Interview Skills

Interview is one of the procedures of selection of an employee. It is most widely and popularly used selection technique. Irrespective of nature, size and type of organization, all organizations use ‘interview’ as a best tool or weapon to select an employee.

Interview is conducted not only for selecting an employee, it is even conducted for placement, counseling, separation, disciplinary action and even for admitting students to higher learning.

In the broad sense, interviewing is the process in which individuals exchange information. The individuals may be concerned with a job opening, a promotion, a special assignment, a product sale, a proposed merger or other questions.

There are interviewer and interviewee in the process of interview. The interviewers evaluate the interviewee based on the information shared by the individual during the process of interview and make an assessment.

 Types of Interviews

Fresher or seasoned employees have to appear for interviews in one way or the other at various stages of professional growth. Hence interviews are categorized into various types as per the motive of conducting them.

a)Promotion Interview

• These interviews are conducted by organizations for their own eligible candidates to work on higher positions.
• The interview panel comprises of executives within organization and external expert if necessarily required.
• Candidate should avoid causal approach and undue familiarity.
• Candidates should use this opportunity to prove themselves in skills and temperament suitable to the higher post.

b)Reprimand Interview

• This type of interview aims at expressing the disapproval of the behavior of an employee with a kind intention.
• This type of interview is conducted in private and a higher authority draws the attention of the concerned employee to his misconduct and rebukes him.
• These types of interviews are suitable to deal with inter-personal problems, poor performance, absentees, insubordination in an organizational context.
• The objective is ensuring the correction in behavior, attitude and performance.

c)Grievance Interview

• Grievance has to be properly addressed because it lowers the motivation and performance of the employee and affects the work environment.
• Grievance Interview is a formal opportunity for individual employees to express their conflicts about a company policy, procedure, practice, or person in front of management.
• These interviews are often conducted by Human Resources professionals who are able to act more objectively being the third party and separate from the people and situation that are creating the grievance.
• The key to good grievance handling is a proper investigation and the process should start with interviewing the member who comes with a problem. Based on this key interview a number of important decisions such as what to do with the problem, whether to investigate it further and how to resolve the issue can be taken.
• When a grievance occurs the employer uses formal means of grievance procedure to resolve the employee’s concern and reach a resolution.
• The employees should first try to solve the issue informally through the open door policy and then, if proven unsuccessful, proceed to the more formal step ladder policy.

Formal grievance procedure steps

• Grievance should be submitted in a proper channel.
• The employee's supervisor has to be informed and spoken to.
• A review committee should examine the grievance for its validity.
• Resolution should be provided if the grievance is valid.
• If not resolved there should be a further body where it can be appealed.

d)Stress Interview

• The stress interview is a deliberate attempt to create tension and pressure to observe the applicant’s response to stress and strain.
• Interviewer evaluates the candidate by putting him under stress and strain by interrupting the applicant from answering, criticizing his opinion, asking questions in rapid succession and keeping silent for unduly long period of time etc.
• This kind of interview is conducted just to find out the candidate’s behavior in stressful situation.
• Stress interviews are usually carried out by experienced professionals who adopt a number of strategies to gain a true reflection of your personality as a potential employee.
• Companies that adopt the stress interview technique are usually those that operate in fast-paced, pressurized industries such as investment banking or top-level customer services such as air travel or front-line public sectors.
•  The stress interview is also conducted for the role of higher authority and responsibility. Employers will use these interviews to make sure that candidates have the right attitude and the emotional capability to handle these challenging environments.

