group presentation definition in communication

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16 Presenting as a Group

Learning Objectives

• List the four common types of group presentations
• Discuss techniques for coordinating a group assignment
• Plan speech organization for the intended audience
• Practice effective group delivery

Imagine you have been assigned to a group for a project requiring a presentation at the end. “Now is the busiest time in my schedule and I do not have time to fit all these people into it,” the voice in your head reminds you. Then you ask the question: “Is there ever a non-busy time for assembling a group together for a presentation ?” These thoughts are a part of a group presentation assignment. The combined expertise of several individuals is becoming increasingly necessary in many vocational (related to a specific occupation) and avocational (outside a specific occupation) presentations.

Group presentations in business may range from a business team exchanging sales data; research and development teams discussing business expansion ideas; to annual report presentations by boards of directors. Also, the government, private, and public sectors have many committees that participate in briefings, conference presentations, and other formal presentations. It is common for group presentations to be requested, created, and delivered to bring together the expertise of several people in one presentation. Thus, the task of deciding the most valuable information for audience members has become a coordination task involving several individuals. All group members are responsible for coordinating things such as themes, strong support/evidence, and different personalities and approaches in a specified time period. Coordination is defined in the dictionary as harmonious combination or interaction, as of functions or parts.

This chapter focuses on how the group, the speech assignment, the audience, and the presentation design play a role in the harmonious combination of planning, organization, and delivery for group presentations.

Preparing All Parts of the Assignment

In group presentations, you are working to coordinate one or two outcomes—outcomes related to the content (product outcomes) and/or outcomes related to the group skills and participation (process outcomes). Therefore, it is important to carefully review and outline the prescribed assignment of the group before you get large quantities of data, spreadsheets, interview notes, and other research materials.

Types of Group Presentations

A key component of a preparation plan is the type of group presentation. Not all group presentations require a format of standing in front of an audience and presenting. According to Sprague and Stuart (2005), there are four common types of group presentations:

• A structured argument in which participants speak for or against a pre-announced proposition is called a debate . The proposition is worded so that one side has the burden of proof, and that same side has the benefit of speaking first and last. Speakers assume an advocacy role and attempt to persuade the audience, not each other.
• The forum is essentially a question-and-answer session. One or more experts may be questioned by a panel of other experts, journalists, and/or the audience.
• A panel consists of a group of experts publicly discussing a topic among themselves. Individually prepared speeches, if any, are limited to very brief opening statements.
• Finally, the symposium is a series of short speeches, usually informative, on various aspects of the same general topic. Audience questions often follow (p. 318).

These four types of presentations, along with the traditional group presentation in front of an audience or on-the-job speaking, typically have pre-assigned parameters. Therefore, all group members must be clear about the assignment request.

Establishing Clear Objectives

For the group to accurately summarize for themselves who is the audience, what is the situation/occasion, and what supporting materials need to be located and selected, the group should establish clear objectives about both the process and the product being assessed.

Assessment plays a central role in optimizing the quality of group interaction. Thus, it is important to be clear whether the group is being assessed on the product(s) or outcome(s) only or will the processes within the group—such as equity of contribution, individual interaction with group members, and meeting deadlines—also be assessed. Kowitz and Knutson (1980) argue that three dimensions for group evaluation include (1) informational —dealing with the group’s designated tasks; (2) procedural —referring to how the group coordinates its activities and communication; and (3) interpersonal —focusing on the relationships that exist among members while the task is being accomplished. Groups without a pre-assigned assessment rubric may use the three dimensions to effectively create a group evaluation instrument.

The group should determine if the product includes both a written document and an oral presentation. The written document and oral presentation format may have been pre-assigned with an expectation behind the requested informative and/or persuasive content. Although the two should complement each other, the audience, message, and format for each should be clearly outlined. The group may create a product assessment guide (see Table 1) . Additionally, each group member should uniformly write down the purpose of the assignment. You may think you can keep the purpose in your head without any problem. Yet the goal is for each member to consistently have the same outcome in front of them. This will bring your research, writing, and thinking back to focus after engaging in a variety of resources or conversations.

Once the assignment has been coordinated in terms of the product and process objectives, type of presentation, and logistics, it is important for the group to clearly write down the agreed outcomes. Agreed outcomes about the product include a purpose statemen t that reflects an agreement with the prescribed assignment (i.e. “at the end of our group presentation the audience will be informed or persuaded about the prescribed assignment”). It also includes the key message or thesis to be developed through a presentation outline , a full-sentence outline of virtually everything the speaker intends to say. The outline allows the speakers to test the structure, the logic, and persuasive appeals in the speech (DiSanza & Legge, 2011, p. 131).

Logistics for Group Members

As a group, be very clear about the length of your presentation and its preparation. The length of the presentation refers to your time limit, and whether there is a question and answer period involved. Assignment preparation may or may not have a prescribed deadline. If the assignment does not have a deadline, then set one as a group. If there is a deadline, then the group begins by creating a schedule from the final deadline. As a group, create an action timetable explicitly listing all processes and outputs, as well as communication update points.

As a group, decide the best way to leave enough time in the end to put all the pieces together and make sure everything is complete. If there is a written document, it should be completed prior to the oral presentation rather than at the same time. As a group, realize not everyone may work off a physical calendar. Thus, do not hesitate to require each member to write down all deadlines.

Next, the group can strategically add meeting dates, times, and venues to the action timetable. A meeting is a structured conversation among a small group of people who gather to accomplish a specific task (Beebe & Mottet, 2010). For group presentations, meetings do not always include the entire group. So a schedule of who meets with whom and when is useful for planning work and agendas. In addition, all meetings do not serve the same purpose. For example, informational meetings may be called simply to update all group members; solicitation meetings are called to solicit opinions or request guidance from group members; group-building meetings are designed to promote unity and cohesiveness among group members; and problem-solving meetings result in making decisions or recommendations by the time the meeting convenes.

Once the group is unified about the assignment objectives and time frame, it is vital to predetermine the type of note-taking required of each group member (which may vary) and the variety of information exchange. The more systematic a group is in these two areas, the more unified the process and the product. The system begins with each group member writing down the message, specific purpose, and central ideas for the group presentation. If these are still to be determined, then have each group member identify the areas of background information needed and basic information gathering. Next, simply create a general format for note-taking—whether typed or handwritten and what types of details should be included especially sources. Also with the increasing use of electronic databases be very clear on when related articles should be forwarded to group members. The email inbox flooded with PDF files is not always a welcome situation.

The group should be clear on the explicit requirements for locating recent, relevant, and audience-appropriate source material for the presentation. All of this leads to the foundation of clearly defining the responsibilities of each group member. All tasks should be listed, given deadlines, and assigned people. A means for tracking the progress of each task should be outlined. The group should be clear on what are individual, joint (involving more than one group member), and entire group tasks. Throughout the entire process, all group members should be supportive and helpful but should not offer to do other people’s work.

Organizing for Your Audience

Organizing for your audience relates to how the gathered content can be best arranged for them. According to Patricia Fripp (2011), a Hall of Fame keynote speaker and executive speech coach, any presentation can be intimidating but the key is to remember “your goal is to present the most valuable information possible to the members of the audience” (p. 16). Now what you think is most valuable and what the audience thinks is most valuable must be coordinated because of differences in perception (the process by which we give meaning to our experience). Therefore, organizing for your audience is focused on content, structure, packaging, and human element—not for you, not for the assignment, but for the audience. A customized plan of organization will assist your group in creating relevant messages that satisfy others’ personal needs and goals (Keller, 1983).

Audience members are interested in your expertise that has been developed from solid research and preparation. Audience members may have expectations about what foundational literature and key sources should be contained within your presentation. Therefore as a group, you need to go beyond providing a variety of supporting material within your presentation to considering who will be present, levels of expertise, and their expectations. In general, organizing the content should be focused on usage, knowledge levels, and objectives. First, usage refers to how audience members expect to use your presentational content which will help the group transform ideas into audience-centered speech points. Second, knowledge level means the audience’s knowledge level about the topic within the audience which assists the group in developing supporting material for the entire audience. Third, the objectives are linked to how the content serves the audience’s needs and assists the group in being intentional about helping the audience see the reason for their involvement and receive value for the time they devoted to attend. Overall, the content is coordinated in a way that keeps at the forefront who the decision-makers are and what specifics they need to know, would be nice to know, and do not need to know.

Next professionally packaging a presentation for the audience deals with the structure or how you arrange points. The structure takes into consideration a strong opening, logical order, relevant key points, conciseness, and use of supplementary visual aids. In addition, the linking of points involves conversational language and the appropriate use of acronyms and technical jargon for inclusion or exclusion. The focus is geared to the perception of trustworthiness. Three strategic questions to answer include:

• What qualities as a group will demonstrate your trustworthiness to this audience?
• What content order needs to be achieved to give a consistent perception of fairness?
• What content requires repeating and how should that be achieved—through comparisons, examples, illustrations, etc.?

The packaging of successful group presentations revolves around the type of relationship with the audience, the division of time, and enthusiasm. An important dynamic of group presentations is for your group to know if audience members will be required to give an internal presentation or briefing from your presentation. As a group, know if you are packaging a one-time presentation, bidding for a long-term relationship, continuing a relationship for offering expertise, or if the presentation is tied to internal pressures to performance appraisals. Such knowledge will aid your group in developing talking points which can be re-presented with accuracy.

The type of presentation will help you divide the time for your presentation. The majority of the time is always spent on the body of the speech. A typical 30-minute speech might be divided into four minutes for the introduction, ten minutes for the body, and four minutes for the conclusion. The remaining 12 minutes is for the audience to ask questions, offer objections, or simply to become part of the discussion. It is important to leave enough time for the audience to contribute to the intellectual content. Therefore, always design group presentations with the intent not to run out of time before the audience can participate. All group presentations should have enthusiasm. Group members should be enthusiastic about the audience, message, and occasion. Planned enthusiasm should play a role in creating the introduction, conclusion, and body of your presentations. The consistent use of enthusiasm can be planned throughout the speech outline.

Human Element

Now it is time to focus on compatibility. As a group, consider what will it take to get this audience to pay attention to your presentation. Answer questions such as:

• What can your group do to develop an introduction, transitions, and conclusions in a way to connect with this audience?
• What types of stories are common or relatable to this audience?
• What are the attitudes, beliefs, and values of this audience?

