Who You Know Vs What You Know

man in black suit jacket smiling
Type: Vocabulary
Originally published on October 8, 2020 and last updated on February 4, 2023

It is a well-known saying that it’s more important who you know than what you know, however, this does not take away from the fact that the knowledge someone has is extremely important in all aspects of life, especially one’s working life. This brings into question whether the saying is actually true or not. Is it more important who you know or in fact, is it more important what you know?

Instructions:
Go through the vocabulary below with your students and ask them to try and use this vocabaulry where possible when discussing the different conversation questions.

Useful Vocabulary

Try and use the following vocabulary when answering the question. Click to look up the definition in the dictionary

  • knowledge (noun)
  • aspect (noun)
  • especially (adverb)
  • bring into (phrasal verb)
  • take away (phrasal verb)
  • well known (adjective)

Conversation Questions

Gregory
This conversation topic was prepared by Gregory

Gregory is a qualified TEFL teacher who has been teaching English as a Foreign Language (ESL) for over a decade. He has taught in-person classes in Spain and to English learners around the world online.