Group discussion (GD), by virtue of the term, means exchange of views by participants on a given subject. The whole idea is to bring together a set of people on a common platform to share their ideas, thereby giving an opportunity to exhibit not only their knowledge, but also to understand and enhance their learning by absorbing the thoughts of other people.
Advantages of Group Discussions
►Better understanding of the subject : GD offers a great opportunity to the discussants to take a deep dive into the subject, and understand it profoundly. It expands the horizon of knowledge and learning. In addition, it extends a chance to the participants to improve their abilities to think critically and develop their analytical skills.
►Solve problems : Since GD brings together a group of people holding diverse opinions, it also perceived as one of the sought after ways to arrive at solutions to problems. Because of the fact that people bring in a wide range of insights, GDs help in changing the thought process from a narrow to a wider view, thereby paving the way to solutions.
►Improve listening skills and confidence : Since GDs necessitate the contribution of ideas and thoughts, the participants are required to be listen keenly to others’ observations. In this sense, group discussions are a fantastic way to enhance listening skills, and also boost the confidence of speakers by engaging them and encouraging them to express their thoughts.
►Enhance communication and interpersonal skills : While one aspect of GDs is that it encourages people to share their knowledge, the other important aspect is that it gives an opportunity to people to build their communication skills. The participants, in the process, learn how to express their ideas while also respecting viewpoints of others. This in turn contributes to the development of interpersonal skills among the peer group.
►Team building exercise : GDs help in developing teamwork and leadership attributed in people, which are extremely important in the current context. Working in a group helps them increase tolerance and respect towards others, and also how to unanimously arrive at conclusions.
After learning various benefits which people may derive from participation in group discussions, it is important to highlight that this activity holds a special importance in academic and professional set ups. On one hand, GDs reflect the values of coexistence, motivation, tolerance and acceptance for others, on the other hand, they are a key tool for recruiters. During the selection process, they help the hiring team to identify if the job applicants possess the values which mirror the principles and the vision of the organisations. The organisations today not only stress on the knowledge pool of the candidates, but also give lot of importance to enthusiasm and adaptability in the workforce. This helps us explain why academic institutions, and especially management schools emphasise GDs.
A standard part of the selection process for numerous educational institutions and job interviews is the group discussion (GD) round. The Group Discussion instructor evaluates a candidate’s personality, problem-solving capabilities, teamwork, and communication abilities.
Any topic can be provided to a group of candidates to discuss during a GD round for a predetermined time, typically between 10-15 minutes. The group is then assessed on a range of criteria, including its content, communication abilities, leadership traits, capacity for listening, and teamwork.
Acing the GD round is the stepping stone for you to achieve a good score during any selection or interview process and in this article, we are going to guide you step-by-step on how you can convert your group discussion weaknesses into your strength and pull off the best GD round of your lifetime.
Attributes that are assessed during the G.D. round:
If you are asked to imagine the best-performing candidate in the GD who will absolutely nail the round, what qualities do you think he will have? You would probably have answered, he will be the one with a loud and clear voice, sufficient knowledge about the topic, and a good level of confidence.
Well, those qualities are a must but not sufficient because an instructor typically looks for applicants who have a mixture of excellent communication abilities, teamwork and collaboration skills, leadership traits, analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, interpersonal skills, and time management skills during a Group Discussion (GD).
In a GD round, you should be able to recognize the problems, provide solutions, analyze and understand the data and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of various possibilities. Furthermore, instructors seek applicants who can effectively engage with others, form relationships, and manage their time during the GD round.
Candidates with these capabilities are ‘apple of eye’ for instructors:
Communication skills: In a GD round, it’s essential to be able to express ideas clearly and concisely. Applicants are judged on their language ability overall as well as their fluency, vocabulary, and grammar.
Team work: An additional crucial component of a GD round is the ability to work in a team and interact with others. Applicants are judged on their capacity to accept others’ perspectives, listen to others, and participate constructively in discussions.
Leadership attributes: Applicants are judged on their leadership abilities, including their capacity to start and steer the conversation, motivate others, and bring the group to an agreement.
Analytical abilities: During a GD round, candidates are also tested on their capacity to evaluate and comprehend information. Candidates are judged on their capacity to recognize important topics, formulate reasoned arguments, and bolster their viewpoints with pertinent data and examples.
Ability to solve problems: Applicants are judged on their capacity to recognize issues, offer solutions, and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of various possibilities.
Interpersonal skills: During a GD round, the capacity to establish bonds with people and communicate clearly with them is also evaluated. Applicants are judged on their capacity to communicate with others, comprehend their viewpoints, and establish rapport.
Time management: During the GD round, candidates are judged on their capacity to properly manage their time, including their capacity to make timely and effective contributions.
