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Divergent & Convergent Thinking Explained | Ace Group Discussions with 30 Years of GD Experience | Gagan's Winning Edge Persona Program | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Divergent & Convergent Thinking Explained | Ace Group Discussions with 30 Years of GD Experience
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The core theme is a powerful technique for excelling in group discussions (GDs) and interviews, which involves the strategic application of divergent and convergent thinking. This method encourages generating a wide range of ideas and then narrowing them down to the most effective solutions.
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Hello everyone, my name is Kagan Singh
and after about 30 years of corporate
training experience, I'm here to give
you a very powerful technique how to ace
your group discussions. This technique
if followed truly could help you ace
almost any kind of group discussion also
help you in interviews and VAS and this
is called divergent thinking and
convergent thinking. Now the meaning is
simple. Divergent thinking encourages us
to come up with all possible solutions
for a given situation for a given
problem. Example, if the question is
that someone has to go from Delhi to
Mumbai, then what are the options? Now,
if you follow divergent thinking, you
need to put every possible option on the
table. You could go by air, go by bus,
go by cycle, go by road, by car, you
could go by train or you could even
walk. So every possible option needs to
be put on the table and that requires
quick thinking. So in order to ace your
group discussions do not get restricted
by the scope which is being provided.
For the first about 10 seconds 20
seconds think through all the options
which might be there for you to ace it.
Now once you've done it then comes the
second technique of conversion
confluencing to a solution. Here you
need convergent thinking which requires
listening to others ideas also coming up
with criteria of evaluation and then
coming up with one or two best ways to
solve it. So going back to the Delhi to
Mumbai solution if we put in criteria of
evaluation that the person who wants to
go needs to reach Mumbai in let's say
about 20 hours and the budget is about 4
to 5,000 rupees. Now once that's the
case probably air travel is ruled out
obviously walking cycle is also ruled
out bus too and once we have put this
criteria an economic travel in a
shatabdi train a raad dhani train from
Delhi to Mumbai is the best conversion
solution this ability to first come up
with lot of possible solutions is called
divergent thinking thereafter you evolve
criterias of evaluation and then finally
you come up with one test the ability to
Use divergent and convergent thinking
together is the strategic weapon to ace
your group discussions. Today let me
give you a very popular GD topic which
is very unconventional and was asked by
one of the world's greatest quantitative
investment companies dehaw in a very big
management group discussion at New Delhi
and the topic was do fairy tales really
alter the perception of children towards
reality? I repeat, do fairy tales alter
children's perception of reality? I want
you to take about 10 seconds to think
this through. So think about few points
in favor of this, think about few points
against this, but let your divergent
horses run all the way and come up with
points. Now if you think deeply the
points which could be used in favor of
the topic that yes, these fairy tales do
alter their perception and lead them to
a wrong direction. You could say these
are about misplaced beliefs that
fairies, witches, demons, they exist. So
that's definitely not reality. And by
forcing children to understand and
recognize them, it is spreading
misbelief. Second is very convenient
facts that by believing in the tale of
the handsome prince who will come to
rescue or that angel mother fairy who
will come to rescue, we are talking
about very unreasonable solutions which
are not there in life. So the child is
getting used to relying on things which
are not actually going to happen. Third,
it is making the child think in binary.
Clearly things which are good, clearly
things which are bad. But in real life
there is nothing binary. Most of the
material is great. There is no absolute
perfect mother fairy who will be all
wonderful angelic. At the same time
there are no witches or demons who are
all bad. So by restricting the world to
binary it is again changing the child's
perception. Fourth, it is leading to
dread, fear, the fear of dark, the fear
of witches. Therefore, it alters the
child's behavior. A child may not want
to step in the dark, may not want to go
out alone. So to that extent, this is
again a misguided fact which leads to
behavioral transformation. We could then
talk about reduction of rational
thinking, complicated problem solving
skills, negotiation skills. Well, the
way they portray in fairy tales that
there is always a beautiful ending and
some fairy or some prince would come and
solve it. It doesn't happen in real
life. So the art of negotiating,
persuading, these are the skills which
the child doesn't want to put the effort
over there. And finally, the most
dangerous reality alteration is
stereotypes where it could be
beautified, reversion of princesses who
are always good or the ugly witch who's
cruel. So suddenly you are relating
beauty, being pretty, being sweet with
being good. And someone who doesn't have
good looks is again getting stereotyped
as wicked. And also there are gender
discriminations. You'll typically have
the princess waiting to be rescued in
trouble, helpless and really great state
of despair. Well, there is a handsome
prince who comes like the big macho man
to solve the problems. So by diversion
thinking in a matter of about 30
seconds, you have listed many points why
fairy tales alter the perception of
reality. But you don't stop there to
ease the GD. You move to the second part
that why they are good for a child's
true understanding the world. And here
you think about points like boosting
communication skills. The child learns
to empathize. The child learns to
understand the art of storytelling.