Delivering Your Presentation as One

By completing the other levels of coordination, the group will have decided on the key message, thoroughly researched the supporting material, developed logical conclusions, and created realistic recommendations. Therefore all that stands between you and success is the actual presentation—the vehicle that carries the facts and the ideas to your audience. Here it is important to recognize that if an assignment required both a written document and an oral presentation then be sure one effectively complements the other. Although you can reference the written document during the oral presentation, the oral presentation should be planned with the thought in mind that not everyone is given the written document. Therefore, the oral presentation may be the only content they receive. Since you will not always know who receives the written document, it is best to coordinate the presentation as if no one has the full written document, which can serve as a reference tool for gaining content requiring further explanation or accessibility to detailed information. At the same time, if the entire audience is provided written material keep in mind different decision-makers may be in the audience. For example, the creative director may be only interested in your creative concepts, whereas a vice president of finance may be only interested in figures.

The presentation preparation primarily focuses on your group’s ability to develop a clear plan and execution of delivery. A delivery plan includes essential elements such as (1) purpose, (2) oral content, (3) dress, (4) room, (5) visuals, (6) delivery, and (7) rehearsal to ensure that the group presentation is both captivating and useful to your audience, as well as worth their time.

Group members should keep at the forefront of their minds the answer to the question “Was the general purpose—to inform or to persuade—achieved?” As a group, practice keeping the purpose of the presentation explicit for the audience. The purpose should never become hidden during the presentation. Each group member’s awareness of the purpose is important in maintaining the right kind of delivery. It is possible to have great content for a presentation and miss the entire purpose of the presentation. For example, say your group had been asked to do a presentation about Facebook and how it could be used in the financial industry. You could take an informative or persuasive approach. However, if the audience—banking professionals—attends a presentation where the content is focused on Facebook rather than having a focus on its use in the financial industry, then the purpose was not achieved.

The delivery plan will help you evaluate if the purpose of the presentation is clearly aimed at the primary audience. In addition, the group can determine when and how clearly they are articulating the explicit purpose of the presentation. The purpose is complemented by a clear preview, the audience members’ awareness of what decisions are at issue, and the audience’s desire to get important information first.

Oral Content

Up to this point the majority of the group’s engagement with the content has been in terms of reading and writing. It is time to orally interact with the selected content to ensure that it has been developed for this audience, properly structured, and clearly articulated. The delivery plan is a time to evaluate word choice, idioms, and antidotes. When working with this content, make sure that it is suited to the purpose, and that the key message is explicit so the audience remembers it well.

The introduction of group members, transitions, and internal summaries are all important elements of the delivery plan. A proper introduction of group members and the content will not happen automatically. Therefore, it is important to practice it to determine if introductions fit better at the beginning of the presentation, if names need to be emphasized through the wearing of name tags, or if names are better used as a part of transition content. The use of name only may not be effective in some speaking situations. Therefore, the group needs to determine what a proper group member introduction includes beyond the name. Plus, be consistent; that is, determine if everyone is using first name only or full name, do they need to know your positions, some background, or can you simply state it in a written format such as a team resume. Speech content is not useful if the audience does not accept your credibility.

As in all presentations, an awareness of your physical appearance is an important element in complementing the content of your speech. Do not hesitate to talk about and practice appropriate dress as a group. It is important to look like a group. Really consider defining a group’s speaking uniform by deciding how formal or informal the dress code is.

As a group, the overall question you want to be able to answer is: Did our dress provide an accurate first impression not distracting from the content? So what kinds of things can be distracting? The most common are colors, busy patterns, and large or clinking jewelry. As a group determine what type of dress is effective in coordinating your group’s credibility. It is important to take into consideration cultural, occupational, and regional norms. In addition, it is important to think about branding choices. Often groups want to brand themselves for the audience. It is not necessary to mimic your audience. For example, a sales presentation to cranberry association members may entice a group to wear red. However, the cranberry association may not be the only sale your group needs to make so you will be forced to ask the question: Will each sales presentation audience determine the color we accent in dress? In short, do not let the speaking occasion brand you. Simply know what is considered professional for this presentation. You have spent a lot of time on preparing the content for this audience so do not detract from it.

It is not always feasible to practice your delivery in the actual room where you will deliver your speech. However, it is extremely important that you actively plan your delivery for the room by recreating the speaking environment. If prior access to the room is not available, then you will need to do your planning by asking a series of questions of the presentation planner. Some common things to find out include the size of the room; if a projector is available and its location within the room; is there a platform and/or a stationary lectern; is there a sound system and how many microphones; where the group will be seated before being introduced; will the presentation be recorded; what is the availability of the room in advance of the presentation; and what is the number of seats and seating arrangement so the group can plan for the zone of interaction.

The term visuals refers to both non-technology visual aids (handouts, posters, charts, etc.) and presentation technology. Visuals should not appear as though several individuals made them but rather as uniform to the group’s presentation. All visuals should blend smoothly into the speech. All group members should be clear on what visuals or documents were pre-requested (so you do not eliminate them as unnecessary during rehearsal). Many times it is better to simply project or display visuals. At other times, visuals may need to be assembled in a presentation packet for all audience members. Bohn & Jabusch (1982) suggest that there are several researched-based reasons why visual aids enhance presentations including (a) enhanced understanding —helps audience comprehend what they hear and see; (b) enhanced memory —serves as a visual reinforcement; (c) enhanced organization—visually displays your organizational strategy; (d) enhanced attention —grabs and maintains audience interest; and (e) enhanced sequencing —shows rather than describes.

The four modes of delivery—memorized, impromptu, manuscript, and extemporaneous—are all valuable in group presentations. However, the most common mode of delivery is extemporaneous. Earlier in the chapter, developing a script was discussed. The step of transforming the script into a delivery outline —an abbreviated version of the preparation outline (DiSanza & Legge, 2011)—is a significant part of planning delivery. The ultimate goal is to figure out how the group can be confident that the entire presentation stays together and does not just exist in pieces. The delivery outline may go as far as to stipulate vocal and gesture instructions. The delivery outline is not created to be read from, therefore, the group also should determine how speaker notes will be used. The delivery outline should be provided to every group member so everyone is familiar with the entire presentation. It is important to set up contingency plans for who will present content if someone is absent on the day of the presentation—the presenter who gets stuck in morning traffic or the professional who had a flight delay.

The key is for all group members to remain conversational in their delivery style. This may be best achieved by utilizing effective delivery strategies such as appropriate gestures, movement, and posture; appropriate facial expressions including eye contact; and appropriate vocal delivery—articulation, dialect, pitch, pronunciation, rate, and volume. Group members should evaluate each other on audibility and fluency.

Rehearsals are for the final polishing of your presentations. It is a time to solidify logistics of how many group members are presenting, where they will stand, and the most appropriate transitions between each speaker. Group members should grow more comfortable with each other through rehearsals. A key aspect of polishing involves identifying gaps in content and gaining feedback on content (oral and visual), style, and delivery. The rehearsals are a good time to refine speaker notes and to practice the time limit. The number of scheduled rehearsals is dependent on your group and the amount of preparation time provided. The most important element for the group is to adapt their rehearsal timetable based on an honest evaluation of the speaking skills represented within the group.

The only part of a group presentation that you may not be able to rehearse is responding to the actual audience members’ questions and objections. However, you can anticipate the types of questions and practice a simple strategy of how you will respond—repeating the question, stating who from the group will respond, and answering succinctly. Four of the most common types of questions are follow-up questions; action-oriented questions focused on what would you do if; hypothetical questions focused on different scenarios; and information-seeking questions. A primary way to practice is to think of at least three questions you would like to answer, prepare the answer, and practice it during rehearsal(s).

The foundation of a group presentation is constructed from all the guidelines you use in an individual presentation coupled with additional strategies for working effectively with others. Group presentations primarily entail group communication, planning, organization, and delivery. Effective groups communicate about interaction roles, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Such communication helps the group reflect on group dynamics, customize communication for this speaking group, and establish a unified commitment and collaborative climate.

Review & Reflection Questions

• How might a group presentation be different than presenting individually?
• In preparing for a group presentation, what are some key questions and considerations for your group?
• How can you ensure your group presentation is effective and appears ‘as one’?
• Beebe, S.A. & Mottet, T.P. (2010). Business and professional communication: Principles and skills for leadership . Allyn & Bacon.
• Bohn, E. & Jabusch, D. (1982). The effect of four methods of instruction on the use of visual aids in speeches. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 46 , 253-265.
• DiSanza, J.R., & Legge, N. J. (2011). Business and professional communication: Plans, processes, and performance (5th ed.). Pearson.
• Fripp. P. (2011). 9 timely tips for pre-presentation preparation. American Salesman, 56 , 13- 16.
• Keller, J.M. (1983). Motivational design of instruction. In C.M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories: An overview of their current status (pp. 383-434). Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Kowitz, A.C. & Knutson., T.J. (1980). Decision making in small groups: The search for alternatives . Allyn and Bacon.
• Sprague, J. & Stuart D. (2005). The speaker’s handbook (7th ed. ) . Thomson Wadsworth.

Authors & Attribution

This content comes from the introduction, “Preparing All Parts of the Assignment” and “Delivering Your Presentation as One” written by Jennifer F. Wood, Ph.D., in Chapter 18 Group Presentations . from the Public Speaking Project . This content is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License.

harmonious combination or interaction, as of functions or parts

a structured argument in which participants speak for or against a pre-announced proposition

a presentation in which one or more experts may be questioned by a panel of other experts, journalists, and/or the audience

a presentation format that consists of a group of experts publicly discussing a topic among themselves

a presentation format that involves a series of short speeches, usually informative, on various aspects of the same general topic

a clear, agreed outcome for the presentation

a full-sentence outline of virtually everything the speaker intends to say. The outline allows the speakers to test the structure, the logic, and persuasive appeals in the speech

an abbreviated version of the preparation outline

Presenting as a Group Copyright © 2020 by Jasmine R. Linabary, Ph.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Business Jargons

A Business Encyclopedia

Presentation

Definition : A presentation is a form of communication in which the speaker conveys information to the audience. In an organization presentations are used in various scenarios like talking to a group, addressing a meeting, demonstrating or introducing a new product, or briefing a team. It involves presenting a particular subject or issue or new ideas/thoughts to a group of people.

It is considered as the most effective form of communication because of two main reasons:

• Use of non-verbal cues.
• Facilitates instant feedback.

Business Presentations are a tool to influence people toward an intended thought or action.