How to prepare for Group Discussion:
If you are feeling nervous (or) anxious, please don’t be as it’s not worth it. G.D. could be your best and easiest scorer in any interview or selection process. You just have to follow some standard step-by-step process and you are good to go. Here’s a simple guide on how to prepare for Group Discussion:
Practice Speaking: The standard language uses G.D. round is English and in case you are not comfortable speaking in the language don’t worry, it’s easy. If you are able to read this blog post comfortably, you can communicate very effectively in English too. Just do the following:
Start thinking in English.
Pen down your goals (or) subject concepts, (or) random story/thoughts on a paper or laptop screen in English
If possible try talking to someone in English
Just follow these steps consistently and you’ll notice a drastic change in your spoken English. (This is how I personally learned English.)
Read about trending Topics: Usually, in GD you are given a trending topic (it may not be true always) to discuss. If you already have some idea about the topic you can gather more points to speak about in the GD. So just spend 15 minutes a day staying aware of what’s all happening in the world.
Practice Listening: Being a good listener is one of the most important qualities to perform well in GD. So practice active listening and try focusing all your attention on the one you are talking to. This will also help you build good relationships with your loved ones.
Practice Thinking with different perspectives: In GD it’s the most important part where you consider other people’s opinions & perspectives to build healthy and open-ended communication. So, judging people from their own perspective can help you a lot.
Stay Calm: The final tip would be to never lose your cool. GDs can be stressful and can make you lose your temper, but those angry emotions in you are just worthless energy consumers that distract you from the primary topic of your GD.
If you are an introverted kind of person then starting a GD will not be less than a nightmare for you. But do you know in most cases, the one who starts the GD has more probability to win the GD.
So starting a GD could be difficult but it’s worth trying, Here are a few easy steps that can help you start the GD:
Start with introducing the topic, just give some outline and brief about the topic.
Add a relatable story: It can make others more comfortable contributing, also this technique can help make your points more valid in the conversation.
Keep things open-ended: Never subtly stay on your points, but keep it open-ended so that others can also add their thoughts and make it a healthy conversation.
Start with some stats so that you can make a solid impact on your first conversation. It can guarantee your success to a very high extent.
Cracking the beginning could be difficult but believe me it’s worth trying.
How to destroy your nervousness in GD
It’ll fetch you a lot of negative light if you are silent and never seen speaking/contributing to the group discussion. But sometimes it just goes out of your control and you feel helpless as neither you get the chance to contribute nor do you have anything solid in your head to contribute to the conversation and you go silent.
How to not go silent in a GD:
You need to tackle this feeling. Basically, it depends on the situation but there are some generic steps you can take to counter this feeling and win against your emotions.
First, you need to know that you are not the only person feeling this way, every human being faces this problem and so do you. Now after accepting yourself, take a deep breath and for a split second stop listening to any other voices and recall all the points you prepared before entering the GD room. Now come back to all your senses and try plugging in your own points in the conversation.
Now when you start talking you’ll automatically feel rushed and you’ll be filled with confidence to present yourself. This way you can come empty-handed from any Group Discussion.
How to End Group Discussion:
A group discussion’s conclusion might be just as crucial as its beginning. Here are some pointers for efficiently concluding a group discussion:
Enumerate the main points: and summarize the main ideas that were covered during the session. This can aid in reinforcing the points made and giving a firm knowledge of the main lessons.
Ask for closing remarks: Before concluding the discussion, ask participants if they have any last-minute ideas or opinions they’d want to contribute. By doing this, it may be possible to guarantee that everyone has had a chance to contribute.
Explain any action items that were mentioned throughout the meeting, especially if it was on a specific issue or issue or problem. By doing this, you can make sure that everyone understands what needs to be done next.
Thank you to everybody who came: We appreciate everyone’s participation and contributions. Show your thanks for their time and work by acknowledging their ideas and suggestions.
Follow-up: After the session, it could be required to contact participants depending on the nature of the conversation. This can support ensuring that everyone is on the same page and that action items are done.
It’s important to keep in mind that the purpose of a group conversation is to produce ideas, share expertise, and identify problems. You can contribute to the development of a constructive and fruitful atmosphere for subsequent talks by summarizing important points, making action items clear, and expressing gratitude to participants.
How to Dress in a Group Discussion:
Make a strong first impression and dress professionally when participating in a group discussion (GD). Here are some broad suggestions about GD attire:
Dress formally: When attending a GD, formal attire is recommended. This may entail a suit, dress trousers, and a formal shirt for the male gender. For ladies, this may entail donning a formal top with a skirt or trousers suit.
Choose neutral hues: It is better to use neutral hues like white, black, grey, or navy blue. Keep bright or flamboyant colors to a minimum.