e)Exit Interview

• In human resource terms, an exit interview is a survey conducted when an employee leaves the company either voluntarily or through termination.
• The information from each survey is used to provide feedback on why employees are leaving, what they liked about their employment and what areas of the company need improvement. Exit interviews are most effective when the data is compiled and tracked over time.
• An exit interview is a wrap-up meeting between management representatives and someone who is leaving an organization. Exit interviews are common in business, education and government environments. The purpose of the interview is to gather useful feedback that can help guide future practices and improve recruiting and retention.
• In a corporate environment, exit interviews are usually conducted by human resources (HR) personnel. Alternatively, depending on the size of the company and other factors, interviews may be conducted by management or outsourced to an HR service provider.
• The interview may be conducted in person, over the phone, through chat or email or in an online survey. In general, interactive methods are considered more useful than surveys because they allow interviewers to respond to the employee and develop follow-up questions that can yield more in-depth information.
• The specific questions asked in an exit interview vary for terminated employees and those leaving voluntarily. For an employee leaving voluntarily, the most important question is "Why?" If they repeatedly hear particular reasons for leaving, the business may be motivated to review practices, pay scales and benefits, among other things.
• Whether an employee quits or is fired, it may be profitable to ask what they liked most about the job and what they liked least. If a number of employees mention problems working with a particular manager, for example, that is an issue that should be explored. When an employee is fired for inadequate performance, it can be useful to ask if they believe business practices or other corporate issues contributed to the problem.
• The exit interview is also an opportunity to provide the employee with information about any benefits and pay yet to be disbursed and any agreements in force between the organization and the employee.

f) Orientation Interview

• This interview is arranged to orient the candidate towards organization or task. This interview is conducted after selection interview and is a kind of briefing session.
• The interviewer makes the interviewee comfortable and shares all the details about organization and task cordially.
• This is informative or educational in purpose. The relevant literature is provided to the candidate so that he can accommodate organizational culture easily and work efficiently.

g) Selection/Personal/ Job Interview

• A job interview is a process by which a potential employee is evaluated by an employer for prospective employment in their company, organization or firm.
• During the job interview, the employer has the opportunity to appraise applicant’s qualifications, appearance and general fitness for the job opening. Simultaneouly the applicant tries to learn more about the position, to appraise the employer and to find out if your needs and interests will be met.
• As a general rule, a job interview is an important part of the process of applying for a job, and it may range in formality from a casual conversation to a series of serious discussions with an assortment of people working within the company.
• If a job applicant is selected for a job interview, it indicates that the employer has at least some interest. Typically, an applicant responds to an advertised job opening, providing a resume and other requested materials. The employer or a representative reviews all received applications and decides who should be invited for an interview. In some cases, a preliminary interview may be held on the phone, to save resources and time for both parties.
• Depending on the size of a company and its organization, an applicant may only have one job interview. This is common with small businesses in which candidates are often interviewed directly by the employer.
•  In other cases, a representative of the human resources department may interview a candidate first, then he or she will go through a series of interviews with potential supervisors and other personnel. Larger companies may also have interview panels with multiple members who cooperate to make a decision.

Types of Communication

Types of Communication Based on media used

Media or channel is the means to transfer the messages from sender to the receiver. The communication is classified into two types based on media used in the process of communication.

1. Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is the expression or exchange of information or messages through written or oral words. Forms of verbal communication are as follows:

1. Oral Communication

Oral communication is the process of communication in which message or information is exchanged or communicated between sender and receiver through the words. It can be divided into two ways: a. speaking b. Listening. The forms of oral communication are face to face conversation, telephone or mobile, conference, meetings, interviews.

     2. Written Communication

In Written communication the messages or information is exchanged or communicated between sender and receiver through written form. It can be divided into two ways: a. writing b. Reading. The forms of written communication are newspaper, letter, report, memo, mail, advertisement, note etc.2

2. Nonverbal communication 

Nonverbal communication  the expression or exchange of information or messages without any spoken or written word.

The forms of non-verbal communications are as follows:

• Kinesics
• Proxemics
• Haptics
• Chronemics
• Appearance
• Paralanguage

Nonverbal Communication

The ability to communicate effectively is the he key to success in both

personal and professional relationships. It’s not the words that are used but

the nonverbal cues or “ body language” speaks louder than words.

Body language is the use of gestures, postures, behavior, expressions, and mannerisms to communicate without words.

It is instinctive in nature and less conscious and subtle .

It is complementary to verbal communication.

It is culture, gender and profession specific

Research shows that the percentage of various types of communication is Nonverbal communication

 55%,Verbal Communication 7%, Paralanguage 38% as mentioned in the diagram:

 

The nonverbal communication is the expression of the way one listens, looks, moves, and reacts---- whether or not one cares or is truthful. When your nonverbal signals are in sync with your words, there is the enhancement of mutual trust, clarity, and rapport. When they don’t, it leads to tension, mistrust, and confusion.

