HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

FASTER
DECISIONS
QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

Expemo code:
15GH-K7UB-5RG9

1 Warm up

1. Which of these decisions would be the most difficult for you to make? Why?
• Ordering a meal from a menu
• Choosing a new printer for your office
• Whether to accept a job offer

2. Which of these decisions has the highest stakes? (The stakes are the level of risk associated with
making a successful decision, so a high-stakes decision could result in significant gains or losses.)
3. Why do people sometimes find it difficult to make decisions? Think of three reasons.

2 Tune in

Video You are going to watch a TED talk called "How to make faster decisions" by Patrick McGinnis, a
venture capitalist, writer, and speaker. It’s helpful if you first watch the beginning of a presentation,
to get used to the speaker’s accent and speed of delivery. Watch the introduction to the talk (0:00-
1:31) and answer the questions:

• What is FOBO?
• What is the effect of technology on decision-making?
• What are the negative effects of FOBO?
• How many types of decisions does the speaker identify?

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/3

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jorge Oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

FASTER DECISIONS

3 Parts 1 & 2

Watch the first two parts of the talk (1:31 - 2:55) and complete the table with information from the
speaker.

examples time frame - how how to make this

long you will type of decision
experience the
consequences

no-stakes decisions

low-stakes decisions

4 Part 3 & 4

The third and fourth part of the talk (2:55-4:54) is about how to make high-stakes decisions and some
final advice.

1. Before you watch, read the advice from the talk about making high-stakes decisions and predict
the order of these stages. Then watch the talk to check your ideas and answer questions 2-4.
a. choose the better of the two options, based on what’s important to you
b. research information about all of the possibilities
c. compare each possibility, one at a time, with the "best" option
d. permanently remove options that have lost to the "best" option from the list
e. repeat the process until one final choice is left
f. select one likely "best" option based on your feelings
g. think about what’s important to you

2. What does the speaker say you should do if you still can’t make a decision after using this process?
3. What is the final step in making a decision?
4. What is the final piece of advice the speaker gives?

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/3

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jorge Oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

FASTER DECISIONS

5 Vocabulary

Match the words from the transcript in bold with these meanings.

1. ask for support for your ideas from other people (verb) =
2. opposite to or very different from what you would naturally think (adj.) =
3. throw something away because you don’t want/need it (verb) =
4. the categories of performance that you use to judge or make a decision about something (noun) =
5. a feeling of confidence or certainty (noun) =
6. the future effects that a decision will have (noun) =
7. get work done by asking someone else to do it (verb) =
8. inability to move or make a decision (noun) =
9. very obvious or noticeable (adj) =
10. gradually reduce the number of options (phrasal verb) =

6 Discuss

Discuss any or all of the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Give some personal examples of no-stakes, low-stakes, and high-stakes decisions that you have
made at work or in your personal life.
2. Have you ever outsourced a decision to the universe, for example by flipping a coin, or "asking
your watch"? What was the decision and what were the results?
3. The speaker suggests outsourcing low-stakes decisions to other people. What are the advantages
and disadvantages of this strategy?
4. How effective is the process that the speaker describes for making a high-stakes decision? Can
you suggest any improvements or offer any other advice?
5. Do you agree with the speaker, when he 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." Why/not?

7 Extension/homework

Design a flow chart that summarizes the advice from the talk. The flow chart should fit on a piece
of A4 paper and should be suitable to use as a poster to display in a workplace to help people make
decisions.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/3

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jorge Oliveira's lessons.