Learning Through TED – Adam Grant

VOCABULARY

procrastinate /prəˈkræs·təˌneɪt/
(verb) to delay doing something
eg: When it comes to housework, I tend to procrastinate.

Discuss these phrasal verbs and expressions with your teacher or partner. You will hear them in the TED Talk.

to line up (something) / to find out / to bet on / to get off the ground /

to speak up / to stand out / to end up / served me well

TASK: If possible, look up this company: Warby Parker. What does this company do?

Comprehension Questions (to 5 minutes)

1. Did Adam invest in his student’s business idea?
2. Why does his wife now “handle our investments”?
3. What do you think “late to the party” means?
4. Why did a newspaper write a story about Adam when he was a child?
5. Where is the “sweet spot” where originals seem to live?

Vocabulary From The Talk

toil /tɔɪl/
(verb) work extremely hard or incessantly
eg: Walter toiled in obscurity while his boss took the credit.
(noun) hard and tiring work
eg: He rested from the backbreaking toil of putting in fences.

vice /vɑɪs/
(noun) a moral fault or weakness in a person’s character or something that is bad for you, or illegal.
eg: His virtues far outnumber his vices.

diligently /ˈdɪl.ɪ.dʒənt.li/ 
(adverb) in a way that is careful and uses a lot of effort
eg: She diligently completed each task she was given.

self-doubt /ˌselfˈdaʊt/
(noun) a feeling of having no confidence in your abilities and decisions
eg: Your self-doubt will just hinder your progress.

TASK: Use the above words to fill the gaps below. You may need to change the verb form.

1). Kabukicho is often described as the (X) capital of Tokyo.

2). We’ve been (X) on this project for six months, but we’ve made very little progress.

3). If you want to pass your exams, you have to work (X).

Discuss these expressions with your teacher or partner. You will hear them in the next section of the TED Talk.

Set in stone (something is set in stone)

From scratch (to do something from scratch)

To drag one’s heals (they were dragging their heals)

Comprehension Questions (from 6:10 to 9 minutes)

6). How long did Da Vinci “toil” on the Mona Lisa?

7). Which unprepared words from Martin Luther King Jr changed the course of

history?

8). What is the difference in the failure rate between “first movers” and “improvers”?

9). What other examples (companies) does Adam give of “improvers” becoming more successful than first-movers?

Q&A

• What’s your opinion about Adam’s ability as a speaker?
• Are you a procrastinator? Why or why not? 
• Describe how you imagine what an original thinker looks like. Why do you think so?
• Does having a regular routine limit us from developing new ideas? 
• Have you ever had an idea that you didn’t to talk about because you’re too afraid of sounding stupid? 
• Tell me about an idea that you’ve had.
• How do you plan things? 
• Which type of companies do you think will dominate in the future?