Parts of Presentation

• Introduction : It is meant to make the listeners ready to receive the message and draw their interest. For that, the speaker can narrate some story or a humorous piece of joke, an interesting fact, a question, stating a problem, and so forth. They can also use some surprising statistics.
• Body : It is the essence of the presentation. It requires the sequencing of facts in a logical order. This is the part where the speaker explains the topic and relevant information. It has to be critically arranged, as the audience must be able to grasp what the speaker presents.
• Conclusion : It needs to be short and precise. It should sum up or outline the key points that you have presented. It could also contain what the audience should have gained out of the presentation.

Purpose of Presentation

• To inform : Organizations can use presentations to inform the audience about new schemes, products or proposals. The aim is to inform the new entrant about the policies and procedures of the organization.
• To persuade : Presentations are also given to persuade the audience to take the intended action.
• To build goodwill : They can also help in building a good reputation

Factors Affecting Presentation

Audience Analysis

Communication environment, personal appearance, use of visuals, opening and closing presentation, organization of presentation, language and words, voice quality, body language, answering questions, a word from business jargons.

Presentation is a mode of conveying information to a selected group of people live. An ideal presentation is one that identifies and matches the needs, interests and understanding level of the audience. It also represents the facts, and figures in the form of tables, charts, and graphs and uses multiple colours.

Related terms:

• Verbal Communication
• Visual Communication
• Non-Verbal Communication
• Communication
• 7 C’s of Communication

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What is Group Discussion? (GD), Objectives, Types, Prerequisites, Steps

• Post last modified: 4 June 2023
• Reading time: 24 mins read
• Post category: Business Communication

• What is Group Discussion?

Group Discussion (GD) is a technique where the group of participants share their views and opinions on a topic for a specific duration. Companies conduct this evaluation process because business management is essentially a team activity and working with groups is an essential parameter in organisations.

Table of Content

• 1 What is Group Discussion?
• 2 Group Discussion (GD) Definition
• 3 Objectives of Group Discussion (GD)
• 4.1 Topic-based GDs
• 4.2 Case-based GDs
• 4.3 Article-based GDs
• 5.1 Prior knowledge
• 5.2 Active listening
• 5.3 Effective communication
• 5.4 Appropriate body language
• 6.1 Initiate
• 6.3 Summarise
• 7 Do’s and Don’ts of Group Discussion
• 8.1 Communication skills
• 8.2 Analytical and interpretative skills
• 8.3 Interpersonal skills
• 8.4 Persuasive skills
• 9.1 Objective of conducting a GD
• 9.2 Venue setup
• 9.4 Pre-instructions for participants
• 9.5 Defined parameters for selection
• 9.6 Role of assessor/evaluator
• 9.7 Clear communication of results post GD

GD is an opportunity for an organisation to evaluate a candidate’s communication skills, knowledge, leadership skills, listening skills, social skills, ability to think on the spot and improvise. A typical GD has about 8-12 participants and 2 or more assessors. The assessors sit where they can clearly see and hear all the candidates.

They record the behaviour of participants during the group discussion. Then, they evaluate the recorded observations against the desired traits and finalise a few candidates from the group.

Group Discussion (GD) Definition

Group discussion is a communication process that involves the exchange of ideas, information, and opinions among a group of people. It is a powerful tool for problem-solving, decision-making, and generating new ideas. – Stephen P. Robbins, author of “Organizational Behavior”

A group discussion is an interactive process where a group of individuals come together to exchange ideas, opinions, and information on a specific topic. The goal of a group discussion is to arrive at a collective decision or solution that is acceptable to all members of the group.” – The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)

Group discussion is a method of communication in which a small group of people come together to discuss a topic or problem. The group members share their ideas and perspectives with one another in order to arrive at a solution or decision that benefits the group as a whole.” – The American Psychological Association (APA)

Group discussion is an effective means of exploring and analyzing complex issues, generating creative ideas, and arriving at consensus among participants. It provides a platform for individuals to express their views, clarify their understanding, and learn from the perspectives of others.” – The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Objectives of Group Discussion (GD)

Group discussions are conducted to serve various purposes. It is a two-way communication process through which recruiters get to assess the soft skills of candidates, while the candidates can gain clarity about their own thoughts, opinions and views.

The following are some of the objectives of a group discussion activity:

• To collect data
• To breed fresh ideas and take inputs from a particular group
• To perceive the common ideas of people on a particular topic
• To identify the solution of a specific problem or issue
• To select a candidate for hiring in a company
• To select candidate for admission in an educational institute
• To arrive at a consensus regarding a common concern

Types of Group Discussion (GDs)

A group discussion delineates how a candidate participates, behaves and contributes in a group. There are three main types of GDs :

Topic-based GDs

Case-based gds, article-based gds.

These are based on certain practical topics, such as the harmful effects of plastics on the environment or the need of college degree for entrepreneurship. These GDs can be further classified into:

• Factual GDs : These are informative GDs that require comprehensive knowledge about a subject. For example, the economic growth of India since independence.
• Controversial GDs : These GDs are based on controversial topics, which test the ability of a candidate to handle a situation, control anger, display patience and think critically. For example, arranged marriage vs. love marriage.
• Abstract GDs : These GDs are based on certain conceptual topics that are used to evaluate a candidate’s creative thinking and analytical ability. For example, challenges before humanity.

In these GDs, a case study is presented to group members to read and analyse in a given period. Candidates need to discuss the case study among themselves and reach on a com- mon consensus to solve the given situation. This helps to evaluate their problem solving, analytical ability, critical thinking and creative thinking skills.

Candidates are presented with an article on any field, such as politics, sports, or technology, and asked to discuss the given situation.

Prerequisites of Group Discussion (GD)

There are some essential requirements for gaining success in a group discussion. The following are some important requirements to be fulfilled by a candidate in order to ensure a successful GD:

Prior knowledge

Active listening, effective communication, appropriate body language.

A candidate with in-depth knowledge and command over the topic initiates the discussion. He/she gets noticed and usually selected in a group discussion. However, starting the discussion does not guarantee the selection and also it does not show the leadership qualities.

Therefore, one should start a discussion only when he/she is well acquainted with the topic. In case, one is not well acquainted with the topic, he/she should first listen to others and then speak.

Only good listeners can be active participators in a discussion. Such persons listen to others and remain attentive and active throughout the discussion. Therefore, a listener is more likely to imbibe knowledge than a speaker. By listening carefully, a candidate can contribute by formulating his/her own thoughts that can be verbally delivered.

Candidates should have good communication skills and they should take care of the overtones. One should be able to understand other participants’ perception and thoughts. Then, accordingly, Agree to or refute the ideas or viewpoints presented by other candidates.

Therefore, healthy and clear thoughts should be exchanged while pursuing a group discussion to gain attention of the assessors.

Gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and tone of voice show the amount of interest a candidate has in a group discussion. It is important to maintain eye contact with the evaluator(s) when starting a discussion. The coordinator notices the body language of the candidates to assess their confidence level.

Steps of Effective Group Discussion

A GD is a method used by organisations to analyse the skills of candidates and decide whether their personality traits are desirable for the job or not.

While facing a GD, the following steps should be performed:

If you want to quickly grab the attention of assessors, then start the GD. However, you must have good knowledge or understanding of the subject being discussed. To make your speech more interesting, you can start with a relevant quote or a short/interesting story; but keep track of time.

There might be a situation when you do not have enough knowledge to start a discussion. In that case, wait, watch and listen to others. As soon as you get an opening, jump in and take charge. Move the conversation forward to make it impactful. However, remember not to over-drag the topic. Sometimes, less is more.

Closing a GD is another opportunity to get the attention of the evaluators. Recap the discussion, connect the dots, highlight the key points and summarise them. Make sure that the summary includes both the positive and negative viewpoints on the topic presented by the candidates.

Do’s and Don’ts of Group Discussion

In this section, we will discuss some Do’s and Don’ts to be taken care of by all the candidates who wish to perform well in a GD.

Some Do’s to be kept in mind during a GD are:

• Be a good listener by being patient.
• Acknowledge everyone else and what they say.
• Articulate views in a way that is comprehensible to others.
• Structure your thoughts and present them logically.
• Read newspapers, current affairs, essays and articles to develop thought structuring.
• Respect others for what they are.
• Be open-minded and acknowledge the fact that people think differently about issues.
• Train your mind for analytical thinking by taking all aspects into consideration.

It is also important to avoid doing certain things while participating in a GD. Some Don’ts to be aware of while pursuing a GD are:

• Avoid irrelevant talk.
• Avoid interrupting others while they are talking. If you need to cut short a speaker, then do so politely and with due apology.
• Avoid dominating the conversation. Ask others to contribute. Acknowledge their viewpoints.
• Avoid getting into an argument. Try to express clearly in a healthy manner.
• Do not show lack of interest and negative attitude.
• Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
• Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.

Group Discussion Evaluation Criteria

Each group discussion exercise is assessed by one or more individuals who are trained to observe and assess behavioural traits relevant for a specific job. The four main behavioural traits assessed through a group discussion are shown in Figure

Let us discuss these behavioural traits in detail.

Communication skills

Analytical and interpretative skills, interpersonal skills, persuasive skills.

These skills are judged on the basis of how a participant is getting his/her message across, how he/she is using his/her body language and also listening skills.

Assessors draw conclusions about a participant’s interpreting and analysing skills by observing how he/she uses facts and data, considers complex problems and issues, suggests solutions, etc.

Assessors observe the participants’ interactions with one another, how they allow one another to express themselves, etc.

The influencing skills of participants are as- sessed based on how well they are able to persuade one another, convince others about a viewpoint or impact others’ behaviour.

Organising a Group Discussion

A Group Discussion generally involves a group of 8-10 participants who are evaluated by a selection panel. GDs are used to evaluate whether a candidate is a perfect fit for an organisation or not. Be it college placements, MBA courses, job interviews or general researches, GDs are conducted almost in every field to gauge whether the candidate possesses the required skills and personality traits to be a part of the concerned institution. A facilitator has to take care of all the nitty-gritties of organising a GD.

In order to conduct a successful GD, the following aspects need to be taken into consideration:

Objective of conducting a GD

Venue setup, pre-instructions for participants, defined parameters for selection, role of assessor/evaluator, clear communication of results post gd.

Every GD has a specific purpose such as selecting deserving candidates for admission in professional course or gaining new talented employees in an organisation. Therefore, the objective of a GD should be clear to all the members of the selection panel in order to select the most deserving candidate.

An appropriate venue should be set up to conduct a GD. The venue should not be overcrowded, which may make the participants feel uncomfortable. The space selected for conducting the GD should be well-ventilated, equipped with proper lighting and should have a proper seating arrangement.

