Discussions are not only formal.. We often discuss Informally...

Consider a situation that you are enjoying songs on a radio or TV and suddenly your favourite song is aired. Your immediate temptation is to increase the volume. Why?Its because you want others also to listen to it. You want to let others know that you like this song. In such a situation if someone else happens to comment,”Aha! This song is from XYZ movie”,a conversation takes place immediately between you and that some one else. If both of you have,by chance,watched the movie”,you find yourself discussing about the hero,heroin,villain and the story including what you liked and what you did not like.

Here starts an Informal Group Discussion...

Ever thought why are we engaging ourselves in conversations?The reason is that man is a social animal. Man likes to be associated with a society. i.e, a group. He has a natural desire to be the part of a group. This desire is so strong that if a person is left to himself,with no one to talk to for a long period,he will develop symptoms of discomfort.

If you look back and think for a moment,you will realise that you will frequently enter into Discussion with others on one topic or the other. You would also have noticed that different persons have different opinions about a single event. Sometimes,you may be in agreement with one such opinions and sometimes you may have a contrary opinion of your own. If you do not agree with someone,you put forward your own view and give reasons why you have this view. Thus you are involuntarily trying to influence the other person's opinion. Similalrly,that other person,who has his own reasons for his opinion,discloses those reasons to you. Sometimes,you are able to convince him. Sometimes,you get convinced. Sometimes a heated conversation starts. You have thus seen that man's entire existence presupposes a relationship with other human beings. He influences them by speech and actions and in turn they affect him.

Why do people form groups and why do they have Group Discussion?It is a natural tendency,just like the natural tendency of liquids to find the lowest place and settle there. You throw a bucketful of water on the floor and the water will automatically find where the lowest place is regardless of the fact where you throw the water. Similarly we,the human beings,have a natural tendency to associate with others. In our childhood,we had our favourite students in school and playmates at home. We naturally become members of a group in which we feel comfortable or “at home”. Most of us are more comfortable in some kinds of situation than in others. Likewise,groups are also more lively in the presence of some particular person that in presence of another. Here,stop for a moment. Let us have a small break. Think about yourself. Think about the kinds of people(groups) in which you prefer to keep quiet. Think about the conditions that increase your comfort level and those which discourage you. This way,although you will not be able to create an ideal environment for yourself every time, but you will have a better understanding of yourself. You will know your shortcomings. Once these are clear to you, you have the natural instincts to find the remedy or learn how to manage them.

You have seen that you have always been having discussion in your personal life. What you said during this discussion,came naturally to you without any preparation. You conversed with people who were known to you,you also conversed with strangers. Sometimes you have even argued without fully understanding the subject matter of the argument. So why this special preparation for Group Discussion now? You would say that those were personal and informal group discussion,outcome of which did not make any difference and that these personal discussion are quite different from the formal “Group Discussion” on which your whole career and life depends. I do not intend to disagree with you. The only thing I want you to realise is that you already know what GD is. You have some practise of it also. All you are to do is to refine your talents...!!