In order to become an effective communicator, it’s important to be more sensitive not only to the body language and nonverbal cues of others, but also to your own.

It can be observed that the substantial portion of our communication is nonverbal. Experts have found that daily we respond to thousands of nonverbal cues and behaviors including postures, facial expressions, eye gaze, gestures, and tone of voice.

From our handshakes to our hairstyles, nonverbal details reveal who we are and impact how we relate to other people.

Types of Nonverbal Communication

Scientific research on nonverbal communication and behavior began with the publication of Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals in 1872.

 

While these signals are so subtle that we are not consciously aware of them. The research has identified the following types of nonverbal communication.

a)Kinesics: The study of body language-Postures and body shape, Gestures, Facial expressions

b)Occulesics: The study of Eye contact

c)Haptics: The study of touch

d)Proxemics: The study of space in interpersonal communication

e)Paralanguage: The study of voice quality, tone, pitch

f)Chronemics: The study of time factor

g)Appearance: The study of clothing, adornment

a)Kinesics

The study of body language-Postures and body shape, Gestures, Facial expressions.

Postures and body shape

The posture means the way we hold our body in a particular situation, moment, direction and the degree of openness.

The way we stand, sit and walk forms postures in human beings. The postures are sitting postures, walking postures and walking postures. The Postures are helpful in finding out the degree of attention or involvement, status differences and affection between sender and receiver.

If there is postural echo in communication, it means complete agreement or win-win situation. An upright posture enhances the appearance and a sense of confidence.

b)Occulesics :

• The study of Eye contact is called as occulesics.
• The eye contact is an especially important type of nonverbal communication. The way you look at someone can communicate many things including interest, affection, hostility, or attraction.
• Eye contact is also important in maintaining the flow of conversation and for gauging the other person’s interest and response.

The eye contact is variedly established. However there are three prominent ways to establish the eye contact are:

i.Formal Gaze: Focus on forehead of the person in front of the speaker

ii.Informal Gaze: Focus on middle part of the face i.e. area between eyebrows and lips of the person in front of the speaker

iii.Personal Gaze: Focus on middle part of the body or torso of the person in front of the speaker

 

Eye contact is established for

• Expressing feelings
• Showing attention and interest
• Inviting and controlling interaction
• Domineering, threatening and influencing others
• Providing feedback during speech
• Revealing attitudes

c)Haptics

The study of touch is called as Haptics.

We communicate a great deal through touch. For instance handshake, a warm bear hug, a patronizing pat on the head, or a controlling grip on the arm.

d)Proxemics

The study of space in interpersonal communication is called proxemics.

We need physical space although the need of space differs as per the culture, the situation and the closeness of the relationship.

One can use physical space to communicate different nonverbal messages such as signals of intimacy and affection, aggression or dominance.

Proxemics can be categorized in four types of zones

Intimate zone

Able to touch each other—0 to 0.5 m

Personal zone

Able to shake hands—0.5 to 1.2 m

Social zone

Social or business oriented—1.2 m to 3 m

Public zone

Restricting intruders over 3 m

This space is often referred as personal space and is influenced by a number of factors including social norms, cultural expectations, situational factors, personality characteristics, and level of familiarity.

 

e) Paralanguage

The study of paralanguage deals with non verbal qualities of speech which include pitch, amplitude, rate, and voice quality.

The paralanguage includes

• Articulation
• Pronunciation
• Pitch and tone
• Pauses and vocal qualities

Qualities of Effective speech

• Pitch variation
• Speaking speed
• Appropriate pauses
• Fluency
• Voice modulation

f)Chronemics

• The study of time factor in the process of communication is undertaken in chronemics.
• The way that an individual would perceive and value time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful communication tool.
• Across cultures, time perception plays an important role in the nonverbal communication process.
• Time perceptions include punctuality, willingness to wait, and interactions.
• The use of time can affect lifestyles, daily agendas, speed of speech, movements and how long people are willing to listen.

Time can also be used as an indicator of status. For example, in most companies the boss can interrupt progress to hold an impromptu meeting in the middle of the work day, yet the average worker would have to make an appointment to see the boss. The way different cultures perceive time can influence communication as well.