A stipulated time limit should be set for each participant to present his/her views. Firstly, participants are given a topic and some time to understand the topic and organise their thoughts. Thereafter they start presenting their views and opinions over the given topic. The time provided to the participants should be logical and it should start at that time only with no delay and waiting.

Prior communication with the participants should be properly conducted along with mentioning the time allotted to one participant to speak. The topic of discussion should be specified clearly along with the instructions and timings of when to start and stop. Big MNCs have their well-panned GD guide that provides instructions to the participants.

There are various parameters based on which a candidate is evaluated. Some of these parameters are listening power, level of confidence, decision-making ability, analytical skills, leadership skills, etc.

Candidates can speak whatever they like on the subject under discussion. The assessors note down their observations for each candidate. Once the discussion is over, the assessors review the information recorded against the desired behaviour. Therefore, a proper evaluation sheet should be maintained for writing down observations so that no errors occur while the selection of candidates.

The results should be announced clearly post the GD. The facilitator should ensure that the participants should not be made to wait for too long for the results.

The following are some points that you should take care of while preparing for a group discussion:

• Ensure your contribution to the group : Candidates need to make sure that they contribute to the conversation. Candidates having avoiding behaviours or actions do not contribute to the discussion’s outcome. Such behaviours need to be avoided and involvement in the GD is necessary to make a mark.
• Manage conflicts effectively : In case of any disagreement with members of the group, ensure that you persuade them without getting rude and aggressive. Assessors will pick such arrogant behaviour and highlight it as your negative aspect.
• Manage your time : Candidates need to stick to the timeline al- lotted for the discussion as the same would suggest that they are punctual and follow the timeline persistently.
• Include others : Encourage those who do not speak up during the discussion and urge them to give their opinions. This will gain assessors’ praise and group members appreciation.
• Be a team player : Generally, group discussion exercises require that the members come to an agreement on the topic being discussed. However, ensure that you do not impose your ideas on others. A better way is to include everyone’s ideas and centre it around the organisation rather than express something that might only benefit one member.

Business Communication Notes

( Click on Topic to Read )

• What is Business Communication?
• What is Communication?

Types of Communication

7 c of communication.

• Barriers To Business Communication
• Oral Communication
• Types Of Non Verbal Communication
• What is Written Communication?
• What are Soft Skills?
• Interpersonal vs Intrapersonal communication
• Barriers to Communication
• Importance of Communication Skills

Listening in Communication

• Causes of Miscommunication
• What is Johari Window?
• What is Presentation?
• Communication Styles

Channels of Communication

• Hofstede’s Dimensions of Cultural Differences and Benett’s Stages of Intercultural Sensitivity

Organisational Communication

• Horizontal C ommunication
• Grapevine Communication
• Downward Communication
• Verbal Communication Skills
• Upward Communication
• Flow of Communication
• What is Emotional Intelligence?
• What is Public Speaking?
• Upward vs Downward Communication
• Internal vs External Communication
• What is Interview?
• What is Negotiation?
• What is Digital Communication?
• What is Letter Writing?
• Resume and Covering Letter
• What is Report Writing?
• What is Business Meeting?
• What is Public Relations?
• What Is Market Segmentation?
• What Is Marketing Mix?
• Marketing Concept
• Marketing Management Process
• What Is Marketing Environment?
• What Is Consumer Behaviour?
• Business Buyer Behaviour
• Demand Forecasting
• 7 Stages Of New Product Development
• Methods Of Pricing
• What Is Public Relations?
• What Is Marketing Management?
• What Is Sales Promotion?
• Types Of Sales Promotion
• Techniques Of Sales Promotion
• What Is Personal Selling?
• What Is Advertising?
• Market Entry Strategy
• What Is Marketing Planning?
• Segmentation Targeting And Positioning
• Brand Building Process
• Kotler Five Product Level Model
• Classification Of Products
• Types Of Logistics
• What Is Consumer Research?
• What Is DAGMAR?
• Consumer Behaviour Models
• What Is Green Marketing?
• What Is Electronic Commerce?
• Agricultural Cooperative Marketing
• What Is Marketing Control?
• What Is Marketing Communication?
• What Is Pricing?
• Models Of Communication
• What is Sales Management?
• Objectives of Sales Management
• Responsibilities and Skills of Sales Manager
• Theories of Personal Selling
• What is Sales Forecasting?
• Methods of Sales Forecasting
• Purpose of Sales Budgeting
• Methods of Sales Budgeting
• Types of Sales Budgeting
• Sales Budgeting Process
• What is Sales Quotas?
• What is Selling by Objectives (SBO) ?
• What is Sales Organisation?
• Types of Sales Force Structure
• Recruiting and Selecting Sales Personnel
• Training and Development of Salesforce
• Compensating the Sales Force
• Time and Territory Management
• What Is Logistics?
• What Is Logistics System?
• Technologies in Logistics
• What Is Distribution Management?
• What Is Marketing Intermediaries?
• Conventional Distribution System
• Functions of Distribution Channels
• What is Channel Design?
• Types of Wholesalers and Retailers
• What is Vertical Marketing Systems?
• What i s Marketing?
• What i s A BCG Matrix?
• 5 M’S Of Advertising
• What i s Direct Marketing?
• Marketing Mix For Services
• What Market Intelligence System?
• What i s Trade Union?
• What Is International Marketing?
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• What i s International Marketing Research?
• What is Exporting?
• What is Licensing?
• What is Franchising?
• What is Joint Venture?
• What is Turnkey Projects?
• What is Management Contracts?
• What is Foreign Direct Investment?
• Factors That Influence Entry Mode Choice In Foreign Markets
• What is Price Escalations?
• What is Transfer Pricing?
• Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)
• What is Promotion Mix?
• Factors Affecting Promotion Mix
• Functions & Role Of Advertising
• What is Database Marketing?
• What is Advertising Budget?
• What is Advertising Agency?
• What is Market Intelligence?
• What is Industrial Marketing?
• What is Customer Value
• What is Consumer Behaviour?
• What Is Personality?
• What Is Perception?
• What Is Learning?
• What Is Attitude?
• What Is Motivation?
• Consumer Imagery
• Consumer Attitude Formation
• What Is Culture?
• Consumer Decision Making Process
• Applications of Consumer Behaviour in Marketing
• Motivational Research
• Theoretical Approaches to Study of Consumer Behaviour
• Consumer Involvement
• Consumer Lifestyle
• Theories of Personality
• Outlet Selection
• Organizational Buying Behaviour
• Reference Groups
• Consumer Protection Act, 1986
• Diffusion of Innovation
• Opinion Leaders
• What is Business Law?
• Indian Contract Act 1872
• Essential Elements of a Valid Contract
• Types of Contract
• What is Discharge of Contract?
• Performance of Contract
• Sales of Goods Act 1930
• Goods & Price: Contract of Sale
• Conditions and Warranties
• Doctrine of Caveat Emptor
• Transfer of Property
• Rights of Unpaid Seller
• Negotiable Instruments Act 1881
• Types of Negotiable Instruments
• Types of Endorsement
• What is Promissory Note?
• What is Cheque?
• What is Crossing of Cheque?
• What is Bill of Exchange?
• What is Offer?
• Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008
• Memorandum of Association
• Articles of Association
• What is Director?
• Trade Unions Act, 1926
• Industrial Disputes Act 1947
• Employee State Insurance Act 1948
• Payment of Wages Act 1936
• Payment of Bonus Act 1965
• Labour Law in India
• What is Brand Management?
• 4 Steps of Strategic Brand Management Process
• Customer Based Brand Equity
• What is Brand Equity?

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Individual Presentations and Group Presentations

Individual Presentations are structured talks or speeches delivered by a single person to an audience, aiming to inform, persuade, or entertain. These presentations typically involve the speaker sharing their knowledge, ideas, or findings on a specific topic, often supported by visual aids such as slides, charts, or videos. The format allows the presenter to showcase their expertise, communication skills, and ability to engage the audience. Individual presentations are common in academic settings, professional environments, and conferences, serving purposes such as presenting research, pitching business ideas, or providing training. Effective individual presentations require thorough preparation, clear organization, and confident delivery to ensure the message is conveyed effectively and the audience remains engaged.

Features of Individual Presentations:

Single Speaker Focus :

The presentation is delivered by one person, allowing for a clear, singular narrative and focused delivery. This ensures a consistent message and style throughout.

Personal Expertise :

The presenter showcases their own knowledge, skills, and insights on the topic, establishing credibility and authority. This personal touch can make the content more engaging and persuasive.

Structured Format :

Individual presentations are typically well-organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. This structure helps the audience follow the content and understand the key points being made.

Visual Aids :

The use of slides, charts, graphs, videos, and other visual aids enhances understanding and retention of information. These tools support the verbal message and can make complex information more accessible.

Audience Engagement :

Effective individual presentations involve engaging the audience through questions, interactive elements, and dynamic delivery techniques. This interaction keeps the audience interested and involved.

Personalized Delivery :

The presenter’s unique style, body language, and vocal tone contribute to the overall impact. A confident and enthusiastic delivery can significantly enhance the presentation’s effectiveness.

Flexibility and Adaptability :

The presenter can adapt the content and delivery in real-time based on audience reactions and feedback. This flexibility allows for a more responsive and tailored presentation experience.

Group Presentations

Group presentations are collaborative efforts where multiple individuals jointly deliver a talk or presentation to an audience. Each member of the group typically contributes to the preparation and delivery, covering different aspects of the overall topic. This format allows for a comprehensive exploration of the subject, as different perspectives and expertise are shared. Group presentations are common in educational settings, corporate environments, and professional conferences, facilitating teamwork, communication, and coordination among participants. Effective group presentations require clear division of responsibilities, cohesive organization, and seamless transitions between speakers. The collaborative nature of group presentations not only enriches the content but also showcases the ability of the team to work together harmoniously to achieve a common goal.

Features of Group Presentations:

Collaborative Effort :

Group presentations involve multiple speakers working together to deliver a cohesive presentation. Each member contributes their expertise and perspectives on the topic.

Division of Responsibilities :

Team members typically divide tasks such as research, content creation, slide preparation, and delivery. This division ensures comprehensive coverage of the topic and efficient use of team resources.

Diverse Perspectives :

Group presentations benefit from diverse viewpoints and insights from team members with different backgrounds, experiences, and expertise. This diversity enriches the content and provides a holistic view of the subject.

Interactive Elements :

Groups often incorporate interactive elements such as Q&A sessions, panel discussions, or group activities into their presentations. These elements engage the audience and encourage participation.

