What should you do if you know nothing about the group discussion topic?
Listen carefully for the first few minutes, note the points being made, then contribute through reasoning, everyday examples, questions that move the discussion or a summary. Never invent facts.
Explain it simply
It happens: you get a topic like "Carbon credits" or "Crypto regulation" and have no idea. Panicking or bluffing will show.
Use the first two or three minutes to listen and note what others say. You can add value without being the expert: give a common-sense angle, a practical example from daily life, a question that opens a new direction ("How would this affect small businesses?"), or bring a quiet person in. You can also offer to summarise at the end.
Example
Situation: Kirti got the topic "Should India adopt a four-day work week?" and had not read anything about it.
Task: Contribute meaningfully without bluffing.
Action: She listened for three minutes and noted the points on productivity and salaries. Then she added: "We have discussed offices, but what about factories, hospitals or shops? Would a four-day week work for my uncle's grocery store?" That opened the angle of different industries, which the group discussed for several minutes. She later summarised.
Result: Her feedback mentioned a useful new angle and a good summary.
What to say in the interview
"I'd listen first, take notes, then add value through practical examples, a question that opens a new angle, or a summary. I wouldn't make up facts."
Common mistakes
- Making up statistics.
- Staying silent throughout.
- Going off-topic to talk about what you do know.