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.

• Do you consider yourself to be a decisive person? Or do you often find yourself on the fence when it comes to making a choice? Does it depend on the stakes of the decision? What types of decisions are easy for you to make and what types are more difficult?
  
• Decide whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: Technology makes decision-making harder.
  • Explain your view on this statement, giving two specific examples that support your position.
  • Now, imagine someone with the opposite opinion. What two convincing examples might they give in support of their opposing view?
  • How might you tactfully discuss this issue with someone who holds a different opinion? Would you try to persuade the other person to change their opinion? Would you try to find common ground? What might you say?
    
• Give some personal examples of no-stakes, low-stakes, and high-stakes decisions that you have made at work or in your personal life.

• Have you ever outsourced a decision to the universe, for example by flipping a coin, or “asking your watch”? What was the situation? What was the decision and what were the results?

• The speaker suggests outsourcing low-stakes decisions to other people. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy?

• Consider and comment on the following excerpt from another source:
  • Maximizers and satisficers have different decision-making styles. While satisficers simply try to find a solution that is good enough, maximizers try to make an optimal decision.
  • Do you consider yourself to be more of a satisficer or more of a maximizer?
  • Do you think it’s possible to shift your mindset from one to the other based on the decision at hand?
  • Would the ability to shift your mindset from one to the other be useful? Why or why not? Give examples to support your view.

• What physical and emotional feelings can FOBO trigger? Do these feelings pass once the decision has been made?

• Consider the following list of “signs you’re suffering from FOBO”. Can you explain each of these signs and explain how they are related to FOBO?
  • Excessive research leading to procrastination.
  • Frequent regrets about past decisions.
  • Secret goals versus open experimentation.

• Consider again the process that Matt describes for making a high-stakes decision.
  • In your opinion, how effective is the process?
  • Do you think this strategy would work for everyone? Why or why not?
  • Would it work for you? Why or why not?
  • Can you suggest any improvements or offer any other advice?

• After explaining the process for making a high-stakes decision, the speaker says, “…one last challenge remains. You have to commit.” In what sense is commitment a challenge in this context?

• In his talk, the speaker also says, “…remember that FOBO, by nature, comes when you struggle to choose just one from a group of perfectly acceptable options. So, no matter what you choose, you can rest assured that the downside is limited.” Do you agree? Why/not?

• How does the phrase “affliction of abundance” apply to the concept of FOBO?