• Do you know anything about this video? Who do you think the man and woman are? Do you think they dealt with the situation well
• How do you react when somebody interrupts you when you’re in the middle of doing something? Does your reaction depend on who interrupts you, and what they want?
• What are some of the typical interruptions and distractions in your life? What do you do if you need to do something which requires a lot of concentration, and you don’t want to to be disturbed?
• What’s the difference between an interruption and a distraction? How can people avoid them?
• Do you think new technologies have made it more likely that people get interrupted or distracted? Do you find this a problem yourself?
• Is it a good idea to do more than one thing at the same time? Talk about some things which are possible to do at the same time. What about things which you think are difficult, impossible or unadvisable to do at the same time?
• Do you think parents spend enough time with their children these days?
• Who tends to look after young children in your country? Are there childcare facilities, or do parents have to make adjustments to their careers in order to care for their children?
• Do you think most people would like to work from home? What are the advantages and disadvantages of working from home?
• What, in your opinion, is a good work-life balance? Do most of the people you know have a good work-life balance?

No kidding

A : Well, obviously both of them are disturbances. You know, when you’re trying to concentrate on something. But they’re not really the same. Basically, I think, what makes them is different is their causes. Imagine you’re trying to study in your bedroom and your brother bursts in and starts telling you all about his day. What he’s doing is disturbing you intentionally. He’s interfering,and deliberately preventing you from doing what you’re trying to focus on. I think it would be slightly different, I think, if you were sitting at your desk trying to study, and suddenly you started noticing the smell of bacon and eggs wafting up from the kitchen. The likelihood is that your attention’s going to be diverted away from your books, and you’re going to start thinking about lunch, or how hungry you are, or about what you’re going have for dessert. And I may be wrong, but I think we often tend to find this sort of interference attractive in some way. You know, you feel tempted to stop focusing on the task at hand and turn your attention to something which seems more appealing or engaging. Do you know what I mean? Of course, the best way to block out interferences, whether they’re intentional or not, is to isolate yourself as much as possible. You know, to actually put physical distance between you and anything which might throw you off track. Locking yourself in a soundproof room might be the best bet.

B : I'm not sure actually. You'd better ask the people who interrupt me. But I don't think I get irritated or lose my temper, even if I'm a bit stressed out or snowed under with work. I suppose there are two main ways of reacting to interruptions. You can say you're busy and ask the person to come back later, or you can stop what you're doing and, you know, give them a bit of your precious time. I think I tend to do more of the latter actually. Obviously, if the interruption drags on too long, I try and to bring it to an end. But on the whole, even though I find it quite difficult to get back to work after an interruption, I think I'm quite approachable and I’m normally quite willing to lend somebody an ear, or give them a hand with something if necessary. Having said that, who the interruptor is, and what they want, obviously affects how you react. If it's my boss, I'll obviously drop things. If it's friends or family, I'm more likely to put them off. And I think you can normally tell when it's something important, often from people's tone of voice. But I have to admit, I am a bit of a sucker for kids and cats. You know, it’s difficult to say no to a kid who’s been tugging at your shirt sleeves and demanding your attention. Maybe it’s not always best to allow them to interrupt you, but I just can’t help it. As for cats, well, if one jumps on my lap, my instant reaction is to stroke it. Mind you, I’m quite good at stroking a cat and working at the same time. I suppose it’s called multitasking.