As the winter draws to an end, a new season is scheduled to
start. The season of admission in top notch B-schools and for placement in some
of dream companies. The season would be marked by a lot of havoc; emails would
be sent, calls would be received and people would travel long distances to
bridge the gap between them and their dreams. And as the summers will knock on
the doors, the heat would further rise for two other ongoing of the season- the
Group Discussions and Personal Interviews that will take place and the second
one? IPL auctions are over marking the beginning of the world’s most acclaimed
cricket league.
Group discussions and cricket, looks to be two very or say
totally different things. But there exist a close relationship between the two.
We can define different people in a GD group with the batting position of a
batsman. Don’t agree, read ahead..
The opening person:
Have you come across someone who is always eager to take the
initiative and start the GD for those extra brownie points? Or are you yourself
such a being. If yes, then you are the opening batsman of your group.
Pros:
The innings played by an opening batsman sets the tempo for
the whole team. If he plays well, the morale of the whole team goes up. But if he fails to deliver, the rest of the
team has to do the damage control.
Likewise, you have the advantage that apart from getting the
extra marks for starting the GD, you set the rhythm for the discussion to
proceed. It is most likely that the discussion will revolve around the ideas
that you have put forward, giving you a distinctive edge over the others.
Furthermore, if you give an appropriate start, you will come across as a leader
to the jury, capable of leading the team from the front and on the right
direction.
Cons:
Now let’s look at the other side of coin. Your opening the
will be well and good as long as you are well aware of the pitch conditions and
nature of the incoming deliveries. In the context of group discussions, it is
your awareness of the topic and the validity of your points. Not knowing the
location of your enemy in a battlefield and still running aimlessly in front,
to be appreciated for your bravery, is nothing more than a suicide mission.
So if you think you have the potential to become a Sachin or
a Sehwag, go ahead and drive the hell out of the bowler. Else, you may end up
being clean bold on the very first delivery.
The middle order batsman:
This is arguably the most important place in a batting line
up, and my personal favorite. Reason- It has the most challenges associated
with it, and when the challenges are more, the things start getting
interesting. Doing the damage control if openers fail, stabilizing and
structuring the innings to drive the game home are just some of the
responsibilities of a middle order batsman.
Pros:
You get more time to get familiarize with the topic, and
with your peers. You get to know the strong players of the group and plan your
striking strategy according to it. You are the one who will structure the GD,
carry forward the opinions set by the opening speaker, try to set a consensus
among the group and drive the group towards a conclusion. And if the discussion
is going in some other direction, you should be able to pull it back on the
track, and come across as a smart, logical person to the jury.
Cons:
This is the category where its strength can become the
weakness; because there are just too many players for this slot. And if you are
not strong enough in your skills, chances are that your voice will be lost
amidst so many people. You have to be
assertive, yet not argue. You have to be loud enough to be listened, yet not shout.
And you have to convince the opposition, yet not debate with them. Belonging to
this category takes much self work and planning, but once you are through, you
are at the likes of Sir Don Bradman, Ricky pointing and Viv Richards.
The Finisher:
Are you the M S Dhoni of your group? Do you like to finish
the things off with a six, and bag the Man of the
Match award? Then welcome to the lethal category of the finisher. You may be
sitting quietly over the whole match, watching others play their roles,
appreciating them in between and doing a little of this and that; but when you
deliver, you are the one to strike the home run and bring the game home for
your team.
Pros:
A finisher, as the name suggests, finishes the GD with a
crisp and concrete conclusion that agrees with the consensus of the group.
Sounds easy? Believe me, its one of the trickiest and mind boggling jobs. But
once you have adapted to its art, you may end up with the highest tally in the
group, for slamming the last nail in the coffin. Again, the time plays on your
side in this role, since you have a good stretch to think of your opinion and
strengthen it with some relevant examples. Also, since other members would have
most probably extinguished themselves by then, stakes are high jury would be
attracted towards your sudden heroic entry.
Cons:
A finisher in cricket has to deal with tremendous amount of
pressure on account of doing a sizeable amount of work under less amount of
time. And the same goes in GD. Another factor that may jeopardize you is that
you may be sitting for the whole duration of GD waiting to end the proceedings,
but you become so inundated that your mouth may just refuse to open up. Or some
other group member may end the discussion giving an apt conclusion, leaving you
in a fiasco. But then, not everybody can become MS Dhoni or AB Delliviers.
The Pivot:
He was not an orthodox opener, not a specialist finisher and
not an absolute middle order batsman. But he rotated himself according to the
call of the hour, batting from position 1 to 8 in the order, sometimes opening,
sometimes stabilizing and sometimes finishing the innings. But he almost always
played the role of pivot, doing his role silently and perfectly- taking
singles, striking fours and sometimes going over the fence. The Wall- Rahul
Dravid.
And he can be the perfect role model for how a person should
play in the group discussion. Get hold of the jest of the topic, if get a
chance, open the discussion, else let other person do the job. If other person
gives a good start, build upon it. Else, take the role of a opener and try
shifting the GD in the right direction. Build partnerships by listening to
others and supporting them, and in return, get their support when you make your
point. And most of all, try to be present till the end of game. Keep changing
the gears throughout.
The pitch and attenuation will play a decisive role in your
overall impact. A good orator will vary his pitch among the lows and highs,
just like a well composed cricket inning has everything from singles to sixes.
And most importantly, believe in yourself. Believe in the
practice sessions you had, believe that you can deliver when it matters the
most, and that whatever will follow will be in best of your interests.
Lyk its
often said-
“Give it your best, and then let God
do the rest”.