The Cultures are usually put into two time system categories: monochronic and polychronic.

i)Mono-chronic Time

• A mono-chronic time system means that things are done one at a time and time is segmented into precise, small units.
• Under this system time is scheduled, arranged and managed. The United States is considered as a mono-chronic society

ii)Poly-chronic Time

• A poly-chronic time system is a system where several things can be done at once and a more fluid approach is taken for scheduling time
• Unlike Americans and most northern and western European cultures, Latin American and Arabic cultures use the poly-chronic system of time. These cultures are much less focused on the preciseness of accounting for each and every moment.

j)Appearance

• The study of clothing, adornment is included in appearance. Our choice of colors, clothing, hairstyle, accessories and other factors affecting appearance are also considered a means of nonverbal communication.
• It can be observed that people form their opinions about any individual when they watch you at first time. Then they judge the personality and abilities of that individual based on the appearance.
• Good grooming and a tidy appearance are always preferable whether casually or more formally dressed. It presents a much more professional appearance. Appearance includes dress, hair-style, jewelry, makeup, belt -buckles, accessories, foot-wear and so on.

 

Appearance indicates the degree of importance or interest a person conveys to an occasion. Through uniform, we can identify a student, a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer etc.

In an organization, employee’s dress is keenly observed to see whether it conforms to accepted standards of appearance.

Appearance can be:

• Formal

• Informal

• Occasion Specific--- for Party-festivals-official dinner or lunch- get together

Types of Communication on the basis of channels of communication

On the basis of the status of individuals involved in the communication process and the communication channels, the communication can be categorized as:

• Formal Communication

• Informal Communication

Formal Communication

• Formal communication refers to the flow of official information by the means of proper, predefined channels.
• It needs deliberate efforts to communicate the information properly hence the flow of information is controlled.
• Formal communication is in the form of hierarchical structure and chain of command.
• The structure is from top to down, from higher authorities to subordinates.
• Employees are bound to follow formal communication channels while performing their duties.

Formal communication is considered effective as it is a timely and systematic flow of communication.

In an organizational set up the formal communication can be observed in following forms:

 

a)Upward Communication: 

In upward communication the message is transferred from the subordinates to higher authorities. The communication flows upwards i.e. from the subordinates to the managers in the form of requests, reports, suggestions, complaints and instructions.

b)Downward Communication: 

In downward communication the information is transferred from the management level to the subordinate level. This is the most common form of communication and the information flows downwards i.e. from higher authorities in an organization to the lower levels in the form of reports, emails, letters, manuals etc.

It mainly includes orders and instructions and can either be written or oral depending on the importance of the message and also the status of individuals involved in the communication process.

c)Horizontal or Lateral Communication: 

Horizontal communication refers to the communication among co-workers sharing the same level of profile or colleagues in the organization.

The communication among the managers of various departments such as marketing, finance, production, HR, is the best example of horizontal communication.

d)Diagonal or Crosswise Communication: 

When the employees of different departments at different levels communicate with each other irrespective of the chain of command, such communication is considered as a diagonal or a cross-wise communication. The communication between the floor manager and the sales team is the example of diagonal communication.

 

Informal Communication

• Informal communication is multi-dimensional.
• Informal communication moves freely within the organization and is not bound by pre-defined channels and communication paths.
• Informal communication is particularly fast and far more relational than formal communication.
• It is a very natural form of communication as people interact with each other freely and can talk about a diverse range of topics, often extending outside of their work duties.
• Informal communication in the workplace is often called the ‘grapevine’ and generally begins with employees through social relation.
• Informal communication is considered effective as employees can discuss work-related issues which save the organization’s time and money.
• It also helps to build more productive and healthy relationships in the workforce

7 C’s of Communication

In order to enhance the level of communication there are few principles which needs to be followed

a) Clear

• The message should be clear and easy to understand to the receiver.
• The message should focus on a single goal at a time and should not include several ideas in a single sentence.

b)Correct

• The message should be grammatical correct and without spelling mistakes. The message should be exact and at a proper time.

c)Complete

• The message should be complete. It must include all the relevant information as per the requirement of the receivers and help them in better decision-making.

d)Concrete

• The communication should be concrete, means it should cover all the necessary facts and figures supporting to the message of the sender.
• There should not be any scope of misinterpretation.

e)Concise

• The message should be precise and to the point. The sender should avoid the lengthy sentences and should convey the message in few words. 
• The short and brief message is more comprehensive and helps in retaining the receiver’s attention.

f)Consideration

• The sender must take into consideration the receiver’s opinions, knowledge, mindset, background etc. in order to have an effective communication. 
• While communicating it is essential for the sender to relate to the receiver.

g)Courteous

• The message should be positive and focused at the receiver.
• The message should not be biased and revealing disrespect for the receiver.

