In this video, Vicky talks about how she gets on with her teammates who come from lots of different countries. 

Vicky talks about how important it is to respect her teammates and how the team has to get used to each other and about how she learns from her teammates. She uses four different phrases that each refer to an important social skill and that are essential for teamwork.

The four useful phrases are:

• To get used to someone or something
• To get on with someone
• To respect someone
• To learn from someone

To get used to someone or something

This means to become familiar with someone or something. When you meet someone new, they might speak and act in ways that are strange or unfamiliar to you. At first, you might find it difficult to understand the new person. Or, they might be really direct and say something that you think is too personal or that makes you uncomfortable. For example, when I lived in Indonesia, I met a friend who I had not seen for a while who told me that I looked fat and that I must have been eating a lot. Now, my friend was simply telling the truth, but in the UK, that would have been quite rude. I was not offended as I had been staying in Indonesia for long enough to be used to such comments. 
As you learn more about the people or places that you are new to, you will become more familiar with them and they won’t be strange anymore. The phrase to get used to someone or something describes the process of becoming familiar with someone or something.

To get on with someone

The phrasal verb to get on with someone means to have a positive relationship with someone and you enjoy each other’s company. It has a slightly different meaning in different social settings. In an informal setting, if you get on with someone, they are your friend and you enjoy spending time together. If you get on with someone at work, this normally means that you work well with someone.

To respect someone

The verb respect is quite difficult to describe. It’s similar to admire or believe that someone has good ideas. However, I think the meaning is bigger than that. It’s like you believe that someone has value and should be treated with care and consideration. If someone you respect says something that you didn’t know, then you are more likely to believe them and appreciate what they have said. If someone has authority, like a teacher or doctor or policeman, it is important that you respect them and believe what they say. If you do not respect your teacher then you probably won’t listen to them and won’t learn much in their class.

There are different levels of respect. When you first meet someone, you should have some respect for them. If they do something that impresses you, they will earn more respect. However, if they do something that you don’t like, they might lose your respect.

To learn from someone

This is probably the most important teamwork skill. If you get to know and work with people from around the world, you can learn a lot about their culture. You can learn their language, you can learn about food from their country and you might even learn new skills and ideas about your work. Most importantly, you can learn that there are lots of different ways of seeing the world.

We’re all different but that is the most natural and the most beautiful thing that you can learn from each other.

Vicky Losada

Your turn

Have you ever met someone from a very different culture to your own? 

Did you find it difficult to understand them at first? 

How did your opinions change as you got to know them?

Do you think that everybody deserves respect? 

Do you think that people need to do something to earn your respect?

Or do you respect everyone until they do something to lose your respect?

What different cultures do you know about? 

What have you learned from people from different cultures?

Let us know in the comments below.