Green Burial

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Green burial is an eco-friendly burial. It emphasizes simplicity and sustainability. The body is neither cremated nor prepared with chemicals such as embalming fluids. It is simply placed in a biodegradable coffin and interred. The grave site is allowed to return to nature when the body decomposes and naturally return to the soil.

Watch the video and be able to express your opinion using the guide questions below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of green burials? How is it different from the conventional burials?
  2. What are some reasons people choose this? Would you consider this option for you and for your loved ones?
  3. In comparison to conventional burials, what are the benefits and drawbacks of natural burials?

Edibles Business

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Nancy Whiteman is a Colorado-based and CEO of Wana Brands edibles who created the state’s most successful edible cannabis business. According to Whiteman, sales skyrocketed from around $100,000 the first year to $14.5 million in 2017. They are on track to top $16 million, making Wana the most successful edibles manufacturer in the state.

Watch the video and be able to express your opinion using the guide questions below.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/25/wana-brands-makes-millions-selling-cannabis-edibles.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about Nancy Whiteman’s business?
  2. What’s your take on legalizing marijuana for recreational and medical purposes? Is it legal in you country?
  3. What do you think made Wana Brands successful?
  4. From legal standpoint, what are the challenges they had to face in putting up this business?
  5. Talk about another strange business you know of.

Retire in Your 30s

C1 – Advanced

The thought of having the financial freedom to enjoy what you love doing and have the opportunity to live the lifestyle you want without feeling restricted to access your own retirement savings is how most people define pre-retirement.

Watch the video to know how retiring early might seem like an impossible financial goal but with the right plan, it can be done.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on early retirement?
  2. How will you spend your time in retirement? How will you keep your body and mind healthy?
  3. What do you want a day in retirement to look like?
  4. How will you define yourself and derive self-worth post-career?
  5. What will your social circles and interactions be like?
  6. What is your backup plan for dealing with financial emergencies or hardship?

Pills or Therapy

C1 – Advanced

Choosing the right treatment can be quite complicated as different people respond to treatments differently so it is important to choose something that you are willing to do.

Some research show that medications can help alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety more quickly. Thus, giving the person a chance to be relieved from their symptoms while undergoing therapy at the same time.

Watch the video to know how combining therapy and medication can improve outcomes for mental health conditions including depression and anxiety disorders.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Should depression be treated with medicines, psychotherapy, or both? Explain your stand.
  2. Could depression cause physical pain? Elaborate on your answer.
  3. What kind of lifestyle changes will help with the symptoms of depression?
  4. Could other health conditions be contributing to symptoms of mental health problems? Share your thoughts.

Rules for Better Work-Life Balance

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Most of the time, employees sacrifice their personal time thinking they’d eventually be able to progress up the corporate ladder and somehow secure their job not realizing the dangers of not having a good work-life balance.

Watch the video to know how we can better protect our personal time while still being committed at work.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the 3 rules mentioned in the video? Do you do them?
  2. How do you think flexible working helps in achieving a healthy work-life balance?
  3. Why do you think some people become workaholics?
  4. Who do you think is responsible for overwork – the company or the employee? Explain your stand.
  5. How do you ensure that you have a good work-life balance?

McDonald’s Is a Real Estate Company

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We have all heard of McDonald’s, one of the most, if not the most famous and most successful fast-food chain in the entire world.

However, even with McDonald’s being the biggest food company, is there a possibility that it could be much more successful in a different part of the business world?

Watch this video to find out about McDonald’s more successful business.

Discussion Questions:

  1. If ever you got into real estate, would you consider starting a McDonald’s franchise even if McDonald’s gets more money than you?
  2. Did you know about McDonald’s benefit from real estate before this video? If not, what is your reaction when you found out?
  3. Do you think McDonald’s is better off only being a real estate company? Explain your points.

Attitude Defines Your Life

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Our situation right now is because of the choices we’ve made along the way. There are a lot of factors that are affecting our choices. Attitude is one of the major ones. It has a great impact on making choices from the time we wake up until the time we call it a day.

In this video, you’ll watch a story about a person who remains having a great positive attitude even after a major accident happened in his life.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How will you describe Jerry’s attitude?
  2. What does “If I were any better, I would be twins!” mean?
  3. Do you consider yourself as natural motivator to the people around you? Share a moment when you motivate someone.
  4. What is the best choice you’ve made in your life so far? How did you come up with the decision ultimately?
  5. Do you consider yourself a pessimist or an optimist? State your reasons.

Ancient Story about Friendship

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One of the most important relationships that we have is friendship. Our friends are one of the reasons for our happiness. They are the ones whom we can connect and share our feelings and thoughts with.

In this video, you will watch an ancient Indian story about friendship and its worth.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the summary of the story?
  2. Define friendship.
  3. Do you have best friends? Can you describe each of them?
  4. Do you agree that it’s possible to be friends with your enemies? Explain.
  5. What might be the factors to making friendships last?

How to Weigh Job Benefits

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When you finally got a job offer, after weeks or even months of job searching, you might want to think twice before accepting it. Not every job offer is the right one for you, so you’ll need to evaluate it carefully before accepting it. The hardest part when deciding whether to accept a job offer is weighing the benefits.

Watch the video below on how to weigh job offers.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What influences your choice of company to work for?
  2. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit offered by your company?
  3. What made you decide to accept your company’s job offer?
  4. If you can make a suggestion to your company, what benefit/s would you like your company to offer to its employees?

Perfectionism Makes Us Ill

C1 – Advanced

People with perfectionism hold themselves to impossibly high standards. They think what they do is never good enough. But it is a serious problem that has been linked to many mental health issues, including depression and eating disorders.

Let’s watch the video below to know more about this personality trait and its dangers.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist? Why or why not?
  2. What do you think is the root cause of perfectionism?
  3. Can you think of any benefits to being a perfectionist?
  4. Do you find it surprising that perfectionism can lead to mental health issues? Why or why not?
  5. Never aim for perfect. That will guarantee failure almost every time. – Caroline Ghosn. What do you make of this statement?
  6. What advice would you give to someone who has a hard time dealing with failure?