Keep things simple: Don’t over accessorize, and wear straightforward clothing. Keep your jewelry to a minimum, and opt for plain, formal shoes and a bag.
Pay attention to hygiene: It’s crucial to consider hygiene. Make sure your clothing is spotless, ironed, and well-fitting.
Dress appropriately for the situation, taking into account the type of GD and the organization or company you are interviewing with. To determine what is appropriate, learn about the company’s culture and dress code.
Keep in mind that establishing a strong first impression involves more than just how you dress. Your potential to succeed in a GD is also significantly influenced by your leadership traits, cooperation and collaboration abilities, communication skills, and capacity for logical argumentation.
Conclusion:
Learning group discussions can be helpful to you in various aspects of life, it improves your confidence, way of thinking, communication skills, people-convincing skills, etc. The above tips have proven successful for many of our students in cracking interviews and making them a confident person overall. We post such insightful content regularly and follow IILM to stay ahead of your time in such a fast paced world.
Resilience has often been referred to as “ordinary magic” while it looks like an extraordinary act. It is more than once thought. It’s a human trait inhibited by all, but only used by some.
Research by Dan Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist, suggests that no matter how extreme the difficulty may seem, people will bounce back to their happiness baseline in what seems like a short time. Rather, it surprises us how fast a huge majority of people who experience any kind of tragedy or trauma get back to their daily routine, as Gilbert notes “We don’t recognize that we are as resilient a species as we turn out to be.”
I don’t remember someone teaching me to be resilient nor telling me that trouble and turmoil would be an inevitable part of my life. That, someday I would face really tough times with disappointment, fear, and the occasional carpet pull (when life pulls the ground beneath your feet.) I always grew up thinking life was a fairy tale, all rosy and that staying safe and secure was the best strategy to survive. Over the years I have realized I have become much more resilient by challenging my own limits, facing my fears and enduring through my perceived limitations. After surviving near to death situations in my life, I started to face more challenges in life.
The secret to resilience is not stopping, it is to keep trying hard, then falling, getting up then recovering, again trying, then falling, then getting up again and keep trying again. It’s more like climbing a mountain without a route map. Yes, it undoubtedly requires time, effort, and support. One may face setbacks and roadblocks along the way. However, you will eventually reach the top and will feel proud of your journey. It’s all about becoming aware of and then building the endurance levels residing within you.
You are stronger than your beliefs, this is the affirmation you need to give yourself every moment. Build your stamina. It’s all about your self-belief, hope and optimism. Stress is an internal process and our emotional reaction that we add meaning to based on external events in our life.
Dr. Martin Seligman, founder of Positive Psychology writes “Talk to yourself. Give yourself a cognitive intervention and counter defeatist thinking with an optimistic attitude. Challenge your downbeat thinking. And replace it with positive outlook.”
The bestseller author of Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goldman also opines that changing our self-talk makes us more resilient. This is the key to resilience, and we overcome from our self-induced stress. Positive conversations with our self, give our lives a perspective that opens new windows of hope and belief. We have heard of the flight-or-flight response. So, the way we fight back and regain our control over our self helps us to talk to our inner self in a compassionate and gentle way. Being mindful of your internal states helps us to become generative, positive and more pragmatic.
So, step one is to take care of physical body, love yourself, and eat healthy, foods that have all colors of the rainbow. Get quality sleep. Install a habit tracking app. Make self-care your second nature. Finally, rather than blaming yourself about what all that’s happening in you life world treat yourself, with love, compassion, and empathy.
Practice accepting life’s impermanence, nothing stays forever not even your pains. This shall also pass. Ask yourself “How can I mould myself to life’s changes.”
Get curious to deal with uncomfortable emotions like embarrassment, disappointment, failure, comparisons as they arise. Our ability to be comfortable in uncomfortable emotions builds our resilience. There are various forms of meditation like sound, water, light self-guided meditation, practice what resonates best with you.
Build a supportive network of friends, family, health care professionals whom you can reach out to, not all challenges in life re meant to be faced alone.
How about creating a set of Calm Cards, pick a card in the morning that will help you reflect on the intention of the day. Pick a card on Sunday to set an intention for the week. Pick a card when you are struggling with another person, explore his good qualities and ease your relationship. Send a card to someone who needs some inspiration in life.
Adopt a Furry friend, don’t know about you but, my dog Raja was one of my strengths during my tough times, fostering him and getting greeted by him with those extra cuddles was so therapeutic.
Self-Reflection works the best –
Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. When you are facing tough time just ask yourself “What can I learn here” or “How can I add meaning to this situation of my life?”
Which part of me is tender and needs special attention?
Journaling really helps to get your stream of consciousness going.