Structured Organization :

Like individual presentations, group presentations are well-structured with a clear introduction, main points, supporting details, and conclusion. This structure helps maintain coherence and clarity.

Enhanced Visuals :

Groups can utilize a variety of visual aids including slides, videos, infographics, and demonstrations. These visuals enhance understanding, illustrate key points, and make the presentation more compelling.

Teamwork and Coordination :

Effective group presentations demonstrate teamwork, coordination, and communication among team members. Smooth transitions between speakers, consistent messaging, and shared goals are evident.

Key differences between Individual Presentations and Group Presentations

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The formal presentation of information is divided into two broad categories: Presentation Skills and Personal Presentation .

These two aspects are interwoven and can be described as the preparation, presentation and practice of verbal and non-verbal communication. 

This article describes what a presentation is and defines some of the key terms associated with presentation skills.

Many people feel terrified when asked to make their first public talk.  Some of these initial fears can be reduced by good preparation that also lays the groundwork for making an effective presentation.

A Presentation Is...

A presentation is a means of communication that can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team.

A presentation can also be used as a broad term that encompasses other ‘speaking engagements’ such as making a speech at a wedding, or getting a point across in a video conference.

To be effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and means of presenting the information should be carefully considered. 

A presentation requires you to get a message across to the listeners and will often contain a ' persuasive ' element. It may, for example, be a talk about the positive work of your organisation, what you could offer an employer, or why you should receive additional funding for a project.

The Key Elements of a Presentation

Making a presentation is a way of communicating your thoughts and ideas to an audience and many of our articles on communication are also relevant here, see: What is Communication? for more.

Consider the following key components of a presentation:

Ask yourself the following questions to develop a full understanding of the context of the presentation.

When and where will you deliver your presentation?

There is a world of difference between a small room with natural light and an informal setting, and a huge lecture room, lit with stage lights. The two require quite different presentations, and different techniques.

Will it be in a setting you are familiar with, or somewhere new?

If somewhere new, it would be worth trying to visit it in advance, or at least arriving early, to familiarise yourself with the room.

Will the presentation be within a formal or less formal setting?

A work setting will, more or less by definition, be more formal, but there are also various degrees of formality within that.

Will the presentation be to a small group or a large crowd?

Are you already familiar with the audience?

With a new audience, you will have to build rapport quickly and effectively, to get them on your side.

What equipment and technology will be available to you, and what will you be expected to use?

In particular, you will need to ask about microphones and whether you will be expected to stand in one place, or move around.

What is the audience expecting to learn from you and your presentation?

Check how you will be ‘billed’ to give you clues as to what information needs to be included in your presentation.

All these aspects will change the presentation. For more on this, see our page on Deciding the Presentation Method .

The role of the presenter is to communicate with the audience and control the presentation.

Remember, though, that this may also include handing over the control to your audience, especially if you want some kind of interaction.

You may wish to have a look at our page on Facilitation Skills for more.

The audience receives the presenter’s message(s).

However, this reception will be filtered through and affected by such things as the listener’s own experience, knowledge and personal sense of values.

See our page: Barriers to Effective Communication to learn why communication can fail.

The message or messages are delivered by the presenter to the audience.

The message is delivered not just by the spoken word ( verbal communication ) but can be augmented by techniques such as voice projection, body language, gestures, eye contact ( non-verbal communication ), and visual aids.

The message will also be affected by the audience’s expectations. For example, if you have been billed as speaking on one particular topic, and you choose to speak on another, the audience is unlikely to take your message on board even if you present very well . They will judge your presentation a failure, because you have not met their expectations.

The audience’s reaction and therefore the success of the presentation will largely depend upon whether you, as presenter, effectively communicated your message, and whether it met their expectations.

As a presenter, you don’t control the audience’s expectations. What you can do is find out what they have been told about you by the conference organisers, and what they are expecting to hear. Only if you know that can you be confident of delivering something that will meet expectations.

See our page: Effective Speaking for more information.

How will the presentation be delivered?

Presentations are usually delivered direct to an audience.  However, there may be occasions where they are delivered from a distance over the Internet using video conferencing systems, such as Skype.

It is also important to remember that if your talk is recorded and posted on the internet, then people may be able to access it for several years. This will mean that your contemporaneous references should be kept to a minimum.

Impediments

Many factors can influence the effectiveness of how your message is communicated to the audience.

For example background noise or other distractions, an overly warm or cool room, or the time of day and state of audience alertness can all influence your audience’s level of concentration.

As presenter, you have to be prepared to cope with any such problems and try to keep your audience focussed on your message.   

Our page: Barriers to Communication explains these factors in more depth.

Continue to read through our Presentation Skills articles for an overview of how to prepare and structure a presentation, and how to manage notes and/or illustrations at any speaking event.

Continue to: Preparing for a Presentation Deciding the Presentation Method

See also: Writing Your Presentation | Working with Visual Aids Coping with Presentation Nerves | Dealing with Questions Learn Better Presentation Skills with TED Talks

Group Discussion: Features, Elements, Types, Process, Characteristics, Roles, Group

• Post author: Anuj Kumar
• Post published: 9 August 2022
• Post category: BBA Study Material / BCOM Study Material / Communication / MBA / MCOM
• Post comments: 0 Comments

Table of Contents

• 1 What is Group Discussion?
• 2.1 Having a Clear Objective
• 2.2 Motivated Interaction
• 2.3 Logical Presentation
• 2.4 Cordial Atmosphere
• 2.5 Effective Communication skills
• 2.6 Participation by all Candidates
• 2.7 Leadership Skills
• 3.1 Purpose
• 3.2 Planning
• 3.3 Participation
• 3.4 Informality
• 3.5 Leadership
• 4.1 Topic Based
• 4.2 Timing of Topic
• 4.3 Case Based
• 5.1 Know the Purpose
• 5.2 Decide Group Members
• 5.3 Seating Arrangements
• 5.4 Give Necessary Instructions
• 5.5 Announcement of Topic
• 5.6 Discussion Time
• 5.7 Assessment
• 6.1 Having a Clear Objective
• 6.2 Motivated Interaction
• 6.3 Logical Presentation
• 6.4 Cordial Atmosphere
• 6.5 Effective Communication Skills
• 6.6 Participation by All Candidates
• 6.7 Leadership Skills
• 7 Roles in Group Discussion
• 8.1 Physical Arrangements
• 8.2 Visual Aids
• 8.3 Group Structure
• 8.4 Organization of Discussion Material
• 8.5 Notice to Participants
• 8.6 Conduct of Discussion
• 8.7 Follow Up
• 9.1 What do you mean by a group discussion?
• 9.2 What are the features of group discussion?
• 9.3 What are the elements of group discussion?
• 9.4 What are the types of group discussions?
• 9.5 What is the process of group discussion?
• 9.6 What are the characteristics of group discussion?
• 9.7 Explain the group discussion problems.

What is Group Discussion?

Group discussion may be defined as a form of a systematic and purposeful oral process characterized by the formal and structured exchange of views on a particular topic, issue, problem, or situation for developing information and understanding essential for decision-making or problem-solving.

Group discussion is an important activity in academic, business, and administrative spheres. It is a systematic and purposeful interactive oral process. Here the exchange of ideas, thoughts, and feelings takes place through oral communication .

The exchange of ideas takes place in a systematic and structured way. The participants sit facing each other almost in a semi-circle and express their views on the given topic/issue/problem.

“Group” is a collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction and who work together to achieve a common set of goals. “Discussion” is the process whereby two or more people exchange information or ideas in a face-to-face situation to achieve a goal.

The goal, or end product , may be increased knowledge, agreement leading to action, disagreement leading to competition or resolution, or perhaps only a clearing of the air or a continuation of the status quo.

Read Also: What is Group Communication?

Features of Group Discussion

For any group discussion to be successful, achieving group goals is essential. The following features of group discussion :

Having a Clear Objective

Motivated interaction, logical presentation, cordial atmosphere, effective communication skills, participation by all candidates, leadership skills.

The participants need to know the purpose of the group discussion so that they can concentrate during the discussion and contribute to achieving the group goal. An effective group discussion typically begins with a purpose stated by the initiator.

When there is a good level of motivation among the members, they learn to subordinate their personal interests to the group interest and the discussions are more fruitful.

Participants decide how they will organize the presentation of individual views, how an exchange of the views will take place, and how they will reach a group consensus. If the mode of interaction is not decided, few of the members in the group may dominate the discussion and thus will make the entire process meaningless.

The development of a cooperative, friendly, and cordial atmosphere avoids confrontation between the group members.

The success of a group discussion depends on the effective use of communication techniques. Like any other oral communication, clear pronunciations, simple language, and the right pitch are the prerequisites of a group discussion . Non-verbal communication has to be paid attention to since means like body language convey a lot in any communication.

When all the members participate, the group discussion becomes effective. Members need to encourage each other in the group discussion .

Qualities like initiation, logical presentation, encouraging all the group members to participate, and summarizing the discussion reflect leadership qualities.

Read Also: Importance of Group Communication

Elements of Group Discussion

These are the elements of group discussion :

Participation

Informality.

There can be a fruitful discussion without a clear purpose aimless talking is not discussion and no organization and no organization can afford to waste its precious time in aimless talking. Without a clearly stated purpose, the participants are likely to skip from one topic to another.

Following are the purposes of group discussion:

• Your communication skills.
• How do you respond to different situations and your ability to think on your feet?
• Your ability to analyze topics.
• Your knowledge of different subjects.
• Your group dynamics and team skills.

A group cannot rely on the random or on-the-spot expression of feelings and ideas. Advance planning is necessary. The agenda, the notice to members, date, time, and venue of the discussion need to be decided carefully. A meaningful discussion can take place only after careful thought is given to what is to be discussed.

In the group discussion, each individual member is expected to participate and contribute to the deliberation of the group. Members who do not speak in discussion participate through active listening. A meaningful and effective discussion is impossible without participation.

If few persons dominate the discussion rest of the members become passive listeners.

In a discussion, the members should be made to feel comfortable and at ease to speak. An informal and cordial atmosphere encourages the fullest possible participation in the discussion, though group discussion is formal.

A good is essential for a group discussion. The leader initiates and pilots the discussion steering through all troubles. In the absence of a leader, the discussion may run haywire, and the group might become chaotic.

Read Also: Advantages of Group Communication

Types of Group Discussion

Let’s look at the types of group discussion :

Topic Based

Timing of topic.

