📙 Part 2: Describe someone who is a good team player

You should say: who they are, how you know them, what makes them a good team player, and how you feel about them.

This episode's vocabulary

Workplace (noun) - a building or room where people perform their jobs, or these places generally.

To handle (verb) - to deal with, have responsibility for, or be in charge of.

Duo (noun) - two people, especially two singers, musicians, or other performers.

To overcome (verb) - to defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with something.

Perfectionist (noun) - a person who wants everything to be perfect and demands the highest standards possible.

Meltdown (noun) - an occasion when a person becomes extremely upset and is not able to deal with a problem or situation.

Flexible (adj.) - able to change or be changed easily according to the situation.

Sceptical (adj.) - doubting that something is true or useful.

Radically (adverb) - completely or extremely.

Questions and Answers

R: Well, our producer Vanya is pretty good at working in a team, now I think about it. We've been working together on our podcast "Success with IELTS" for about five years now. In fact, it's the anniversary of the podcast this year. I knew him before that though, when we worked together at our previous workplace. He worked in marketing for our IELTS department, and we went to a couple of events together, he would handle the logistics, and I would deliver the content. So we already made quite a dynamic duo back then. I'm not so sure exactly what makes him so good at working with other people. All I know is I like working in a team with him. I have done for the past several years, despite all the challenges our company has faced. We always managed to overcome any problems that came up together. Maybe it's just a case of being fairly relatable and having a sense of humour about things when they don't quite work out. I'd rather that than work with some perfectionist who has a meltdown every time something doesn't go to plan. I'm sure you know the kind of person, it's got to be done in a specific way like X, Y, and Z. But Vanya is quite flexible. We've completed several projects together, including bringing the podcast together and holding it together with our other colleagues. And sometimes we play computer games online together. Which is actually quite good fun, even though I was very sceptical at first about this, because I've never done it much before. And so I wasn't too keen, but he pushed me and it was a good idea. I've not analyzed it too much, but getting on well during these things probably made the teamwork even easier, frankly. If I hadn't met and worked with Vanya, life would be radically different now, and I'm not sure things would be as much fun. And that's coming from someone who isn't such a fan of teamwork to begin with. So there you go. It just goes to show, that it's not always about the fact you are working in a team, it's who you're working with also.

M: And what about this person? Does he enjoy working with you?

R: You'd have to ask him.

Discussion

M: Hey, thank you, Rory, for your story! So, dear listener, the topic is to describe someone who is a good team player, or we don't know the exact wording of this task. It could be "Describe a great team member you worked with". Okay? But the point is like, describe a person who is like a good team player or like a good team member. Who is a team player? Someone who is actively contributing to the group. So like we work together as a team, as a group. And a good team player contributes to the group completes tasks, meets goals and manages projects but with a group. So team players actively listen to their co-workers, respect ideas, and aim to improve the product. Okay? So I'm reading this from the website.

R: I like it. I was like, this is a super professional explanation from Maria. Well done! And then you're like, I'm reading it from the dictionary.

M: Well, dear listener, I can't just make up ideas. Yeah? Here. So we are very professional. So now you need to think about who you're going to be talking about. Or you can imagine this, or you can steal Rory's ideas and just change the name or keep the name.

R: Talk about Vanya.

M: Yep. So if you don't know this person, lie.

R: It doesn't matter.

M: Make it up. Yeah. Imagine that you're working with Rory and you go, oh, yeah, like Rory is a good team player. And I worked with Rory.

R: Imagine the nightmare hellscape you would have to go through.

M: And then the examiner goes like, oh, which Rory? IELTS Speaking for Success Rory? You go, yeah. And then kind of band nine. Imagine this, dear listener.

R: Nice.

M: So, Rory, you started off with who you're talking about. So our producer Vanya, right? He is pretty good at working in a team. So somebody is good at working in a team. Right? So he's a good team player or a good member of the team.

R: And it's important to point out, is good at +ing.

M: Yeah. We've been working together on our project for five years. So Present Perfect Continuous, we have been working together or I've been working with him or her, or I worked with them. I worked with him or her when I was... Yeah? So past or if you're still working then Present Perfect Continuous.

R: How long have we been working together?

M: Has it been five years? Really?

R: No, we've been working on the podcast for five years. But we've been... You and I have worked together for longer than that.

M: Wow. Maybe like, what, two, seven years now?

R: Such a long time...

M: Time flies, huh? So you can also say I knew this person before when we worked together at our previous workplace. So we worked together at this company. Like he worked in marketing, I worked in marketing. Yeah, I was in this department.