Ask yourself “Am I taking anything for granted”
Am I letting matters that are out of control, stress me out?
Make a list of 21 things that make you smile. When was the last you followed them?
We all are aware that setbacks are a part of our lives. What matters is how quickly we learn to bounce back from adversity and negative events. In the words of Angela Duckworth that has inspired me “As much as talent counts, efforts count twice.”
Let us take a step forward and make our time worth it.
The question that most frequently crosses our mind while selecting a college to pursue our higher education in law is what we need and what they offer? An ideal Law college should be a paradise land offering a mock of the entire life ahead of every budding lawyer. It is paramount to understand that a lawyer is not only the one who practices the law. Instead, a lawyer is expected to preach its values and propagate them in society. This brings us to the foremost value every budding lawyer searches for in a law school, the quality of being able to be good. Law school should focus on the speaking abilities of every law student, even of the ones sitting in the corner of the class. To polish this skill, law school should regularly engage their students in moot court competitions, panel discussions, debates, and classroom interactions. The use of these practices makes the students confident to face the world with much ease.
The second virtue a law college should offer is the opportunity to let the young minds speak, write and publish. An ideal law school is the one that pushes all its students to contribute towards the law journals of the college and also help them build up their research skills to enable them to publish their works in other journals. The next essential trait a law student looks for in a law college is its ability to offer internships and placement opportunities. Law school should also focus on co-curricular activities apart from the regular law classes, which will ensure the student’s overall growth. For the overall growth of students, the students should be able to stay in touch with their teachers even beyond the classroom and college years. The professors and mentors should establish healthy relations with the students or a system that offers continuous mentoring of the students by following some unique mentor-mentee system. In addition to this, any law school that follows the Socratic method of teaching will raise the more analytical and intellectual lawyers. That involves complete participation of the student in the learning process, whereby he gets the freedom to ask questions and the confidence to raise his voice.
So an ideal law school should follow a student-centric approach, keeping in mind that a law student is not made a lawyer only by reading the books, instead what he experiences throughout the law school. A student becomes a lawyer with all the experiences he/she shares with his/her fellow students and mentors at the law school.
Parenting is regarded as one of the most challenging tasks for a person to take up. It requires patience, understanding, unconditional love and support. There is a quote that states “A single tree cannot grow a variety of fruits”, which implies that a person cannot possess a multitude of qualities to sustain a desirable life. But how does this translate to parenting?
There have been many stories of children who reminisced the times spent with their mothers and fathers, whereas there also have been horror stories of childhood abuse and parents who neglected their children. But overall, on average most children can provide a testament to having nostalgic and vivid childhood experiences in their adulthood. Parenting requires a person to possess the same multitudes of qualities as mentioned above, which proves this statement wrong. Humans are complex, are prone to lapses in judgement but are capable of possessing a variety of desirable and positive traits.
Universally, the challenges of Child rearing are very similar but differ in practice according to one’s culture. In todays Blog post we will try to understand the impact of parenting styles on Child rearing and mainly the cultural differences between Eastern & Western Child rearing practices. Diana Baumrind (1950s) revolutionized the existing thoughts on parenting by introducing 3 types of parenting styles, which are; Authoritative, Authoritarian and Permissive. Now let’s apply these concepts on Eastern & Western Child rearing. Countries like India, China and Vietnam are often recognized as truly Asian, because of their strong collectivistic values.
Indian parents are often typified as being “Authoritarian”, being too controlling and worried about their child’s future. This is often displayed through “High academic expectations” where these parents force their children to pursue excellence in studies and co-curricular activities. China also follows a similar model, barring cultural connotations. This attitude of parenting often stems from an excessive reliance on communal image and personal goals at the parental end, which harms the emotional and cognitive development of children.
The strength of cultural conformity and family bonds has even extended the authoritarian rights to neighbors and other adult members of the society. This often causes problems among the younger members of society, who require deserved autonomy in their youth. But on the other hand, the youth are usually well supported by their parents – emotionally & financially, until they can afford this autonomy on their own. Resulting in some members of this culture doing well for themselves. Which is not the case in Western culture.
On the other hand, a research conducted on American & Western parenting practices by Sandra Hofferth in 2015 discovered that America has higher proportions of poor and low-income children than other developed nations, and poverty explains more differences in parenting practices than family structure. It is slightly ironic, but can we infer this is as a reason for problems observed in Indian parenting, from the given statement? This statement gives us a reason to believe that the financial resources of a family in any cultural context, is the biggest extraneous variable in research conducted on Parenting & Child rearing practices. According to Hofferth’s research, the parents were performing well on average, but two aspects need improvement in American culture, as these cause a lot of developmental problems.
