- MBAs should be taxed at higher rates in the country.

- Are we raising a generation of burnt out children?

- The government should stop funding the IITs and the IIMs and, instead, divert the funds to primary education.

- Profit is the only business of business.

- Democracy has hampered India’s progress.

- India should be reorganized into smaller states.

- Growth and integrity are poles apart.

- Managerial skills learnt from classroom can never match those learnt from experience.

- Government should reduce defence expenditure and spend more on social sector.

- The UN has not served any purpose in the last decade.

- Religion is a private matter and should be no concern of the state.

- Is corrupt but efficient politicians better than honest and in-efficient politicians.

- Beauty contests do little to improve the stature of women.

- To sustain India’s integrity it is necessary to devolve more power to states.

- Women reservation in parliament is against the tenets of democracy.

Initiating a GD is a double-edged sword. When a candidate initiates, apart from grabbing an opportunity to speak, he also grabs the attention of examiners and fellow candidates. So, if a candidate who initiates is able to make a favourable first impression through his content and communication skills, it will help him sail through the GD.

On the other hand, if a candidate stammers, stutters or quotes wrong facts and figures, the damage done is irreparable. The candidate who initiates also has the onus of giving the GD the right perspective or framework. So, initiate only if you have in-depth knowledge about the topic at hand.

If, after initiating well, a candidate does not say much during the GD, it still gives the impression that he or she started the GD just for the sake of starting it, or to get those initial points earmarked for an initiator.

There are different techniques to initiate a GD in order to make a remarkable first impression:

An effective way of initiating a GD. If the topic is 'Should the censor board be abolished?' a quote like 'Hidden apples are always sweet', is apt to capture attention and convey more than what is actually said. For a topic like 'Customer is King,' one can quote Sam Walton's famous saying, "There is only one boss:  The Customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the Chairman down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

One can start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic. For example, if the topic is, 'Advertising is a diplomatic way of telling a lie,' one can initiate by defining advertising as 'Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor.' Similarly, for a topic like 'The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant', a candidate could simply start by explaining the definition of the prophecy.

Asking a question at the start of a GD creates an impact. It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates so as to hamper the flow, it implies asking a question and then answering it yourself. If a question is being asked to hamper the flow of a GD, insult a participant or to play devil's advocate, it should be discouraged. But, if a question is being asked to promote the flow of ideas, it is appreciated. If the GD topic is 'Should India go to war with Pakistan', for instance, you could start by asking, 'What does war bring to the people of a nation?'

Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way of grabbing immediate attention and putting forth your point. If the topic is 'Impact of population on the Indian economy,' for instance, it can be initiated with a statement like, 'Near the centre of the Indian capital stands a population clock that relentlessly ticks away. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day, which calculates to nearly 12 million every year. That is roughly the size of Australia [ Images ]. As a current political slogan puts it, nothing is impossible when 1 billion Indians work together.'

When a candidate decides to initiate a GD through facts, figure and statistics, he should quote them accurately. Approximation is allowed for macro level figures, but micro level figures need to be correct and accurate.

For instance, we can say that approximately 70 per cent of the Indian population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation allowed) but we cannot list 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no approximations). If a person ends up stating wrong facts, it works to his or her disadvantage.

This can be used for a GD topic like 'Attitude is everything.' The topic can be initiated with the help of a short story as follows: 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, if a blue-coloured balloon would go up as high as a green-coloured one. The vendor told the child that it was not the colour of the balloon but what was inside it that made it go high'

This can put the GD into proper perspective. For example, if the topic is 'Should Sonia Gandhi [ Images ] be the prime minister of India?' one could start by putting it into perspective with, "Friends, before jumping to any conclusion, let us first find out what qualities a good prime minister should possess. We can then compare these with the qualities possessed by Sonia Gandhi, which will help us reach a conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.'

There has been a lot of discussion about what to do in a b-school GD. But trust me, the list of GD dont's exceed the do's.

Here are a few things that you need to avoid in order to crack the much dreaded elimination round.

- Do not get into arguments with people, remember you are there to make effective points, do not waste time on futile arguments that do not contribute to the topic under discussion.

- Making yourself heard is important but do not try to hog the lime-light all the time, evaluate the worth of what you are saying, or you may simply make points that are irrelevant or were better left unsaid.

- Do not act patronising with your fellow group members, it could backfire.

- Do not make use of gestures excessively as you may come across as aggressive, learn to toe the line between assertive and aggressive.

- Do not slouch but seat yourself comfortably, awkward posture could indicate nervousness or discomfort with your position in the group.

- Most of all, believe in your own ability to remain poised in any situation will allow you to sail through.

- Do not fidget or act restless.

- Do not stare at the floor or out of the window, you may come across as uninterested or inattentive.

- Try not to look at the Panel members during the discussion.

- Do not use slang like Yaar, Univ, Princi, etc.

- Do not pepper your language with an accent.