R: And I also worked in this department.

M: In sales. Yeah? And we went to a couple of events together, or we did some things together. He would handle the logistics. So he would deal with the logistics. Handle or deal with something. Why are we using would, Rory? Because here, we're talking about the past. So like he did, he handled, but here you used he would handle the logistics, he would deliver the content.

R: Because it's something he did regularly. He would handle the logistics, and I would deliver the content.

M: Yeah. Okay? So you can say like, okay, we work together on a project. He would do this, I would... We already made a dynamic duo?

R: Dynamic duo, like Batman and Robin.

M: Yeah. So the expression is to make a dynamic... Say it again.

R: Dynamic duo.

M: Duo. A very strange world.

R: A duel is a pair of people.

M: Yeah. Like two singers, and two musicians. Like two, two performers, two people. So we already made a dynamic duo, because we worked as a team. Okay? He's good at working with other people. He's a good team member. I like working in a team with him, or with her. And you can say like, despite all the challenges our company has faced, I enjoy working in the team, with this person. So despite all the challenges, like although we had difficulties, although we had some challenges, I enjoy working with him.

R: Oh, and it's enjoy +ing. Yes?

M: Yes. Absolutely.

R: And the reason I'm pointing this out is because I know so many people who have a problem with this. So it's enjoy +ing.

M: But manage to do something. We managed to do something, like overcome the challenges, like deal with challenges. And we can say we always managed to overcome challenges together in a team.

R: And the together will be important here if you're working in a team.

M: Yeah. Like we are a dream team. He doesn't have a meltdown every time something doesn't go to plan. So to have a meltdown is what? Like to have...

R: Just to go crazy and start screaming at people.

M: Yeah, like... It doesn't work. Yeah. A meltdown. And sometimes things don't go to plan. So life doesn't go to plan. Like you've planned everything, but it doesn't work out sometimes. Yeah? So it doesn't go to plan. No article, go to plan. What have we done together? So here you can use the Present Perfect. So you're speaking about the present. Like we've completed several projects together, we've worked on this project. We've done this, we've done that. Yeah?

R: Perfect tenses everywhere.

M: Maybe you do some things in the present. Like we play computer games together, we meet, we kind of travel together. I get on well with this person. We get on well with each other. We have a good relationship with each other.

R: Oh, I was going to say if I hadn't met and worked with Vanya, you work with people in a team or on a project. So important prepositions with his for this idea of being together.

M: Yeah, that's interesting. So I've worked with him in a team on a project, wow, at a company. Yeah?

R: Yes. And that's important though, because controlling prepositions is important for higher scores.

M: Yeah. Band nine score. He is such a fan of teamwork. So this person is a fan of teamwork. He enjoys teamwork, and working in a team.

R: Or if you're me, you're not such a fan of teamwork.

M: You can also say that this person has a lot of soft skills. Soft skills, which make them, this person, a good team member, and team player. He enjoys collaboration, for example. Like working with different people. He is flexible, right? Usually, a good team member is flexible. He has a positive attitude. So he doesn't have a meltdown every day. Yeah? So his attitude is positive.

R: Not every day, just most days. And he enjoys learning. Like, a great team player who usually enjoys learning and keeps like learning all the time. You can also say that he listens actively, because like active listening is like what we need in a good team player, when like, your team member listens to you actively. You can also say that he's a good problem solver. Like he solves problems effectively. Yeah? About a team, you can say like a member of the team or with other teammates. So who works in a team? Teammates. Yeah? Like a roommate, or teammate.

R: Classmate. And I think that's just about everything. Only one other thing which might be useful for this kind of task, and others because one of the parts is what makes them a good team player. And to be honest with you, I didn't really know how to answer that part of the task. So I just said, I'm not exactly sure. Or I'm not sure exactly what makes him so good at working with other people. But this phrase could be applied to other tasks where it's unclear how you should answer this because maybe you haven't had time to think about it. So you can always say, I'm not sure exactly what does this, but it works. So it's a transferable expression, which will help in future tasks, too.

M: Yeah. And also, you can use the vocabulary we've just discussed in speaking part three, when the examiner asks you questions about working in a team, like teams, team players in general.

R: Nice.

M: Thank you very much! And we'll get back to you in our next episode! Bye!

R: Bye!

Make sure to subscribe to our social media to see some of the “behind the scenes” stuff:

Our Instagram: bit.ly/instagramswi

Our Telegram: bit.ly/telegramswi