These are Poverty & Parental relations; Poverty and homelessness are the biggest causes of childhood abuse and exploitation in developed countries. There are many cases of resilience, but a lot of children succumb to their adverse circumstances. Strong Parental relations is a good indicator of peaceful family life, It is worth noting, moreover, that despite the preponderance of children living with two married parents at any one time, more than half of American children will spend some part of their childhood living in a household that does not include two biological parents who are married to each other.
This small overview has been presented to provide an insight into the commonly observed Child rearing practices between Eastern & Western cultures. The institution of marriage is highly regarded in the Indian culture and its impact can be evidently observed on child rearing practices in India. Whereas marriage in western cultures is often characterized as the “Next step”. It is very important to note, that when cultural contexts change the problems will also change. Countries like India & China, which have a higher density of people residing in an area, are prone to more collectivistic consumer-oriented parenting. Whereas North Americans are used to Individualistic consumer-oriented parenting. Here consumer-oriented refers to the impact of popular culture on Child rearing practices.
I hope you learned something today, and are able to take something home. Don’t get alarmed by these statistics, refer to the first paragraph of this post. Good Parenting can happen with patience, understanding, unconditional love and support!
For more Blogs on various Psychological Facets follow blog.iilm.edu.
I was reading in the morning paper about how a game of Ludo saved our lives during the lockdown. The collective power of distracting ourselves from the pandemic glued people the world over to gaming. Obsession and now so much time on hand, made some people go back to board games, especially Ludo- the traditional four players’ game. Families hurdled up together for some fun time, given when they were free from their work from home schedule to enjoy each other’s company. Some took to phones and started playing ludo with friends and family near and far to play ludo on the app. It was all good fun and in essence, has taught many of us the virtues of living life. Pandemic was not only an eye-opener for so many of us who were living life in the fast lane but was also an insightful year to reflect and relax in life- we only get it once.
Ludo as explained by Wikipedia is a strategy board game for two to four players, in which the players race their four tokens from start to finish according to the rolls of a single die. Two, three, or four can play, without partnerships.
This game brings out the best in us- to win and go home and be happy or the worst- to keep killing other players’ tokens so that you can overtake them and win. A lot of animosities also stems up from those who are not interested in being killed and sent back to wait for a roll of dice to make a six and be released all over again in the game. This game is not for the weak-hearted, as only the most meticulous, careful, and fully aware player will make it first to home without a scratch.
Like others, I always begin the game hoping for my dice to show six so that my tokens will freely roam around the square of the board, only to occasionally meet threats from other players, who would be determined not to let my token take a peaceful walk by home, unscratched.
So, while I am rejoicing for my tokens and at the same time worried that other players may not harm me, I wonder, do we all play fair? Do we all think alike? Is it true that like-minded people think alike?
Thinking is a mental process of experiencing present events and making critical judgments from past experiences. Thinking is used almost every second of our living and most of the time engage in thoughtfulness without even thinking. It is like a habit you flow into without you realizing you are doing it (nail-biting for example).
We all display similar yet unique styles of thinking even though we can be characterized into personality types, yet something in our nature makes us individually unique. To explain how we think, I will bring in Sternberg’s ideology of thinking styles.
Sternberg (1988,1997) proposed his own theory of thinking styles, a theory he named the “theory of mental self-government”. He used the metaphor of mental self-government to portray how the human mind works. His theory postulated 13 different mental styles to manage our daily activities. To make it simpler, I would like to explain different mental styles with examples of players on a Ludo game and their strategies to win.
A legislative player will use his own method, not follow others, and look for winning moments but creatively.
An executive player will follow only a structured method and hopefully will not cheat.
A judicial player will evaluate other players’ moves and constantly comment in the game at them.
A monarchic player will spend all his energy on one token to safety than putting all his tokens in the game.
A hierarchic player will put all his tokens out in the game and make the most calculative moves to save his tokens.
An oligarchic player will be in a hurry to win and will move without looking in the game.
An anarchic player will go all out to win, unlike an executive, unlikely to see risk assessment of other players moves.
A global player may look like a loser in the beginning but will keep looking at the bigger picture than a quick win.
A local player will keep thinking, time-consuming player of the game, and take small steps.
An internal player is someone only playing for himself even if it is a group game, no partnership, no mercy to others.
External player unlike internal player is playing with everyone, will let others go at times than cutting their chance and putting them back in the box. He likes partnership.
A liberal player will keep changing his own strategies to surprise other players with unpredictable moves in the game.
Conservative player will be the predictable player of the game, everyone will know his moves even before he moves his tokens.
We like the players in Ludo have different thinking styles which we display in different scenarios when thinking critically and working through problem-solving. To make effective decisions, most of us jump from one thinking style to another, maybe from personal to professional concerns of decision making.