Barriers to Communication -II

Personal Barriers

The Personal Barriers refer to the personality traits of the sender and receiver which act as a hindrance in the process of communication.

These factors include the life experiences, emotions, attitudes, skills behaviour.

a)Lack of Listening Skills

The efficiency of communication process is reduced when receiver has lesser attention span and listens what he wants to listen. If the receiver is just physically present but is lacking mental involvement, then he is unable to give the desired feedback which creates a disturbance the process of communication.

b)Selective Attention

This problem arises when the person is impatient and gives priority to his needs and avoids to listen the whole message. He listens only that part of the information which is helpful for him and fulfills his objective and ignores all the other aspects which acts as a barrier in the process of communication.

c)Lack of knowledge

The communication process is disturbed when the sender and receiver have less knowledge about the subject matter.

d)Lack of vocabulary

This communication problem occurs when the sender uses some words which are difficult for the receiver to understand.

In the organisational context, both the superiors and the subordinates have their personal barriers that hinder to communicate effectively. 

These barriers are:

• Barriers Related to the Superiors in the organisation
• Barriers related to the subordinates in the organisation.

Barriers Related to the Superiors in the organisation

a)Less faith in subordinates

Many times it has been observed that the superiors have less trust in the capabilities of the subordinates. Hence they do not trust their capacity to provide relevant information. They deliberately ignore the suggestions and recommendations from the subordinates and discourage them to further communicate which hinders the communication process.

b)Fear of challenge of Authority

If a superior feels that a particular communication may affect his authority negatively then that individual may not speak it out clearly and openly.

The superiors intentionally hide their weaknesses by not communicating their ideas to others to cope with the expectations of their authority. As they think if they will not perform in line with their authority, they will be demoted to the lower levels.

Barriers related to the subordinates in the organisation

a)Lack of Incentives

It has been observed that the subordinates give their suggestions and recommendations with an aim to earn incentives. If the incentives are lacking, then the subordinate is not willing to communicate which affects the communication process badly.

b)Unwillingness to communicate with the Superiors

The subordinates are unwilling to communicate with their superiors to hide the information which is negative in nature and can have an adverse effect on them. If it is really essential to provide the information, then the individuals modify it in such a way that it does not have a negative impact which acts as a hindrance in the process of effective communication.

Thus, there are several personal factors, which vary from person to person and influence the communication to a great extent there by obstructing the purpose of communication as intended.

Barriers to Communication I

Barriers refer to the disturbances in the process of communication. They are also called as Noise.

There are four types of barriers.

• Semantic Barriers
• Organisational Barriers
• Psychological or Emotional Barriers
• Personal Barriers

Semantic Barriers

The Semantic Barriers refer to the misunderstanding between the sender and receiver due to the different meanings of words or other symbols used in the communication.

The semantic barriers usually arise when the message is not in the simple language and has words or symbols that have multiple meanings.

The semantic barriers can arise due to

1. Symbols or words with different meanings
2. Faulty translation
3. Bad expression of message:
4. Denotations and Connotations
5. Technical jargons
6. Un-clarified Assumptions

1.Symbols or Words with Different Meanings

Same words may convey different meanings to different people. People interpret words and symbols in terms of their own experience and thinking.

1. That bird is a crane.
2. They had to use a crane to lift the object.
3. She had to crane her neck to see the movie.

1. I enjoyed watching a clip from that video.
2. My mom is going to clip my hair.
3. The boat is moving at a fairly fast clip.

2. Faulty translation

Sometimes, the sender formulates the message as per his level of understanding irrespective of the receiver’s level of understanding.

3. Bad expression of message

The obscurity of language leads to the wrong interpretation of message.

The message is not formulated properly and the language used is so difficult that it could be misinterpreted by the receiver.