Boosting oratory skills, language power
because after all when you're learning
stories, you're boosting your
storytelling and language power also.
Then number three, parental bond or
teacher bond because after all
your relatives, your mom, dad. So as an
infant or as a toddler when you hear
those stories they are great bond-making
times. Number four they also make you
empathetic so that you understand the
pain of others. You understand the
struggle of that princess you understand
the efforts put by that prince. Then you
move on and say cultural legacy
heritage. These stories help you
understand the legacy of the past. The
jester ears thinks of your own
civilization and to that extent build a
spirit of good Samaritan a good
citizenship values in you and finally
and most importantly they also boost a
child's visualization and imaginative
power. So in a matter of about 30 to 40
seconds you have written seven or eight
points for and seven eight points
against and then the GD starts. Now once
the GD starts it's very important to
remember that the person who initiates
must not take a view for or against the
topic. So initiator could have numerous
possible start but I'm going to give you
two. The first is simply introduce the
topic and it goes like my worthy
colleagues I welcome you all to this
very prestigious GD being organized by
Disha and the topic given to us is
extremely relevant in today's soio
economic political context when we talk
about demographic dividend the way we
are shaping the mind of future leaders
and the topic is do fairy tales alter
the perception of reality among children
now we all have grown by hearing various
tales about Cinderella Snow White and
numerous others and of course they have
influence influenced us. However, the
question is, have they influenced us the
right way or the wrong way? Now, I'm
sure all of you must have very
passionate view about the topic.
However, time is limited and we must
come up with two to three consensus
points to report to the jury. So, I like
to propose that let us look at the plus
points through the criteria of
intellectual growth of the child, the
psychological growth of the child and
emotional growth of the child in terms
of being able to build bonds. So, I
welcome you all. Let's have a fruitful
discussion like this. The person who
introduces does introduction of the
topic. But let me give you a second very
powerful introduction method which is
tough and that is storytelling. So here
the person who introduces gives a small
story. Hello my friends and with your
permission I'd like to introduce the
topic through a small story. I want all
of you to imagine a young teenage girl
about 16 17 Cinderella. Very fair but
really lot of injustice done to her by
society. She's really struggling because
of lack of people who support her.
Terrible family situation. But then one
fine day she happens to go to a ball.
Her sandal goes missing and a big hunt
is launched because the prince really
loved the dance with her. And then one
fine day the prince finds her and she
lives happily ever after. That one
dance, that one missing sandal
completely changed her life. So my
friends, this is what a typical fairy
tale goes. That one small incident and
all the miseries of life are gone. And
the question which dish wants us to
address is does it really affect the
child? Does it really change their
perception of reality is it how they are
going to view the future and whether if
it does does it do in a good way or a
bad way. Now my friends this is the
second way of introducing the topic and
please remember if you are introducing
don't judge don't pass the judgment and
then as the GD progresses someone would
like to then summate and say that when
it comes to fairy tales they have their
plus points also they have minus points
also however when we were to summarize I
think there are some great things which
are happening over here that a child is
learning to empathize with those who
struggle a child understands the value
of resilience perseverance. However,
there are minus points that the child
may end up thinking about existence of
witches, demons, ghosts which could have
certain biases and which could at times
make the child look at all of this in a
matter of convenience. So, we would like
to conclude this GD by giving three
summary points. Number one, the group
largely believes that fairy tales of
course do alter the perception but to
the extent that the child gets higher
moral values. Number two, but it's very
important for parental guidance, teacher
guidance to ensure the child takes them
in the right way. And finally, it's very
important that a child's subsequent
behavior, day-to-day actions should be
encouraged to use the good values to
become a better citizen. So, as we
conclude, yes, to a certain extent, the
perception of reality gets shaped by
fairy tales. However, whether we use
that influence positively or negatively
is based on external intervention which
comes from the school, the society,
parents and relatives. So like it or
dislikely, fairy tales are a very
important role in a child's life and we
encourage our society and the parents to
use them as a very vital teaching tool.
This is how somebody needs to summarize.
So as I conclude this video, my
important message is to ace your GDS.
Use divergent thinking to quickly come
up with multiple points and then
converge to come to a logical solution.
I love you all and may the power of
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