There is no one reason to explain this variation, but yes, some generalizations can be as to how skilled we are, varied past experiences, the seriousness of problem-solving, time at hand, and of course our temperament influences the way we think and from that thinking behave.
To conclude, thinking influences all facets of our life even when we are mindlessly doing something, say as simple as a board game. Interestingly, even if everyone knows how to play ludo, they will always play it differently than the last time; just like our thinking styles alike- yet different.
This article is a small effort to help one understand the science and art of negotiation and manage the negotiation processes. It suggests few insights of the same.
Negotiation is all about trading or in simpler terms, it is nothing but a type of deal one does while carrying out businesses. It is distinctive from other forms of decision-making. “In negotiation there is an explicit trade: I get some of what I want and you get some of what you want” (Kennedy 1994: 3). There is no negotiation in voids since negotiations conclude in decision-making. We must however seek to resolve matters by various means, including submission of others.
One exhibits traits, which makes us understand the personality. These traits incline a person to respond in certain ways. If one’s personality is stable enough then it could produce predictable responses to different negotiating situations during the dealings one carries out with different personalities. In turn it helps one to secure better negotiated outcomes.
According to the research by Rubin and Brown, two variables were identified to determine personality styles influencing negotiation skills. The two variables are: Interpersonal Orientation (IO), also known as social ability and social awareness. If one is high on IO then one is responsive to one’s relationship with the other negotiator and low IO leads to non-responsiveness. The other is, Motivational Orientation (MO), means one’s nature is competitive or co-operative. These variables thus give rise to Aggressive and Submissive personality styles.
There is always a likelihood of coming across difficult negotiators in different walks of our life. They may or may not agree with us and may seem less than enthusiastic. Because of certain behavioral traits, they could be labeled as mean, aggressive and lacking in manners.
So the question is how one should deal with such complicated negotiators? One may want to negotiate but the other person may not want to! Their version of a solution implies that either one gives in and provide them what they demand or end it there.
What we need to understand is that their mindset regarding negotiation is different. They adopt such aggressive behavior(s) while negotiating, possibly because in the past they got what they demanded and they confuse aggression with toughness, which in actuality is different.
Need of the hour then is, to sever the connection of the other negotiator’s stances of intimidation and winning. For that one needs to grab the attention, choose the same style of negotiation or a contrasting style and assert unambiguously that the other negotiator will not resort to coercion or bullying but will deal either through merit of the case or through trading.
At-times matching style could be risky as it can easily get lost amidst the haze of threats and insults. The main purpose of it is to create an impression that one does not possesses a submissive personality style and it also leaves open an alternative settlement route. Contrasting style could also be risky since being possibly read by the difficult negotiators as one being submissive.
One can adopt the following during negotiations:
Quiet and soft conversations.
Displaying warmth.
Unhurried discussions.
Do not hear; but listen.
Empathetic attitude.
Understand non-verbal cues.
Non-interference and patience during interruptions.
Non-responsiveness, if there is swearing by the other negotiator.
Non-argumentative, if there are personal attacks.
Ignoring threats.
Be non-defensive against ascribed motives.
No acrimonious action.
Positive responses, if there is overt demonstration of aggressiveness and deviousness from the other negotiator.
Display of humility along with firmness.
Affirmativeness to be displayed upon arriving at an agreeable solution based upon merits of the case and trading.
Adoption of the above effectively renders an assertive message of; one’s toughness during negotiations, that is based on the rationale; that unless one acquires something, the other will obtain absolutely nothing.
It can be well concluded that negotiations are a fundamental element in our social lives. One knowingly or unknowingly, always negotiates for resources and attention. Recent studies have brought out that Negotiation is both an art and science. Cognitive biases (leading to deviation from judgmental rationales), personality and behavioral styles, affect negotiations. Thus a little psychology backed science added with conversational arts can deliver success during difficult negotiations.
“Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.” Carrie Fisher
AMITABH MUKERJI- A Defence Officer who is also pursuing Masters in Psychology from IILM University..
Apart from being a Science Graduate, he has certifications and diplomas in Defence Management (Strategic Studies) and Cyber Law and is a qualified Assessor for selecting candidates for Defence Services.
Profitability and NPA are the two extremes that need to be balanced for banks. Since a long Indian banking sector is on a continuous fight to draw a balance between them. Recently the Central Bank decided to take control over NPAs with a huge capital infusion into the banking sector. But the outbreak of COVID-19 derailed all efforts and the problems of NPAs have been resurfaced and touched the new height which seems to be very difficult for the Indian economy to stand with.