- Do not use verbal tics such as Hmm, like, But, etc.

- Do not use verbal stresses unless a method actor like Al Pacino or Naseeruddin Shah trains you for it.

- Never bluff as the panel will easily figure out that you are an accomplished liar.

- Never show up late.

- Never get defensive or try to rationalize.

- No negative words about anyone.

Most GDs are left without a conclusion, and it isn't even essential that a group reach one. Remember that a GD is about getting to know one's personality traits and it is the process, not the conclusion that reveals these traits. Even though not every GD is concluded, every one is still summarised. While a conclusion represents a final stage, where the entire group decides in favour or against a topic, in the case of a summarisation a candidate summarises in a nutshell what the group has discussed.

The following points should be kept in mind while summarising a discussion:

1. No new point should be taken up.

2. A person should not share his or her own viewpoint alone.

3. A summary should not dwell only on one side of the GD.

4. It should be brief and concise.

5. It should incorporate all the important points spoken.

If a candidate has been told by the examiner to summarise a GD, this means it has come to an end. It is not advisable to add anything once a GD has been summarised.

A simple framework for a summary can be, 'We had a healthy group discussion and, as a group, evaluated this topic from different perspectives. Some of my friends spoke in favour of the topic and the reasons they gave were (elaborate), while some good points against the topic were (elaborate). In all, we had a very good discussion with everyone participating enthusiastically.'

A group discussion (GD) is a simulated exercise, where you cannot suddenly put up a show, since the evaluators will see through you easily. In this page you can find tips on GD and how to handle them to ensure a positive outcome.

Here's how most group discussions work.

• Normally groups of 8-10 candidates are formed into a leaderless group, and are given a specific situation to analyze and discuss within a given time limit.

• The group may be given a case study and asked to come out with a solution for a problem.

• The group may be given a topic and asked to discuss on the same.

A panel will observe the proceedings and evaluate the members of the group.

Lets start from the basic. One needs to know what one's objective in the group is. A good definition of your objective is - to be noticed to have contributed meaningfully in an attempt to help the group reach the rightconsensus. What does this essentially mean?

1. The first implication is that you should be noticed by the panel. Merely making a meaningful contribution and helping the group arrive at a consensus is not enough. You have to be seen by the evaluating panel to have made the meaningful contribution. What does that mean in practice?

• You must ensure that the group hears you. If the group hears you, so will the evaluator. That does not mean that you shout at the top of your voice and be noticed for the wrong reasons.

• You have to be assertive. If you are not a very assertive person, you will have to simply learn to be assertive for those 15 minutes. Remember, assertiveness does not mean being bull-headed or being arrogant.

• And most importantly, you have to make your chances. Many group discussion participants often complain that they did not get a chance to speak. The fact is that in no group discussion will you get a chance to speak. There is nothing more unacceptable in a GD than keeping one's mouth shut or just murmuring things which are inaudible.

• Participate in as many practice GDs as possible before you attend the actual GD. There is nothing like practice to help you overcome the fear of talking in a GD.

2. The second important implication is that making just any sort of contribution is not enough. Your contribution has to be meaningful. A meaningful contribution suggests that

• You have a good knowledge base

• You are able to put forth your arguments logically and are a good communicator.

• The quality of what you said is more valuable than the quantity. There is this myth amongst many group discussion participants that the way to succeed in a group discussion is by speaking loudly and at great length. One could not be more wrong. You must have meat in your arguments.

Therefore, think things through carefully.

Always enter the room with a piece of paper and a pen. In the first two minutes jot down as many ideas as you can.

When you jot down points, keep these pointers in mind.

If it is a topic where you are expected to take a stand, say for example, "Should India sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty?" note down points for both sides of the argument. It will be useful on two counts -

• One, if you do not start the GD and are not amongst the first five speakers and find that everyone in the group is talking for the topic, then it makes sense to take the alternate approach and oppose the topic even if you initially intended to talk for the topic.

• Second, it helps to have a knowledge of how group members who take a stand diametrically opposite to yours will put forth their argument and to be prepared with counter arguments.

3. Everybody else will state the obvious. So highlight some points that are not obvious. The different perspective that you bring to the group will be highly apprecaited by the panel. Some pointers on being relevant while having a different perspective are:

• Be careful that the "something different" you state is still relevant to the topic being debated.

• Can you take the group ahead if it is stuck at one point?

• Can you take it in a fresh and more relevant direction?

4. The last implication is that you must be clearly seen to be attempting to build a consensus.

• Gaining support or influencing colleagues is the mantra adopted by many a successful Business Leaders.

• Nobody expects a group of ten intelligent, assertive people, all with different points of view on a controversial subject to actually achieve a consensus. But what matters is "Did you make attempts to build a consensus?"

• The reason why an attempt to build a consensus is important is because in most work situations you will have to work with people in a team, accept joint responsibilities and take decisions as a group.

• You must demonstrate the fact that you are capable and inclined to work as part of a team.