (Too Long; Didn’t Listen). Make sure to keep the ending short, crisp and not descriptive.

Don’t mix Group Discussions with Debates. Though GDs are a certain type of debate, they are majorly organised to have a clear understanding of a chosen topic. Whereas, debates are conducted to verify if a certain standpoint is more credible than it’s opposite.

Less formal in nature, Group Discussions don’t have strict rules on topic coverage, time, mode of speaking and conclusions. On the other hand, debates are strict with 2 contradicting positions evidently stated in the beginning of a debate, time lapses for each speaker and conclusions that leads to a winning side.

Any conversation can be provoking, and so can be with group discussions. Make sure such statements don’t sway you away. Face whatever comes with a composed mind and correct facts.

Present Well. Talk Appropriate. Cover Facts. Don’t Mislead.

Every step is an experience that you can write in your book. Results are an important part, but what is more important is what you learn from the experience. Don’t take a step back, just give your best shot!

Rishi Agarwal

Managing Director, Techno Group of Insitutions

B-schools in Lucknow to look out for in 2019

A business school could be a university-level establishment that confers degrees in business and administration or management. As indicated by Kaplan, business colleges are “instructive establishments that have some expertise in training courses and projects identified with business or potentially management”. Such a school can likewise be known as the school of the executives, Institute of business organization, or casually b-school or business school. A business college shows themes, for example, bookkeeping, organization, methodology, financial aspects, enterprise, money, human asset the executives, the executive’s science, the executive’s data frameworks, global business, coordination, advertising, hierarchical brain science, authoritative conduct, advertising, explore techniques and land among others. There are numerous top class business institutes in Lucknow. Students from the commerce background are coming here after graduating from the best B.Com college in Lucknow.

Lucknow is rapidly getting to be a standout amongst the most created urban areas in Lucknow. It as of now has a completely working metro system and enormous companies are taking a gander at this city with high trusts in business openings. Numerous employment is being made and accordingly, an ever-increasing number of individuals are moving to the city of Nawabs.

While the foundation and the businesses of Lucknow are creating at a quickened pace, the quantity of good instructive establishments is additionally going up. Students are getting attracted to pursue a degree in B schools after their graduation from the best B.Com college in Lucknow. While esteemed schools of Lucknow like La Martiniere College are updating themselves to stay aware of the unavoidable trends, a lot of new schools have begun to develop to offer premium training and bigger chains like Indus Valley Public Schools are opening their branches in Lucknow also.

Picking an MBA Specialization can be as troublesome and befuddling as the choice to pick a profession for yourself or choosing from where you need to seek after your MBA degree. We, at Shiksha, have discovered that however MBA organizations keep concocting exceedingly concentrated courses and projects, for example, MBA in Sports Management or MBA in Hospitality and Tourism, most Lucknowians are careful about their validity and notoriety in the activity showcase.

Kaplan orders business colleges along four Corners:

Culture: Independent of their real (physical) area, business colleges can be arranged by whether they pursue the European or the US model.

Compass Business schools can be characterized along a continuum, with universal/worldwide schools toward one side and local/nearby schools on the other.

Capital Business schools can either be freely (state) financed or secretly supported, for instance through gifts or educational cost expenses.

Content Business school can be characterized by whether a school believes educating or research to be its essential core interest.

Here are the best 5 MBA specializations in Lucknow that are most well known among MBA hopefuls who have graduated from the best B.Com colleges in Lucknow.

Finance

Marketing

Operations

Information Technology

Human Resources

How about we talk about every one of these main 5 MBA specializations in Lucknow in detail. Any applicant’s first inquiry while picking an MBA specialization is “Which specialization is best in MBA in Lucknow?”. Each MBA specialization is ‘ideal’ on the off chance that you make a profession in that area. To make the best of any specialization you should simply buckle down and tenaciously.

Effective Ways To prepare for CAT While Working

Common Aptitude Test or CAT is one of the most protuberant MBA entrance tests in the country. It is a doorway to get admission in Indian Institutes of Management which are well-thought-out as the top B-schools in the country. Lakhs of students appear for the CAT entrance exam to pursue the course in various reputed MBA colleges in Lucknow. Being one of the hardest exams, it requires regular practice and studying if one desires to make it to the elite list of CAT toppers. CAT candidates often take varied tactics when it comes to preparing for the exam and there is no traditional preparation strategy that assures success in the CAT entrance exam. There are various factors that affect the kind of preparation strategy that applicants adopt.