In this kind of group discussion, participants are expected to discuss a given topic. Many times, especially in the case of the job selection process, participants are given multiple topics and the group can choose any one of them to discuss further. The choice of the final topic is based on the consensus among the group members. A topic for discussion varies from factual to abstract.

The topic for group discussion could be announced either before the date of discussion or on the spot. Pre-announced topics give an opportunity to participants to prepare for discussion while on spot topic checks the presence of mind of the participants. In an on-spot situation, participants are given five to ten minutes to arrange their thoughts.

Sometimes the participants are given a case to discuss upon. The case could be from a real-life situation or a hypothetical one. At the end of the case, a few questions are posed to the participants. All the participants are expected to analyze the case properly and provide the most logical and innovative solution to the question.

Read Also: Characteristics of Group Communication

Process of Group Discussion

These are the steps of the process of group discussion :

Know the Purpose

Decide group members, seating arrangements, give necessary instructions, announcement of topic, discussion time.

Before conducting a group discussion its purpose must be clear to everyone. A purpose could act as a guiding force that can keep the discussion on track. A purpose could also provide a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the discussion. The purpose for discussion could range from discussing the applicability of a strategy to the selection of a suitable candidate.

In case many participants are there, they need to be divided into smaller groups. So, the next decision is about the number of participants in a group and the number of groups. As suggested earlier, eight to fifteen members per group make it ideal for discussion.

In order to provide a suitable environment for discussion, proper seating arrangements need to be made. A good seating arrangement helps the participants to communicate effectively. As a rule, every member of the group must be in a position to look at and communicate with all the other members of the group. The popular seating arrangement styles are circular and semi-circular styles.

The role of a moderator is to announce necessary instructions prior to the commencement of the discussion. These instructions are given to ensure the smooth conduct of the discussion. Instructions could be related to the time limit for discussion, general rules of conduct, etc.

Now is the time to announce the topic or provide the case for discussion. Generally, at this stage few minutes are provided to the participants to organize their thought. Permission to use pen and paper varies from moderator to moderator.

At this stage, the moderator gives permission to start the discussion. All the participants try to present their viewpoints with supportive arguments on the given topic. One of the members generally initiates the discussion and others start pouring in their views and so on.

Unless and until mutually decided, no particular sequence is followed to present the views. At the conclusion stage, one of the members takes initiative to summarize the discussion in the light of the purpose.

Once the discussion is over the judges evaluate the performance of each member on pre-decided criteria. Such evaluation criteria might include group behavior , communication skills, leadership qualities, analytical skills, subject knowledge, etc.

Characteristics of Group Discussion

Characteristics of group discussion are explained below:

Effective Communication Skills

Participation by all candidates.

Participants decide how they will organize the presentation of individual views, how an exchange of the views will take place, and how they will reach a group consensus. If the mode of interaction is not decided, a few of the members in the group may dominate the discussion and thus will make the entire process meaningless.

The success of a group discussion depends on the effective use of communication techniques. Like any other oral communication, clear pronunciation, simple language, and the right pitch are the prerequisites of a group discussion. Non-verbal communication has to be paid attention to since means like body language convey a lot in any communication.

When all the members participate, the group discussion becomes effective. Members need to encourage each other in the group discussion.

Continue Your Reading: Characteristics of Group Communication

Roles in Group Discussion

At the time of commencement of a group discussion, all the members are on par with each other. Still, all the members assume different roles at different stages during the discussion. The choice of the role assumed by an individual depends upon his/her personal characteristics.

In addition to it, sometimes a member plays more than one role during the discussion. Following is the list of some roles in group discussion :

• Starter: This member initiates the discussion and set the tone for further discussion.
• Connector: This member tries to connect the ideas of all the members of the group.
• Extender: This member extends the viewpoints presented by the previous speaker by adding more information.
• Encourager: This member ensures that all other members are actively participating in the discussion.
• Critic: A critic always provides a significant analysis of the presented idea.
• Peacemaker: If a situation arises where the members of the group are locking horns with each other, this member tries to pacify them to ensure a harmonious discussion.
• Tracker: A tracker keeps the discussion on track and prevents it from going haywire.

Group Discussion Problems

A dialogue between two persons suffers from several barriers. When the number of people increases, there are additional emotional filters, listening inefficiencies, and other problems. Some of the problems involved in group communication are:

Physical Arrangements

Visual aids, group structure, organization of discussion material, notice to participants, conduct of discussion.

The furniture and another physical arrangement for a group discussion should be such that a speaker faces other participants and can maintain eye contact. Each type of discussion group may require a different type of seating arrangement. The room in which the discussion is held should be well-lighted, Well ventilated, and free from noise. Adequate stationery and other material should be provided to the participants.

When the topic of discussion requires consideration of figures and project plans, charts, maps, slides, and other visual aids should be provided to assist the flow of ideas.

Generally, a homogeneous group can Indulge better in the discussion. Mixed groups do not communicate easily. However, all shades of opinion should be represented in the discussion. Members of the group should be selected to ensure a smooth flow of information. The topic of discussion should be within the experience and competence of the group.

The group must know the topic and purpose of the discussion. The scope of the discussion has to be restricted to the time allotted. The discussion sequence (a series of questions to be discussed) must be tentatively planned in advance.

The persons who are to participate in the discussion should be given sufficient time to think over the topic and collect the necessary data and other materials which they want to use in the discussion.

The leader will open the discussion by stating its topic and purpose. He should allow reasonable opportunities for the participants to speak and answer questions. At the end of the discussion, he should summarise the main points of discussion and the conclusions arrived at. Finally, he should thank the members for their contributions to the discussion.

After the discussion, it is necessary to write down the conclusions. A copy may be sent to every participant and other concerned persons. It may be necessary to send notices, letters, etc. to persons who are required to take action on the basis of conclusions arrived in a discussion.

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FAQ Related to Group Discussion

What do you mean by a group discussion, what are the features of group discussion.

Features of group discussion are given below: 1. Having a Clear Objective 2. Motivated Interaction 3. Logical Presentation 4. Cordial Atmosphere 5. Effective Communication skills 6. Participation by all Candidates 7. Leadership Skills.

What are the elements of group discussion?

Elements of group discussion are given below: 1. Purpose 2. Planning 3. Participation 4. Informality 5. Leadership.

What are the types of group discussions?

These are three types of group discussion: 1. Topic Based 2. Timing of Topic 3. Case Based.

What is the process of group discussion?

Processes of group discussion is the given below: 1. Know the Purpose 2. Decide Group Members 3. Seating Arrangements 4. Give Necessary Instructions 5. Announcement of Topic 6. Discussion Time 7. Assessment.

What are the characteristics of group discussion?

Characteristics of group discussion are given below: 1. Having a Clear Objective 2. Motivated Interaction 3. Logical Presentation 4. Cordial Atmosphere 5. Effective Communication Skills 6. Participation by All Candidates 7. Leadership Skills.

Explain the group discussion problems.

These are the group discussion problems: 1. Physical Arrangements 2. Visual Aids 3. Group Structure 4. Organization of Discussion Material 5. Notice to Participants 6. Conduct of Discussion 7. Follow Up.

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What is Group Communication and Types, Challenges, & Strategies of Group Communication

In today’s dynamic professional environment, effective group communication is the backbone of any successful team. It involves the exchange of information, ideas, and feedback among team members, leveraging both verbal and nonverbal methods. This interaction is shaped by roles, norms, and relationships within the group.

What is Group Communication?

Group communication refers to the interaction between three or more individuals aimed at achieving a common goal. This form of communication is critical as it fosters mutual influence among team members and enhances collaboration. It can include various channels such as face-to-face meetings, emails, and video conferencing. Group Communication is completely differnt from team communication.

Group communication involves the exchange of information, ideas, and feedback among team members with a shared goal. This can be verbal, such as in discussions, or nonverbal, through body language and facial expressions. Effective group communication considers norms, roles, and relationships within the team, significantly influencing how messages are interpreted and acted upon. As highlighted by the Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication, it typically occurs in groups of three to twenty individuals, enabling meaningful interaction with the potential for mutual influence.

Small-Group vs. Large-Group Communication

Understanding the size of a group is crucial as it dramatically affects communication dynamics. Small-group communication, involving up to about ten people, tends to be more informal and effective for quick idea generation and in-depth discussions. Larger groups, on the other hand, require more formal structures to manage the flow of communication efficiently. In small groups, every member can contribute more directly, fostering a collaborative environment with fewer barriers to engagement. Large groups might bring diverse perspectives but often struggle with ensuring every voice is heard and understood.

The distinction between these types is vital for appropriate strategy development. In small groups, quick interactions can lead to faster decision-making, while large groups benefit from structured processes to handle the increased complexity and potential for information overload.

Centralized vs. Decentralized Communication Structures

Group communication can be structured in centralized or decentralized formats. In a centralized communication structure, a central figure, such as a team leader, primarily guides the conversation. This approach can be effective for urgent tasks and clear directives, as seen in situations where immediate and unambiguous communication is necessary.

Conversely, a decentralized structure allows for more equal participation among group members, facilitating a free flow of ideas. This structure is beneficial for complex tasks that require collaborative problem-solving and creative input from all team members. Research indicates that decentralized communication often results in more thorough discussions and innovative solutions, as every member’s input is valued and considered.

Understanding these structures helps teams choose the most effective communication strategy based on their specific needs and the nature of their projects.

Understanding the Components of Group Communication

Participants and messages.

Effective group communication begins with the participants. Each member of the group plays a crucial role in the exchange of information. The participants are both the senders and receivers of the messages. Their interaction, engagement, and ability to communicate effectively determine the overall success of the communication process.

The message is another vital component. It is the piece of information that is being communicated across the group. The clarity, relevance, and precision of the message significantly impact how it is received and understood by the participants. In professional teams, ensuring that messages are clear and concise can prevent misunderstandings and promote efficient collaboration.

Noise and Context

Noise refers to any external element that can distort or interfere with the original message. This includes environmental noise, ambiguous body language, cultural barriers, and unfamiliar jargon. Overcoming noise is essential to maintain the integrity of the message. Teams must be aware of these potential obstacles and strive to minimize their impact through clear communication practices.

The context in which communication takes place also plays a significant role. Context includes the situation, culture, environment, time, place, and roles of participants. These factors influence how messages are interpreted and can affect the overall communication dynamics. For example, a meeting in a noisy environment may require participants to focus more on ensuring clarity.

To navigate context challenges, teams should establish a common understanding of their communication practices and cultural norms. This fosters a more inclusive and effective communication environment.

