Everytime we have a GD, participants play some or the other familiar role in it.

1. Mr. Brain/Plant :
• He brings in a lot of substance and comes up with wide interpretations of the topic.
Downside: It is difficult to stop him, as he is preoccupied with topic discussion as opposed to group discussion. He is happily obvious to simple things like who is sitting next to him. At the end of the GD if you happen to ask him whether the person sitting next to him was a boy or a girl, the answer would likely be ‘I do not know’.

2. Shopkeeper :
• He is the sales man who can sell anything, has the gift of the gab, a very strong ability to relate to people and be at the centre of things.
Downside: He does not usually come up with original thoughts himself. Needs Mr. Brains to feed him with readymade ideas that he can sell.

3. Watchman :
• His role is to maintain order in the group, usually content is low.
• Pre-occupied with directing the group process such as controlling entry and exit of participants.
• He is crucial for meeting time commitments made to the panel. Especially, in ensuring consensus.

4. Critic :
• He criticises everybody’s points without contributing anything new.

5. The Butcher :
• Does great service to the group by enhancing the quality of content by not letting participants get away with just about anything.
• Is most welcome in a group which has one or two aggressive elements in it.

6. The Spectator or The Passenger :
• Is involved in the proceedings but plays a limited role.
• Contribution is very limited and does not affect the out come of the group task.

So What Role Should You Specialise In?
Each role has several benefits. However, strong attachment to any single role throughout the GD could limit your chances of success.

What is more important is that you demonstrate leadership at every moment. You must be able to move across these roles as the situation demands. Anyone seen to be Performing more than three of these roles will definitely make a strong impact on the on the panel. Mobility is the keyword in becoming effective in GDs.
The key to success in GDs is to be able to effortlessly move from one role to the other depending on what the situation demands.