The major constraint for one here is TIME. So, one should try and do these things –

Get grip of study material from any institute and assure that you go through at least QA and LR from start to end.

Every time you try and solve problems, do it with time limit.

Utilise your travel time to office for recollection. Maintain a notebook with all the QA formulas or tricks and LR concepts. Keep updating it with every mocktest you give.

Mental calculations are very vital. Practice this all the time, especially while working.

Take mock tests very seriously, and analyse it even more seriously. Focus and identify where you went wrong.

Don’t try to do too many things at a time. Someone will do mocks, read various books from Indian authors, even GMAT booksetc. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Don’t get fixed up with all this.

STOP WASTING TIME and concentrate.

If you are an MBA candidate and searching for MBA colleges in Lucknow, you should know about the top MBA Colleges in Lucknow accepting CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT, ATMA or other exam scores for entrance.

Apart from Lucknow’s religious characteristics, it is also one of the significant cities for students. You’ll get several reasons to choose Lucknow for MBA studies.

Accessibility of Prestigious Colleges: In Lucknow, there are several reputed and well-known MBA Colleges that you can consider under the affiliation of Lucknow University.

Existence of Career Opportunities: In Lucknow, you can easily find several reputed companies functioning in different domains. Hence, career openings wouldn’t be less here. Be it marketing, technology,travel, finance or banks; jobs are immense in this city.

Expenses of Living: Apart fromwell-known companies and advanced infrastructure, Lucknow also has an reasonable standard. Here, students wouldn’t have to face difficulties when it comes to essential amenities. Right from transportation, accommodation, entertainment choices, to food, everything is quite reasonable for students.

Last but not the least, keep up your self-assurance because that will not just assist you during the entrance exam, it will also enhance your performance in the selection rounds. Other than that, strengthen your basics, make a time-management strategy that suits you, increase the regularity of mock tests towards the end of your preparation and never forget that the more effort you put in the better luck you will have.

The enduring relevance of management education.

Management education has become an integral part of society. Business and management related issues have gone far wide enough to be considered as an intricate part of society. Nowadays many students across the globe are opting for management education not only because of its enormous job opportunities but also for the strong social impact it has. For the past years, there have been two debates that have been consistent. One that proclaims that management education has its own sacrifice in providing relevance to the knowledgeable heads in order to promote academic purity. The second proclaims disappointment on the subordination of rudimentary knowledge to limited perspectives related to problems that had to be immediately solved.

In recent times management education is given its importance in many educational organizations that include several MBA colleges in Lucknow.

Is there a relevance gap in researches related to management?

The relevance that is pointed in management researches is radically impossible to solve because over the years the researchers and their researched tenant segregate social systems. It has been in the arguments whether it is even possible to assess the relevance of the results of these researches in this wide system of science. They also claimed that action researches along with related perspectives to collaborative researches cannot succeed in providing researches that are both relevant and meticulous.

Management education from best MBA colleges in Lucknow

But this is not as relevant as it should have been. There are many available shreds of evidence that shows that these claims are inconsistent. There are many management research domains that draw on diversity to provide many counter-illustrations where numerous researchers have collaborated with many practitioners to provide knowledge on management that is not only socially functional but also academically conscientious. This issues are highly taken care of and are now spread in terms of education in several MBA colleges in Lucknow.

Future of management education.

The future of management education is highly depended upon technological turnovers. There are several technologies like Augmented Reality, Mobile Internet, Faster Broadband, Virtual reality, mobile internet along with mobile apps are going to affect the whereabouts of management education. The main aspect that will affect the future of management is the emergence of the technology industries that will significantly redefine the usual management practices and also the education system that provides training to the managers and leaders. In the near future, it is very clear that the machinery is going to take over a lot of managerial works.

The revolution that is reshaping the businesses is the total digitalization of the businesses. And this is bringing about dynamic changes in the management world. When everything said and done, it is very clear that management education has great social relevance and it is yet to have more impact in the near future. Management education today is providing students a number of job opportunities that are leading them to a bright future. Management education is providing students with new ideas and a path that is rarely taken. Due to its excellent social impact management education is taught and briefed about in many MBA colleges in Lucknow