TEDTALKS NIGEL MARSH is an Australian author and marketer. ‘As well as working in marketing, he writes and gives: presentations about business and personal life, and how these two things interact. Nigel Marsh’s idea worth spreading is that achieving a ‘work-life balance doesn't have to require a dramatic change in your lifestyle. If we take the time to take care of relationships, it can vastly improve our quality of life. BACKGROUND 4. You are going to watch an edited version of a TED Talk by Nigel Marsh called How to make the work-Ife balance work. Read the text about the speaker and the talk. Then work in pairs and discuss the questions. 1 What do you know about the term ‘worklife balance’? Give an example that shows what it means. 2 You will hear Nigel Marsh talk about relationships. Which relationships do you think could be affected by person's work? 3. In what ways do you think relationships can have an impact on someone's quality of fe? KEY WORDS 2 Read the sentences (1-6). The words in bold are used in the TED Talk. First guess the meaning of the words. Then match the words with their definitions (a-f) 1. The great thing about flexitime is you don’t need to worry about being late for work. 2 Some companies don't do dress-down Fridays: because people there dress casually anyway. 3 Paternity leave makes sense in today’s world where dads are so much more involved with their kids. 4 Being unemployed for a long period can lead to a sense of desperation, 5 The author's main contention is that too many people ‘work for too many hours. 6 In parts of the country there are no childcare facilities, so it’s hard to work when you have very young children, a nursery or similar place which looks atter young children during the day b aperiod of time off work for men after their child is born ¢ a policy which lets employees wear informal clothes one day a week _anidea or an opinion that someone expresses in a discussion ea system which lets employees choose which hours they work each day {the feeling of being in a very bad situation which you'l try anything to change AUTHENTIC LISTENING SKILLS Elision: dropped vowels ‘Sometimes you may not recognize a word you hear because its spoken form is different from its written form. [An example of this is words with compressed syllables: for ‘example, comfortable is pronounced with three sylables: //comf / er / ta / ble /. When you know how words are pronounced, you will understand what you hear more easly. 3a_ [ANID Look at the Authentic listening skills box. Then listen to the phrases from the TED Talk. Underline the syllable that is not pronounced in the word in bold. 1 your miserable existence 2 classic corporate warrior 3 neglecting the family 3b [YETI Work in pairs. Look at the words in bold from the talk. How many syllables are pronounced? Then listen to the phrases and check. 4 especially when the money runs out 5 enforcing the boundaries 6 Ivo got no mates or interests left 3e [VEY Listen to the six words again, Practise saying the words,i (3) ba € re © 3 re " _ | si a J 4 Px a f= >, Be ¢ ae 1 i C LY =| Trt rey met the work-life balance work TEDTALKS 1 Nigel Marsh Kk ° Watch the fi the talk again. h his family. In this TED T C ind expressions out the work-life b try and turn the time frame we use to problem, lin this debate. fextime ago NAM ENG > quit NAM ENG3 Watch the second part (3.06-5.51) of the talk again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)? 1. Nigel Marsh thinks childcare facilites in the workplace are both a good and a bad thing, 2 He says the time frame we give ourselves to achieve balance should be neither too short nor too long, He advised a friend whose lfe was out of balance to jon ‘a.gym and get fit 4 He believes that the intellectual, emotional and spiritual | sides of ife are part of the balance. 4 CERI Work in pairs. Watch the third part (5.51 to the end) of the talk again. Listen to the story Nigel Marsh tells about the afternoon he spent with his son Harry. Then | _ work with your partner and try to retell the events of the ___ afternoon. What did they do? What was Harry's reaction? 5 Work in small groups. Read the extract from Nigel Marsh's concicing commer. Do you agree wth him? Can you think of some examples of the ‘small things’ you can do? ‘Now my cits the smal rings mater. Bing mere balance doesnt mean cramate wpheavain youre |__ Wisi rates ester ee, you can radically transform the quality of your relationships and the | ett! VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT 6 [EE] watch the clips from the TED Talk. Choose the correct meaning of the words. 7 Work in pairs. Complete the sentences in your own words. 1 It's botter to face the truth than 2 Sometimes people with money problems fall into the trap of 9 It’s nice to mess around ... at the weekend. CRITICAL THINKING Convincing the listener 8 Nigel Marsh aimed to convince his audience that small changes can lead to a better work-life balance, Two of, the techniques he used were general observations and first-hand experience. Read these comments” about the TED Talk and say which technique convinced each viewer. BB amnita — | could reaty identity with what he seid about spending time with his tia boy I've spent lots of aftemoons just ike that Frank — The story about the woman who joined the gym ‘made me laugh so rmuch! But its rue that we get so involved in things we lose all perspective > mate BRENG > pal NAM ENG. > realize, ease BR ENG > realize NAM ENG aL 9 Work in pairs. Discuss the questions. 1. Did you relate to what Nigel Marsh said about small ‘changes making a difference? 2 Do you think that he explained his idea convincingly? 3 What did he say or do that was particularly effective, in your opinion? = ® Hy PRESENTATION SKILLS Paceand emphasis ‘The way you speak to the audience is an important part of getting your message across successfully. Two key things to consider are pace ~ the speed at which you tak and how often you pause ~ and emphasis ** Don't speak too quickyy to be clearly understood. ** Vary the speed to keep the audience engaged and interested. ‘* Pause for emphasis at the most essential points in your talk. 10 [IIEET Look atthe Presentation tips box. Then watch the clip rom the TED Talk and say which techniques Nigel Marsh uses 11 Prepare a short anecdote about one of these topics or an idea of your own. Then work in pairs and practise telling the story. Use the techniques in the Presentation tips box. ‘© something you did with a member of your family ‘+ something funny that happened to you or someone you know ‘© something you leamed from a mistake 12 Work with a new partner. Give your presentation, Do you Use the same techniques? How do your presentations differ? > pyjamas BR ENG > pajamas NAM ENG ae