Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
We’ve all seen it: the soccer match where one player hogs the ball for the whole game, or the group of people at the office who constantly argue with each other. Probably, that soccer player, and that group of office-workers, are not going to be very successful in the long run. Why? Because they are not demonstrating good teamwork.
Teamwork is about putting your own ego aside, in order to do what’s best for the group as a whole. Teamwork is about listening to and cooperating with the people you are working with. When a sports team, or a group at the office, or even a group of friends really practice good teamwork, they get stuff done with a higher level of quality, efficiency, and, best of all, happiness, than if it were every man for himself. Find out how well Marni and Amy work together, as they talk about teamwork.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
![]() Amy |
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Amy: Man, I have this group project at work that I’m just dreading. I’m pretty terrible at teamwork, to be honest.
Marni: Really? You prefer to take on the entire workload yourself?
Amy: I just think sometimes teamwork doesn’t work that well if people don’t know what their roles are. Sometimes you need a strong leader, and if that’s missing or if you have a weak link in the group, it can just all fall apart.
Marni: OK, I think that’s very true. I think everyone, though, if they know how to contribute, if they know their role, then it can be very successful.
Amy: That’s true.
Marni: Yeah. I personally really enjoy teamwork, and I feel like I work better with people, you know, ‘cause I like brainstorming with people and getting ideas from people.
Amy: Right, Right. You don’t feel like you need to have control over everything, every part of the project?
Marni: I don’t, no. I do understand certain aspects of that, but I just think there’s nothing like collaboration.
Amy: You can get a lot of creative inspiration from working with other people. But when it comes right down to it, I just feel like I can’t rely on anyone as much as I can rely on myself.
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Gerunds vs. Infinitives" from this lesson
Quizzes
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Discussion
Amy is worried, because she has a project coming up at work that’s going to involve a lot of teamwork. She thinks that working as a team can be disorganized, particularly if there’s not a strong leader, or if all the members of the team aren’t working equally hard.
Marni, on the other hand, likes working as part of a team. She thinks that hearing what other people have to say can be inspiring, and that collaboration can lead to great results. In the end, though, Amy is not convinced. She still prefers to be the one in control.
What do you think are the positive and negative aspects of teamwork? Do you prefer working alone, or as part of a team?
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