Talking point: Talent

This week's talking point is talent. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.

How long does it take to learn something well?
What’s the best time of day to learn something new for you?
How important is memory when we learn something new?
Which of these factors are most important to be talented or become successful at something?

 attitude
luck
genetic make-up and natural ability
support from the community/family
technique
training and practice

Do you know anyone who excels at anything? If so, how did this person reach this level of mastery?

ANECDOTE
Think of something you’ve done that you have put a lot of effort into. For example:

your job
a free-time activity
study of some kind
playing a musical instrument
learning a language
some craft or art

Make notes about these questions:
What special skills or talent do you need?
What level of ability do you think you have achieved?
Have have you learnt new information necessary for this activity?
Do you need to remember a lot of things to do this well?
How much time have you put into it?

Now tell the members of your conversation group about it.

To illustrate the point, you can watch this video from Britain's Got Talent.