Understanding these key components - participants, message, noise, context, channels, and feedback - helps professional teams to communicate more effectively, enhancing overall team productivity and collaboration.

Types of Group Communication

Understanding the different types of group communication is crucial for fostering a collaborative environment among professional teams. Let’s explore the main forms and channels of group communication.

1. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Verbal communication involves the exchange of information through spoken words, whether face-to-face, over the phone, or through video conferencing. Nonverbal communication encompasses body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice, all of which can significantly influence the interpretation of the verbal message. In group settings, paying attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues ensures more effective interactions.

2. Written and Visual Communication

Written communication includes emails, memos, and group chats, which are indispensable for documenting discussions and decisions. Visual communication, on the other hand, involves the use of diagrams, charts, and virtual whiteboards to convey ideas. Tools like Creately enhance visual communication with collaborative diagramming capabilities, making complex ideas easier to understand.

3. Listening as a Critical Component

Listening is a key aspect of all types of communication. Active listening involves fully focusing on the speaker, understanding their message, and responding thoughtfully. This practice not only reduces misunderstandings but also fosters a more inclusive and respectful team environment.

The right blend of these communication types can transform how teams interact, leading to enhanced collaboration and efficiency. For instance, using a platform like Creately helps in conducting effective meetings and discussions by integrating verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual communication in a single collaborative space, thus significantly improving group communication skills.

Group Communication Channels

Choosing the right channels for group communication can significantly impact the effectiveness of your team’s collaboration and overall productivity. There are several formal and informal channels that can be leveraged to facilitate communication within professional teams:

Formal In-person Meetings: These are structured interactions where team members gather in an office setting to discuss project progress, objectives, or current issues. Often guided by a leader, these meetings ensure everyone is on the same page.

Informal Group Gatherings: Company parties, wellness retreats, or team-building events foster better relationships and improve communication. These unstructured settings allow team members to interact freely and build rapport.

Group Emails: Written communication used for formal exchanges. Effective for sharing detailed information but may not be ideal for urgent matters requiring quick responses.

Conference Calls: These allow team members to interact in real-time from different locations. Tools like video conferencing enhance the experience by enabling face-to-face interactions digitally.

Group Message Chats: Instant messaging apps like Slack facilitate quick updates, informal discussions, and file sharing among team members, enhancing collaboration.

Memos: Used for formal communications within an organization. Memos are best for conveying important updates, tasks, and policy changes.

Project Management Task Lists: Tools like Asana or Trello display and track tasks. These platforms offer message boxes next to tasks for additional conversations, making collaboration seamless.

Common Challenges to Group Communication

Effective group communication faces numerous challenges, primarily in the form of barriers. These barriers can be:

Physical: When team members are spread across different locations, physical separation can lead to communication difficulties. This is particularly pertinent in hybrid or remote work arrangements where connectivity issues may arise.

Perceptual: Individual perception differences, influenced by personal experiences and backgrounds, can create misunderstandings within the team.

Emotional: The emotional state of team members can drastically impact their interpretation and delivery of messages. Stress and frustration can color communication in a negative light.

Interpersonal: Interpersonal issues, such as conflicts or personality clashes, hamper the flow of information and collaborative spirit.

Cultural: Different cultural backgrounds can lead to varied interpretations of messages, emphasizing the need for inclusive communication practices.

Language: Language differences, including jargon or technical terms, can create confusion and miscommunication.

Strategies to Improve Group Communication

Effective group communication is crucial for team success, but it doesn’t always come naturally. By implementing targeted strategies, teams can significantly enhance their communication skills, leading to improved collaboration, productivity, and overall performance. Here are key strategies to consider:

1. Assess the Communication Style of Members

Understanding individual communication styles within a team is the first step towards improving group communication. Each team member may have a unique way of expressing ideas and processing information. To assess communication styles:

Conduct personality assessments: Use tools like DISC or Myers-Briggs to gain insights into individual communication preferences.

Observe team interactions: Pay attention to how team members express themselves during meetings and in written communications.

Encourage self-reflection: Ask team members to identify their own communication strengths and areas for improvement.

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By recognizing these differences, teams can adapt their communication approaches to accommodate various styles, fostering a more inclusive and effective communication environment.

2. Offer Support and Communication Training

Investing in communication training can yield significant returns in team performance. Consider the following approaches:

Workshops on active listening: Teach techniques to improve comprehension and engagement during conversations.

Presentation skills training : Help team members articulate ideas more clearly and confidently.

Written communication courses: Enhance clarity and effectiveness in emails, reports, and other written formats.

Cross-cultural communication training: Particularly valuable for diverse or global teams to bridge cultural gaps.

Regular training sessions keep communication skills sharp and demonstrate the organization’s commitment to ongoing improvement.

3. Encourage Open Discussion

Creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns is crucial for effective group communication. To promote open discussion:

Implement a “no-idea-is-bad” policy: Encourage creative thinking without fear of judgment.

Use icebreakers: Start meetings with activities that put everyone at ease and promote participation.

Practice round-robin participation: Ensure everyone has a chance to contribute during meetings.

Utilize anonymous feedback tools: Provide channels for team members to share thoughts without attribution when necessary.

By fostering an open environment, teams can tap into a wider range of ideas and perspectives, leading to more innovative solutions.

4. Establish Clear Responsibilities

Clarity in roles and responsibilities is fundamental to smooth group communication. To achieve this:

Create detailed job descriptions: Ensure each team member understands their specific duties and how they contribute to the team’s goals.

Use RACI matrices: Clearly define who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each project or task.

• Regularly review and update roles: As projects evolve, reassess and communicate any changes in responsibilities.
• Encourage ownership: Empower team members to take initiative within their defined roles.

When everyone understands their part in the bigger picture, communication becomes more focused and effective.

5. Resolve Conflicts Quickly

Unresolved conflicts can severely hinder group communication. Implement strategies to address issues promptly:

Establish a conflict resolution protocol: Create a clear process for addressing disagreements professionally.

Train team leaders in mediation: Equip managers with skills to facilitate constructive conversations between conflicting parties.

Encourage direct communication: Promote face-to-face or video call discussions to resolve misunderstandings quickly.

Use collaborative problem-solving techniques: Implement methods like the “5 Whys” to get to the root of conflicts and find mutually beneficial solutions.

By addressing conflicts swiftly and constructively, teams can maintain a positive communication climate.

6. Provide Consistent Feedback

Regular feedback is essential for continuous improvement in group communication. Implement these practices:

Schedule frequent check-ins: Hold one-on-one meetings to discuss individual communication strengths and areas for growth.

Use 360-degree feedback: Gather insights from peers, subordinates, and supervisors to provide a comprehensive view of each member’s communication skills.

Implement real-time feedback tools: Use platforms like Creately that allow for immediate comments and suggestions on shared work.

Celebrate communication wins: Recognize and reward instances of exceptional communication to reinforce positive behaviors.

Consistent feedback helps team members refine their communication skills and aligns the team’s communication practices with organizational goals.

By implementing these strategies, teams can create a robust foundation for effective group communication. Remember that improving communication is an ongoing process that requires commitment and adaptability. Regularly reassess your team’s communication practices and be open to adjusting strategies as needed. With persistent effort and the right tools, such as collaborative platforms like Creately, teams can achieve remarkable improvements in their communication effectiveness, leading to enhanced productivity and success.

Enhancing Group Communication with Technology

In today’s dynamic work environment, technology plays a pivotal role in bridging communication gaps, especially for remote and hybrid teams. Utilizing the right tech tools can significantly improve how teams collaborate and communicate, leading to better outcomes and stronger relationships.

Video Conferencing and Instant Messaging

Video conferencing tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams are indispensable for maintaining face-to-face interactions, even when team members are miles apart. These platforms facilitate real-time discussions, allowing for quick resolution of issues and decision-making. Instant messaging apps such as Slack or Creately provide a space for ongoing conversations, quick updates, and informal exchanges, enhancing day-to-day communication efficiency.

Collaborative Platforms for Enhanced Communication

Collaborative platforms serve as the backbone for asynchronous communication. Tools like Creately, allow team members to work on documents simultaneously, share ideas via virtual whiteboards, and manage projects without the constraints of time zones. This flexibility ensures that everyone stays on the same page, regardless of their location.

Overcoming Technology Challenges

While technology offers countless benefits, it also presents challenges such as information overload, technical glitches, and security concerns. To mitigate these issues, it’s crucial to choose user-friendly tools, provide proper training, and establish clear guidelines on information sharing and security protocols. For example, using Creately’s secure and robust platform can alleviate many of these concerns while enhancing collaborative problem-solving activities.

By balancing the advantages and limitations of technology, teams can significantly enhance their group communication. Leveraging tools like Creately helps create a cohesive, efficient, and collaborative environment, making it easier to achieve business goals and build stronger team relationships.

Choosing the Right Communication Tools for Your Team

In a fast-paced professional environment, selecting the appropriate communication tools is crucial for enhancing group communication. Below are key criteria to consider when choosing these tools:

Accessibility : Ensure that the tools are easily accessible to all team members, including those with disabilities. Everyone should be able to navigate and use them effectively.

Ease of Use: The tools should be user-friendly. An intuitive interface can significantly reduce the learning curve, allowing team members to adopt the tools swiftly.

Features: Evaluate the features offered, such as real-time collaboration, file sharing, and video conferencing. The right blend of features can streamline workflows.

Compatibility: The tools should be compatible with other software and systems used within the organization. Smooth integration ensures seamless operations.

Security: Prioritize tools that offer robust security measures to protect sensitive information. Features like end-to-end encryption can provide added peace of mind.

How Creately Helps in Group Communication

In the landscape of digital collaboration tools, Creately stands out as a powerful ally for enhancing group communication. By offering a suite of features designed to facilitate visual collaboration and streamline workflows, Creately addresses many of the challenges teams face in today’s dynamic work environments. Let’s explore how Creately’s key features contribute to more effective group communication:

1. Interactive Whiteboard

Creately’s interactive whiteboard feature serves as a digital canvas for teams to brainstorm, plan, and collaborate in real-time. This tool is particularly valuable for:

Ideation sessions : Teams can visually map out ideas, allowing for a more organic flow of creativity.

Project planning: Visualize project timelines, dependencies, and milestones in a format that’s easy for all team members to understand and contribute to.

Problem-solving: Use diagrams and visual representations to break down complex issues, making them more approachable for group discussion.

The interactive nature of the whiteboard encourages active participation from all team members, fostering a more inclusive communication environment.