 

4 Denotations and Connotations

The denotation means the literal meaning of the word.

The detonation barrier occurs as the sender and receiver using a different definition and meaning of the word used in the message.

Connotation means the implied meaning of the word

The connotation barrier occurs as the people use words which have different meanings in abstract situations, contexts and feelings. Beauty, confidence are the examples of words which have implied meanings as per the context.

5. Technical jargons

Often people from technical field like technical engineers, production managers, IT managers etc. use the words from technical field in their communication which is quite difficult for the layman to understand as these words are only used in technical field.

6. Un-clarified Assumptions

Sometimes the sender assumes that the receiver may be aware of some facts and focus only on the subject matter. If these assumptions are vague and unknown to the receiver then the communication might get adversely affected.

Psychological or Emotional Barriers

The Psychological or Emotional Barriers refer to the psychological state

i.e. opinions, attitudes, status consciousness, emotions etc. of a person which affects the communication.

The Psychological or Emotional Barriers can arise due to

1. Premature Evaluation

There are some impatient people who jump to the conclusions directly and form judgments without taking into considering the various dimensions of information. This premature evaluation of the information is considered as a barrier to the effective communication.

2.Lack of Attention

When the person is absorbed in his own thoughts and does not listen carefully to the other person. In such situation, he is unable to comprehend the message and will not be able to give proper feedback.

This acts as a hindrance in the communication process.

3. Poor Retention

The retention refers to the capacity of a brain to retain or store things in the memory. The brain does not store all the information however retains which seem to be helpful in the future. Therefore, much of the information is lost during the process of retention. This acts as a hindrance in the communication process.

4.Loss by Transmission

Whenever the information is exchanged the credibility gets reduced. Mostly it is observed in oral communication where people handle information carelessly and transmits the information with loss of some facts. This acts as a hindrance in the communication process.

 

5. Distrust

Mutual trust is needed in effective communication. If sender and receiver don’t have trust then they will tend to derive negative meaning out of the message and often ignore the message.

This will result in a meaningless communication.

6.Emotions

The communication is greatly influenced by the emotions of a person. If a person is emotionally disturbed, he will not listen properly to whatever is said and might say things offending the sender. The emotions such as anger, nervousness, confusion, restlessness etc. affect the communication process.

Organisational Barriers

The Organisational Barriers refers to the hindrances in the flow of information among the employees that might result in a commercial failure of an organisation.

The Organisational Barriers can arise due to

1. Organisational Rules and Policies

The organisations have protocol of communication and due to the stringent rules the employees try to escape from sending any messages.

2. Status or Hierarchical Positions in the Organisation

In every organisation, the employees are employed on hierarchical positions. The communication among them would be formal. This formal communication to his superior is a barrier as he does not want to send the faulty or wrong message and decrease his credibility

3. Organisational Facilities

When the facilities like telephone, stationery, translator, Net, Laptops or computers are adequately offered to the employees then the communication is timely, accurate and according to the needs. However in the absence of such facilities, the communication may get adversely affected.

4. Complex Organisational Structure

The communication gets affected if there are a greater number of management levels in the organisation. The communication is delayed due to more levels and might change before reaching the intended receiver.

Communication skills

Communication and Communication Process

The Communication is an art of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes from one person to another. Communication is the process of meaningful interaction among human beings.

Communication strengthens the rapport between employees and employers, Superiors and subordinates and sellers and customers. Effective communication facilitates the coordination and control, leading to enhanced productivity whereas ineffective communication results in conflicts, mismanagement, lower productivity, distrust among employees.

Communication Essence

•  It is a two way process.
• It is a Personal process and Occurs between people. It aims at change in behavior and also to influence others.
• It involves expression of thoughts and emotions through words and actions. It is a tool for controlling and motivating people.
• It is a social and emotional process.

Communication: The Flow

In the process of communication, information flows from sender to receiver.

The message in the form of ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions is transmitted between two or more people, which aim at creating a shared understanding.

Thus Communication is the bridge that forms the basis of understanding among the members of the organization. 

Effective communication means the message is understood in the same sense in which it has been communicated.

The communication is a dynamic process which begins by encoding of ideas through the medium of language by the sender who then transmits the message through a channel to the receiver, who decodes the message and gives the feedback in the form of some message or signal within the given time frame.

