IBPS Group Discussions – Do’s and Don’ts

As many of the Bank’s has completed first phase of recruitment and are in second phase of selecting the right candidate. Most bank’s are going through the GD/PI of the shortlisted candidates. Here they check the confidence level, their presentation & communication skills, bank’s also check the way in which the candidate express his views to others. This is done in the second round of recruitment i.e. Group Disussion.

Group Discussion (GD) is and activity, wherein 8-12 people form a group, and are given a topic to discuss/situation to analyze and reason. Normal duration of a GD ranges between 15-20 minutes. Usually, the participants are given a preparation time of 2-5 minutes but there are also instances when one will be required to speak without preparation.

Their are certain things which the candidates should keep in mind while attending the GD round. As, Group Discussions are typically used for Personality Assessment Stage, which is an important stage for selection in Bank jobs. Some of these we tried to state below:

Do’s of Group Discussions:

• Utilize the time effectively to understand the overall meaning of the topic- Have an open mind. This will help you to bring in those points that are not likely to be raised by others.
• Organize and structure your thoughts before speaking- i.e. Opening the GD or while summarizing it.
• Maintain eye contact with the group in general and with the individual when he/she is speaking
• Address the group in general; avoid over-communicating with or referring to specific individuals.
• Use short sentences to convey the essence of your points- i.e. – speak with depth.
• Manage the way you look, speak and conduct- Etiquette’s.
• Control your weaknesses– e.g. difficult vocabulary, speaking about points that you cannot substantiate or defend.
• Use the right (rare) moments when the more vocal members pause to bring in your point.
• Use ‘we’ or ‘the group’ or ‘most of us/all of us/some of us’ – remember it’s a group discussion and you are part of the group.

Don’ts of Group Discussions:

• Do not just think from one angle of thought and bring only obvious facts or ideas to the discussion.
• Do not speak your thoughts in disjoint phrases. Avoid stutters and stammers.
• Do not look at your notes while speaking or when others are speaking. Stay involved even when you are not speaking.
• Avoid having dialogues or conversation with specific individuals within the group.
• Do not use long-winding sentences to convey your points.
• Do not be aggressive or use negative tone of speech.
• Do not lose control or become nervous.
• Do not moderate/ cut others in between unnecessarily.
• Avoid using ‘I’ or ‘he/she’, ‘they’
• Avoid citing examples of points raised by others or repeat your own points- remember time is limited- quantity does not fetch extra points.
• Do not bring in new points in the summary or conclusion.
• Avoid aggressive body language– make sure you do not occupy the space of other participants and also while making hand movements avoid having pen or pencil in the hand that point to others.

Read well about below stated topics before attending IBPS GD round and prepare well as these can also be asked in PI round.

List of important Group discussion (GD) topics which may be a part of your IBPS GD’s:  

1)      Women’s reservation bill.
2)      India economic development is not reaching to the people who need it most.
3)      Food inflation is the result of Indian Government mismanagement and apathy.
4)      Removing CBSE X exams is a bad move. Discuss
5)      India will become superpower in near future
6)      Foreign direct investment will revitalize the education system.
7)      Is disinvestment in profit making PSU’s advisable?
8)      IPL is good for business but bad for cricket?
9)      Is the Consumer really the King in India?
10)   Should the public sector especially Delhi Jal Board be privatized?
11)   Privatization will lead to Less Corruption
12)   Media has become a tool of propaganda for the rich and the powerful
13)   Education and medicine are no longer noble professions, they have become commercial.
14)   Voting should be made compulsory.
15)   Recession is the mother of innovation.
16)   Breaking down larger Indian states into smaller will lead to better governance and development.
17)   How to deal with high oil prices?
18)   Lokpal Bill should be implemented or not?
19)   Does moral policing preserve the culture?
20)   Caste based reservation- A boon or a bane?
21)   We should conserve and preserve our rich monuments.

Also, go through our post preparing for interviews.

Leave a comment below, if you have any query regarding IBPS GD/PI.