Stress in the Banking Sector
The Indian banking sector is reeling under stress for a long time. Indian banks have been tested over the past few years after the RBI forced them to review their assets under strict criteria that eventually resulted a surge in bad loans. To add their woes, borrowings have also slowed due to lockdown. These stresses are more apparent in state-run banks than in the private sector.
Reason for Stress
According to a few economists, the primary cause of this situation that has slammed all banks are the fall of IL&FS in October 2018 and the ongoing pandemic. India is expected to fall into a recession this fiscal year due to COVID, which has affected over 2.6 million people and caused 70000+ death in the country. It is the most discussed and worrisome topic in the Indian economical circle that there are chances of getting caught in the recession since 1979.
According to RBI, the ratio of non-performing assets total advances could soar to over 12.5% by March 2021 from 8.5% as of end-March this year, prompting the country’s central bank to push banks to raise capital, which now totals over 1 trillion rupees ($13.4billion). Additionally, the Financial Stability Report (FSR), noted the NPA ratio could jump as a high level as 14.7% in the event of severe stress.
Fundraising a Way out
RBI Governor advised all banks to improve their governance and sharpen risk management skills. Banks need to raise capital on an anticipatory basis instead of waiting for an adverse situation. It is necessary for both public and private sector banks to build up adequate capital buffers.
As a result, financial institutions are on a fundraising spree via debt instruments and equity offerings. The latest bank to join the fundraising spree is Axis bank which on said had raised 100 billion rupees by issuing shares to Qualified Institutional Buyers for INR 420.10. Other financial institutions, mortgage lenders, HDFC also closed a deal to raise INR 140 billion via various instruments. At the same time, the largest private bank of India, ICICI bank also wishes to raise INR 150 billion. Later State Bank of India, India’s largest lender also joined the league and announced to raise INR 250 billion to maintain its capital requirement. Not only banks but similar signals are also been sensed from Non-Banking Financial Companies which might have to raise money. In total, it is approximately $13 billion could raise to tackle the NPA challenge.
Governance
At present, Indian banks are in dyeing need for reforms. The Bank exposure to stressed sectors, loan-loss cover, and pre-provision earnings determine the urgency of their capital requirements, which is more pronounced for state banks. Recently 5 members committee has been formed by RBI under the Chairmanship of former CEO of ICICI bank, Mr. KV Kamath. This committee makes recommendations on the required parameters to be factored into the resolution plans. A resolution to the problem of the corporate debtor insolvency and its consequent inability to pay off debts. The committee will submit its recommendation to the RBI. The central bank will then notify the same along with modification including the restructuring of loans if any in 30 days.
Support from Government
Over the last five years until March 2020, India had pumped around 3 trillion rupees into banks to remain capital requirements. In the future, we may expect more infusion of cash from the government eventually to support the banks and consequently to save the economy.
Research in its real essence calls for unbiased analysis of problems, scenarios, and situations using scientific tools, to get answers and solutions to questions and generate perspectives. Research aids and gives direction to progress and growth. People and economies thrive when in a habit of research. The freedom to explore and analyze any topic under the sun that intrigues the human mind is essential for the growth of human intellect and human capital development. Good research is a good investment. Therefore, it is essential and wise for nations to invest in developing an atmosphere of research and analytical contributions to keep alive the discourse of development and freedom.
“Research is to see what everybody else has seen.
And to think what nobody else has thought.”- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Good research is research done in the context of a problem at hand. The research process involves observations, background study, hypothesizing alternative situations, experimentation or data collection, and analysis which brings out the results of the research to make new decisions or recommendations. Quality of any research must be maintained at every step to get useful results that can further aid policy-making and strategizing of plans.
The bounties of modern and civilized life, be it good concrete buildings to live, good food to eat and experience, clothing, transportation, education, healthcare, social work, governance, etc. have been a result of somebody’s research work at some point of time. There are many small countries like Israel, which give a lot of importance to research and development and have risen as the great economic power of influence in the world today with their products and expertise in healthcare, warfare, digital technology, and banking.
The research acumen and interest should be developed quite early, in fact from childhood itself. Children and youth should be encouraged to read, think, and question, analyze problems and think of solutions. The Indian education system is also making efforts to be research and researcher friendly and develop an ethos wherein an analytical mind thrives, but it is yet to make substantial progress in this direction. The education system should be inherently inclined towards a research mindset wherein good funding is provided to research projects and programs in schools, colleges, and universities. More and more national excellent research journals on the levels of the Management of Information System Quarterly (MIS Quarterly) should be established to aid quality research in the country. Also, educational institutions must stress on rewarding and recognizing quality doctoral degrees and research papers. This will prepare the students for the challenging job market ahead and land them their dream jobs.
