WHAT IS TESTED IN-GROUP DISCUSSION?

The rationale of the GD technique rests on the principle that leadership qualities with knowledge and power of expression are essential to achieve the results or objectives in all group endeavors. The leadership quality of one can nowhere be more clearly revealed than in a group discussion. For instance, see the difference between GD and other forms of testing.

There is a considerable difference between public speaking and GD. In public speaking, the audience merely judges and passes a verdict on the speaker. Nobody in the audience competes with you. They listen to what the speaker says but do not compete with the speaker. They listen to what the speaker says, but do not discuss the subject with equal rights as does the speaker.

The same is the case with an interview. In an interview, a candidate has to deal with the interviewer who asks questions to which the interviewed responds. He will be given ample opportunities as the interviewer is interested in the answers. In a debate or lecture, the candidate is given sometime to think and marshal his ideas and the chairman or the presiding officer will ensure that no one intervenes. The interview focuses on personality traits wherein the interviewers ask well directed questions to assess the overall personality of a candidate.

Yet these tests by themselves are insufficient, as they do not test the group worthiness of a candidate, a quality that is an important component for success in all vocations.