Reflect and Discuss

Roundtable preparation

Roundtable Discussions are live, small-group (max 4 students) conversations centering on the topics raised in the TED talk. Guided by an American business trainer with more than 35 years of professional experience, the Roundtable Discussions are designed to help you build fluency and confidence in spontaneous conversation with other advanced-level English speakers from around the world.

Read more about Roundtable Discussions >>

Prepare for the Roundtable Discussion by reflecting on the questions below. Practice answering them using vocabulary that was introduced in this lesson. You’ll get the best practice if you practice answering by speaking out loud.

Can you give a clear and concise summary of the video? Include the following information:

• What problem does the speaker highlight?
• What solution does she offer?
• What are the main advantages and disadvantages of her proposal?
• What examples were given as supporting evidence?

Have you ever left a job that you had held for under a year? Have you ever had a colleague who left the company in less than a year? Have you ever had to let someone go (fire someone) less than a year after they started working with you? What happened? Why do you think it happened?

How effective do you think a resume or CV is in matching candidates to roles? Can they be improved in some way? Should they be replaced with something entirely different?

Talk in detail about the solution that the speaker suggests. Include the following information:

• Describe the interactive task that she gave as an example.
• What does this test claim to reveal about the person performing the task?
• How is this information assessed?
• How might this information help in selecting the best job candidates?
• Do you believe that this type of test produces valid results?

What danger does the speaker describe in relation to the use of these types of tests? Give details.

Does the speaker offer a solution to this danger? Or measures that can be taken to mitigate this danger?

The speaker says, “We can create algorithms that are more equitable and more fair than human beings have ever been.” Do you believe this is true? If so, will artificial intelligence make our world more equitable in the future?

Our understanding of something often develops when we try to explain it to someone else. That’s the result of mediation, a core facet of communication that occurs when we take into account the needs of others, and adjust our own expression accordingly.  When we mediate, we don’t just think about what to say, but also how to say it. This often results in new meanings and ways of communicating them as a result. Practice explaining the meaning of the words and phrases in this lesson. Try to use a variety of different explanations and examples.