Sender

The sender or the communicator is the person who initiates the conversation and encodes the message or the idea that he intends to convey it to others.

 

Encoding

In encoding process the sender uses words or non-verbal elements like symbols, signs, gestures etc. to translate the information into a message.

The sender’s knowledge, skills, perception, background, competencies etc has a great impact on the success of the message.

Message

Once the encoding is finished, the sender is ready with the message which he intends to convey. The message can be written, oral and symbolic or non-verbal such as gestures, silence, sigh, sounds etc. or any other signal that triggers the response of a receiver.

Communication Channel

The Sender chooses the medium or channel through which he can convey his message to the receiver.

The choice of medium depends on the interpersonal relationships between the sender and the receiver and also on the urgency of the message being sent. Oral, virtual, written, sound, gesture etc. are some of the commonly used communication channels.

Receiver

The receiver is the person to whom the message is delivered. He tries to comprehend it.

The degree to which the receiver decodes the message depends on his knowledge of the subject matter, experience, trust and relationship with the sender.

Decoding

The receiver interprets the sender’s message and tries to understand is called as decoding.

 An effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the message in exactly the same way as it was intended by the sender.

Feedback

The Feedback is the final step of the Communication process. Feedback reveals whether the receiver has received the message and interpreted it correctly as it was intended by the sender.

The response of the receiver can be verbal or non-verbal.

Group Discussion

A number of people who can communicate their ideas clearly and discuss effectively with others in face to face communication become tongue-tied in a group communication. A Group Discussion will identify people who have such group communication skills and those who do not possess such group communication skills.

Group discussion has become an inevitable part of recruitment process. It measures certain attributes of candidates that are otherwise difficult to identify and time consuming to assess.

What is Group Discussion?

• It is essentially a verbal -oriented performance where participants have to talk their way out.
• It is a technique or a method used for screening candidates as well as testing their potential.
• It is used as a tool to assess candidates in a group at one glance in order to select the best in comparative perspective.
• It is also called leaderless discussion as it aims to find out the natural leadership level of candidates. 

Importance of Group Discussion

• It helps to understand the subject from various angles and improves the ability o think critically
• It helps the group to reach a decision and solve the problem
• It improves listening skills and also gives a chance to listen other participants’ view points.
• It helps participants to gain confidence by expressing their opinions.

Types of Group discussions 

Group discussions can be classified based on the following:

Nature of topic

1. Topic Based
2. Case studies
3. Group Tasks

 

Method of conduct

1. Structured Group Discussion
2.  Unstructured Group Discussion
3. Role Play
4. Group Discussion  with a Nominated Leader

Types of GroupDiscussion based on Nature of topic

Topic Based

Topic based Group means a topic is given to the participants and allowed participants to express their views in a group.

Group discussions can  be further categorised  based on the nature of topic given to the participants for Group Discussion .

There are three kinds of topics provided to the participants for Group Discussion:

Factual Topics:

• These group discussions are about practical things which an ordinary person is aware of.
• Typically these are socio-economic topics which may have been in the news lately or could be unbound by time.
• It gives a candidate a chance to prove that he is aware of his environment. 
• Typically these are socio-economic topics which may have been in the news lately or could be unbound by time.
• It gives a candidate a chance to prove that he is aware of his environment.
• Examples: Global warming, Population explosion and development, The Education Policy of India, Tourism in India, LokPal Bill

Controversial Topics:

• These group discussions are argumentative in nature and are meant to generate controversy.
• Noise level is usually high, there may be flying into a temper.
• Objective is to see how much maturity the candidate displays by keeping his temper in check, by rationally and logically arguing his point of view without getting personal and emotional.
• Examples: Reservations should be removed, Women make better managers

Abstract Topics:

• These group discussions are about intangible things.
• Usually not given often for discussion, but their possibility cannot be ruled out.
• Objective is to test your lateral thinking and creativity.
• Examples: A is an alphabet, Does India need potato chips or computer chips? The status of women in India, Marginalisation of women at workplace

Types of Group discussion based on the Method of Conduct

Based on the method of conduct, group discussions can be further classified into the following:

1.  Case Studies:

• Tries to simulate a real-life situation with an objective to get you to think about the situation from various angles.
• Information about the situation is given and participants are asked as a group to resolve the situation. There are no incorrect answers or perfect solutions.
• These types of GDs are normally used by management institutes.