IILM University is one such premier educational institution of the country that emphasizes research recognition and practice in its graduate and postgraduate programs. Research methodology subject is taught across all programs to inculcate analytical and scientific thinking in students and make them competent with research work and statistical tools that are very much in demand in jobs these days. Students read and discuss research papers, present their project thesis, give presentations of their research, etc. Students are busy with projects the year-round that involve deep analysis of case studies, products, and ideas in detail. This is one of the major reasons for IILM students always bagging top placements. Besides the regular graduate and undergraduate programs, IILM University takes pride in its robust doctoral program that attracts candidates from across corporate and academic fields. The 6-month mandatory course work in the Ph.D. program prepares the candidates in the research process and research tools and develops their perspective in the right direction. The guidance provided to the researchers is immense and constant. The faculty, regular students, and doctoral candidates have published their research articles in top journals. IILM University International Conference held once every year is another very commendable effort by the University in its endeavour to promote a research mindset that contributes to the progress of the nation.
For all the aspiring candidates of degree programs in Management, Psychology, Law, etc., and PhD., IILM University offers a great environment to learn and grow, research, and develop. The learnings will remain with you and help you grow in your space long after one leaves the University.
The admission team or the author of this blog can be contacted freely for any queries related to admissions and programs. Let us be busy with research to always be at the front of the game.
P.S.: The author is a Ph.D. scholar at IILM University and can be contacted on email: Shahana.qutab.phd2019@iilm.edu
Blog on medium: https://medium.com/@shahanafatima/research-in-its-real-essence-calls-for-unbiased-analysis-of-problems-scenarios-and-situations-a108dc06fef?sk=e5295cffd3bb2800e7f62ce1f7b612e3
blog on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/research-mindset-shahana-qutab/?published=t
Board results are the quintessential discussion for parents and students which also becomes the most discussed topic amongst family. Unfortunately, it’s marking a child’s future with the percentage for the rest of their lives and not to mention labelling them.
The amount of pressure that board classes bring with them has been accounted in various studies, clearly signifying, inverse correlation of stress and marks in board exams, even though we continue to pressurize students to attain, at times, the impossible.
Expectations (from parents, teachers, peer and self) may crumble the self-esteem, as well as performance in boards and can have devastating effects on students and their career options.
100% Board results-2020
In 2019, as many as 17,693 students scored more than 95% in CBSE XII and the numbers increased to 38,686 students in 2020. Board results 2020 have raised the bar for students, who will be giving exams from here on. To compete with 100% marks can have challenges in plenty. Not to downsize the student who made that effort and actually got those brilliant marks; the discussion is about students who got a distinction (above 75%) and still feel “not good enough”.
This unfortunate inadequacy of “could get better marks” is a dilemma any student scoring marks from 70-90% category feels, especially when the choice of subjects in a prestigious university looks bleak. Not that the ones who make it over 90% waltz through the top universities. They also struggle and at some point “have to compromise” on the course or a college.
Can you accept your marks and not label it as destiny?
My observation while looking at board results- Yes, it is the highlight of your life and will be compared in galore with cousins, friends and any known person who got better marks than you. However, could we stop putting the blame on either teachers, Corona or pressure from known and accept what we scored gracefully?
Can we find jubilance in clearing class XII and being ready for applying in colleges rather than whining of what could happen if we scored better? Acceptance of board results brings inner peace and reduces comparisons which clearly isn’t helpful. I believe board results don’t shape your destiny and that only if you are ready to believe in yourself, can life offer opportunities for you to carve out the best in self.
If we can make a reality check and be honest with oneself, as to what are the strengths and to work on them, we may find our success, even if it feels inadequate to others. The key to convince parents and friends is when you, yourself can accept what you want to do, or reach out for counselling, if unable to make career choices.
Try reducing those mountains of expectation or mirages of “what I should be” to “what I can be” for a better career path and at the same time enjoy the journey of becoming your own person.
Experience the “Joy in Learning at IILM”
With newer opportunities coming up every day like School of Humanities at IILM University, Gurugram, we encourage students from varied fields to open their minds to choose a trending subject and experience the joy in learning. With latest pedagogy in teaching, faculties at IILM strive to help students create a niche for themselves and prepare themselves for better career opportunities.
Conclusion:
Board results could have brought tears of joy or disappointment given what you were expecting and what was received as results. See this as an opportunity to explore and search what and where you want to take your college education. Comparisons and expectations can be hurtful, so try avoiding them by focusing on “what you think you want” than “what you should be”.
“Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try”
Adopt a Furry friend, don’t know about you but, my dog Raja was one of my strengths during my tough times, fostering him and getting greeted by him with those extra cuddles was so therapeutic.
AMITABH MUKERJI- A Defence Officer who is also pursuing Masters in Psychology from IILM University..
