TOEIC Speaking Express an Opinion (Question 11): Teamwork and Social Media at Work

Question eleven: Express an opinion.

In this part of the test, you will give your opinion about a specific topic.

Be sure to say as much as you can in the time allowed.

You will have forty-five seconds to prepare, then sixty seconds to speak.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

Employees are more productive when they work in a team than when they work alone.

Give specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Begin speaking now.

I strongly agree that people are more productive in a team.

First of all, a team brings together different skills and ideas.

When one person gets stuck, someone else can usually offer a fresh perspective.

Secondly, working with others keeps you accountable.

If your teammates are counting on you, it's much harder to put things off.

For example, last spring my company launched a new mobile app.

We had only six weeks, which seemed impossible at first.

So we split the work, and the whole team met for ten minutes every morning.

Thanks to that teamwork, we launched a week ahead of schedule!

Admittedly, some tasks, like writing reports, are easier to do alone.

Overall, though, I'm convinced that teams achieve far more than individuals.

Practice set two.

Some companies let employees use social media at work, while others ban it completely.

Which policy do you think is better, and why?

Begin speaking now.

In my view, companies should allow social media, but with clear limits.

To begin with, many jobs now depend on social media.

Sales and marketing staff use it every day to stay in touch with clients.

Banning it completely would make their work much harder!

Besides, a short break to check messages can actually help people recharge.

At my previous company, every social media site was blocked.

As a result, people just used their phones under the desk instead.

It hurt morale, and people felt that managers didn't trust them.

My current employer simply asks us to keep personal use to our breaks.

Surprisingly, our productivity is higher than ever!

So I believe trust and clear rules work better than a total ban.