2.  Group Tasks:

• These are an extension of case studies where specific objectives are to be achieved as a group.

Process of Group Discussion

• 8-10 students are taken as a group, though in some cases up to 16 people may be included in a group. The GD lasts for 10-15 minutes.
• For a topic-based GD, 2-3 minutes of thinking time may be given, though the group is often told to start right away. For case studies, however, about 15 minutes is given.
• Evaluation is done by experts, usually professors from B-School, HR managers. These people are experts and observe all details, even if the GD is chaotic.
• Candidates may be seated in a circle or in a rectangular arrangement, with or without a table. Seating arrangements may be prefixed.
• Discussion may be stopped at the set time or even earlier. Conclusion or written or oral summary may be asked for at the end from each candidate.

Evaluation Criteria for Group Discussion

1. Personality: It includes smartness, cheerfulness, enthusiasm, attitude and confidence.
2. Communication Skills: It includes interpersonal skills, body language and assertive communication.
3. Knowledge: It includes subject matter, relevance, and depth.
4. Leadership: It includes giving direction to the group in terms of content.
5. Analytical Skills: It includes thinking logically and rationally.
6. Persuasion Skills: It includes ability to convince other participants without being aggressive.
7. Creativity: It includes thinking out of the box.

Preparing for Group Discussion

Content

• Develop subject knowledge on current affairs, general awareness & business trends.
• Structure arguments [for & against] on selected topics, considering both sides to the argument.
• Plan for short and crisp points

Display Behavioural Traits

• Leadership trait is displayed by showing direction to the group whenever group moves away from the topic, coordinate the effort of participants.
• Assertiveness is displayed when you put your point to group in a very positive confident manner.
• Listening skills can be displayed by striking a proper balance between expressing your ideas & suggestions.
• Creativity is reflected when you put across a new idea, such that it is discussed at length by the group.

Practice

• GD skills cannot be learnt from books. Get into practice groups.
• Get skilled people to observe and give feedback.
• Spend a lot of time analysing each GD performance. Plan specific improvements

Do’s & Don’ts of Group Discussion Do’s:

1. Be prepared with some of the topics. Keep yourself updated on current affairs
2. Listen to the given topic carefully. Structure your points on the sheet provided.
3. Be assertive not dominating; try to maintain a balanced tone in your discussion and analysis.
4. Summarise the discussion if the group has not reached a conclusion.
5. Try to remember the names of the participants in the GD when you are targeting individuals address them with the names.
6. Respect the contribution of other speakers.
7. Speak pleasantly.
8. Listen well to the ideas of other speakers, you will learn something.
9. Learn to disagree politely.
10. Respect that others have differing views.
11. Think about your contribution before you speak.
12. Try to stick to the discussion topic.
13. Your body language should be ‘open’ and friendly.
14. Agree & acknowledge anything interesting.
15. Stay with the topic. If the discussion does waiver, bring it back on topic by saying “that's an interesting point, can we come back to that later?”
16. Try to speak clearly. Don't whisper.

Don’ts

1. Initiate GD only when you have understood the topic clearly & have some knowledge.
2. Do not interrupt anyone while speaking even if you don’t agree with that individual. Wait for your chance.
3. Use simple words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone.
4. Be in formals. No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group.
5. Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion.
6. Don't take offence if a person disagrees with you.
7. Don't ridicule the contribution of others by using comments like “that's stupid”, “that's ridiculous”, or “you're wrong”
8. Don't try to intimidate another speaker.
9. Don't use a loud or angry tone. Others will not want to listen to you if you are being aggressive.
10. Don't use aggressive gestures like finger-pointing and table- thumping.
11. Try not to dominate the discussion. Confident speakers should allow others a chance to speak.
12. Avoid drawing too much on personal experience.
13. Don't interrupt or talk over another speaker. Listening to others earns you the right to be heard.

Some Myths about Group Discussion

• You should speak more (No!)
• You should dominate the discussion (No!)
• You should project yourself in style (No!)
• You should speak in favour of topic (No!)
• You should make others agree to your point (No!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f9_6ZM-Qug