2. Real-Time Editing

The ability for multiple users to edit documents simultaneously is a game-changer for group communication. Creately’s real-time editing feature:

Enhances collaboration : Team members can work together on documents, diagrams, or presentations, seeing changes as they happen.

Speeds up decision-making: Immediate edits and updates allow teams to iterate quickly and reach consensus faster.

This feature is particularly beneficial for remote or distributed teams, as it recreates the experience of working side-by-side in a virtual space.

3. Comments and Annotations

Clear and direct feedback is essential for effective group communication. Creately’s comments and annotations feature facilitates this by:

Enabling contextual feedback : Team members can leave comments or annotations directly on specific parts of a document or diagram.

Tracking discussions: Comments create a record of discussions and decisions, ensuring all team members stay informed.

Streamlining review processes: Reviewers can easily highlight areas for improvement or ask questions without altering the original content.

This feature promotes more precise and efficient communication, reducing misunderstandings and speeding up the iteration process.

4. Integration Capabilities

In today’s digital workplace, the ability to integrate with other tools is crucial. Creately’s integration capabilities:

Streamline workflows: By connecting with project management tools, communication platforms, and other productivity apps, Creately ensures that information flows seamlessly across your team’s tech stack.

Reduce context switching: Team members can access Creately’s features from within other familiar tools, maintaining focus and productivity.

Enhance data consistency: Integration helps maintain consistency across different platforms, reducing the risk of miscommunication due to outdated or conflicting information.

By offering these integrations, Creately positions itself as a central hub in your team’s communication ecosystem, facilitating smoother information flow and collaboration

Chiraag George is a communication specialist here at Creately. He is a marketing junkie that is fascinated by how brands occupy consumer mind space. A lover of all things tech, he writes a lot about the intersection of technology, branding and culture at large.

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Guide for Giving a Group Presentation

February 21, 2018 - Dom Barnard

In certain academic and business situations, it is more valuable to deliver a group presentation than a solo one. Many people prefer group presentations because there is less pressure on the individual. However there are also unique challenges, such as having to ensure multiple individuals collaborate in order to produce a cohesive piece of work.

Preparing for the group presentation

As with any presentation, there is a significant amount of work during the preparation stage. The group must be well organised because there are multiple individuals, and therefore multiple personalities involved.

Presentation moderator

To assist with organisation, the group should first decide on a presentation moderator – this is essentially the “leader”. The presentation moderator can have the final say when decision-making is needed and, during the Q&A portion of the presentation, can decide which speakers will answer certain questions.

Understanding the audience

To make your presentation engaging you need to  think about the audience  so you can tailor it towards their needs. How much will the audience already know about this topic? What will they want to get from this presentation?

For example, if you are presenting the topic of building a bridge to a group of civil engineers, you can confidently use technical language. However, if you are presenting to secondary school students, you would need to use simpler language and not explain the methods in as much detail.

The presentation’s purpose

As a group, ensure you agree on the purpose of the presentation so that you all understand the message that needs to be conveyed e.g. “We want to find out which treatment works best for social anxiety.” Deciding on your message means that the group can start building key points around this – just keep in mind that each subtopic must contribute to the presentation’s aim.

Divide the presentation

The presentation needs to be  divided into main areas  so there is a clear beginning, middle and end. This is where can you decide on the order of the subtopics. Presentations usually follow this structure:

1. Introduction:

• It is useful to agree on the first minute of the presentation as a team. This is because the audience should be interested from the start and convinced to listen.
• The presentation’s aims are also discussed and an overview of the presentation’s structure is provided. For example, “We set out to explore the effectiveness of different treatments for social anxiety. We will first cover the symptoms and prevalence of social anxiety, before explaining the different treatments. This will then lead into a discussion about the pros and cons of each treatment route. Finally, we will explain which treatment route we decided was the most effective for this disorder.”

2. One or two middle sections:

• These sections consist of providing the information that addresses your presentation’s aim.
• There can be more of these sections depending on your topic.

3. Conclusion:

• After summarising all of the key points, there must be a clear conclusion. It is beneficial to appoint the conclusion to the best speaker as this is where all the information is pooled together.

After segmenting the presentation, a time sequence can be created so the group understands the order in which tasks must be completed. It is important to set deadlines for this.

Share responsibility

A frequent problem when working within a group is unequal participation as this can subsequently cause disharmony.

But this is easily avoidable by assigning each speaker a section of the presentation to work on depending on their interests. This means that each speaker should be doing the research for their section and putting together a speech and slides (if being used).

• It is important to specify exactly what each group member should be doing with their time.
• Make sure the length of time per speaker is agreed on.
• Do not change speakers more than necessary because this can reduce the coherency of the presentation.

Build the presentation together

For an audience to follow and enjoy a presentation, it must flow together. Meeting up and building the presentation helps with this because:

• This prevents the duplication of content.
• You can put the slides together, although only one individual should be responsible for merging the slides so there is consistency within the presentation.
• It is useful to receive feedback on the speeches before presenting to an audience.
• The team can agree on any edits.
• The team can agree on the conclusion.
• You can make sure that each speaker will talk for the same amount of time and cover a similar amount of information.
• The team can come up with the first minute of the presentation together.

Use stories to engage the audience

A good presentation opening could  start with a story  to highlight why your topic is significant. For example, if the topic is on the benefits of pets on physical and psychological health, you could present a story or a study about an individual whose quality of life significantly improved after being given a dog.

The audience is more likely to remember this story than a list of facts and statistics so try and incorporate relevant stories into presentations.

Know what each speaker will say

Each speaker must know what the other group members will say as this prevents repetition and it may be useful to refer to a previous speaker to assist in explaining your own section.

Also, if a team member is unable to attend on the day it will be easier to find cover within the group.

Write and practice transitions

Clean transitioning between speakers can also assist in producing a presentation that flows well. One way of doing this is:

• Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what social anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
• Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Sarah will talk about the prevalence of social anxiety.”
• Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Sarah”.
• The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Nick.”

From this example you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

Practice the presentation

Rehearse with the group multiple times to make sure:

• The structure works
• Everyone is sticking to their timing.
• To see if any edits are needed.

The more you  rehearse a presentation  the more you will feel comfortable presenting the material and answering questions as your familiarity with the content increases.

Handling nerves before the presentation

It is  natural to feel nervous  when presenting in front of others, regardless of the size of the audience. Here are some tips:

• Remind yourself that the audience is there to listen to you and wants you to do well; there is no need to be afraid of them.
• Remember that the audience members will have to present their projects later and are almost certainly feeling just as nervous.
• Practicing with your group and practicing your section at home will make you more comfortable and familiar with the material and increase your confidence.
• Practice pauses  – when people feel nervous they tend to find silences uncomfortable and try to fill gaps, such as using “um” multiple times (filler words). Practicing pauses will help the silences feel less unnatural when you present therefore reducing the need for filler words.
• When we are nervous we often begin breathing quickly and this in turn can increase our anxiety. Controlled breathing is a common technique that helps slow down your breathing to normal thus reducing your anxiety.

Exercises to control your breathing:

• Sit down in an upright position as it easier for your lungs to fill with air
• Breathe in through your nose and into your abdomen for four seconds
• Hold this breathe for two seconds
• Breathe out through your nose for six seconds
• Wait a few seconds before inhaling and repeating the cycle

During the group presentation

Introducing the team.

The presentation should begin with the presentation moderator introducing the team. This is smoother than each individual presenting themselves.

Pay attention to the presentation

You may feel nervous as you wait for your turn to speak but try to listen to the presentation. The audience is able to see the whole team so it is important that you look interested in what is being said and react to it, even if you have heard it multiple times.

Body language and eye contact

Body language is a useful tool to engage the audience:

• If it is your turn to speak then stand slightly in the foreground of the rest of your group.
• Smile at the audience as this will make you look more confident.
• Make eye contact  as this helps you engage with the audience.
• Keep your arms uncrossed so your body language is more open.
• Do not look down and read from your notes- glancing down occasionally is fine but keep in mind that you are talking to the audience.
• This is the same for  presenting visual aids ; you may need to glance at the computer slide but make sure you predominantly face the audience as you are still speaking to them.
• Keep your hands at your sides but use them occasionally to gesture.

Vocal variety

How you say something is just as is important as the content of your speech –  arguably, more so . For example, if an individual presented on a topic very enthusiastically the audience would probably enjoy this compared to someone who covered more points but mumbled into their notes.

Here are some pointers:

• Adapt your voice depending on what are you saying- if you want to highlight something then raise your voice or lower your voice for intensity.
• Avoid speaking in monotone.
• Sound enthusiastic – the more you sound like you care about the topic, the more the audience will listen.
• Speak loudly and clearly.
• If you notice that you are speaking quickly, pause and slow down.
• Warm up your voice  before a speech

Take short pauses and breath deeply. This will ensure you have more vocal variety.

Handling nerves during the presentation

• If you find that you are too uncomfortable to give audience members direct eye contact, a helpful technique is to look directly over the heads of the audience as this gives the impression of eye contact.
• Try not to engage in nervous behaviours e.g. shifting your weight or fidgeting.
• Remember that it’s unlikely that the audience knows that you are feeling nervous – you do not look as anxious as you feel.
• Notice whether you are speaking too quickly as this tends to happen when nervousness increases. If you are, pause and then slow down.

Strong conclusion

Since the conclusion is the last section of your presentation the audience is more likely to remember it. Summarise the key points and lead into a clear concluding statement. For example, if your presentation was on the impact of social media on self-esteem you could list all the main points covered in the presentation and conclude “Therefore, from the amount of evidence and also from the quality of evidence, we have decided that social media is negatively/positively impacting self-esteem.”

Questions and answer session

The questions and answers session after the main presentation can be a source of anxiety as it is often difficult to predict what questions will be asked. But working within a group setting means that individually you do not have to know everything about the topic.

When an  audience member asks a question , the presentation moderator can refer a speaker who has the relevant knowledge to provide an answer. This avoids any hesitant pauses.

If you are answering group presentation questions:

• Pause before answering- take the time to gather your thoughts and think about your answer
• Make sure you answer the question- sometimes you may start providing more information than necessary. Keeping answers as concise as possible will help with this.
• Ask the questioner for clarification if you do not understand- it’s better to ask rather than answering in a way that does not address the question.
• You’re not expected to know everything- challenging questions will emerge and if you do not know the answer you can respond with: “That’s a really good question, I’m not certain so let me look into that.”

Ending the presentation

A good ending usually consists of the presentation moderator thanking the audience. If there is another group afterwards they should transition to the next group.