This is an All Ears English podcast.
Can you be too enthusiastic?
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 200 million times.
Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz, and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA.
Is it possible to speak with too much enthusiasm in English?
Find out today and learn how to move your vocabulary from passive collection to active use.
Hello, Lindsay.
How are you today?
Hello, Aubrey.
I'm doing great.
How are you?
I am excellent.
Excited to record with you today.
Yes, me too.
What are we talking about today?
Aubrey, Do you think that someone can be too enthusiastic?
I mean have you ever realized that you were being too enthusiastic in a given moment?
Yes, this happened to me recently where I was sharing with someone about a film I had watched.
It was Project Hail Mary.
I shared on the podcast how much I loved that movie and I was kind of gushing about it to my sister-in-law.
So they went and saw it without watching a preview and they really didn't like it because they don't like sci-fi at all.
All.
And they hadn't even looked, you know, to know.
So it was really funny.
So I was a little too enthusiastic.
I have to realize like not every movie is for everyone, even if I loved it.
Others might not.
Right.
You have to kind of think about the person you're recommending it to and then decide does this make sense for them?
Right.
Yeah, exactly.
So this is really interesting.
We're going to share something that can really shut down conversations, right?
Being too excited, a little too enthusiastic.
And we're going to show you what to do instead to keep the connection.
Yes.
And this episode is taking in pieces from our brand new course, Aubrey.
What course is that that we're talking about here?
Yes, this is our active vocabulary course.
This is from Module 6, Lesson 2, which is called How to Give Nuanced Descriptions.
And we're just taking one small chunk of this, like what, how the connection is hurt when you're too enthusiastic, and details about that and why and what you can say instead.
But even that lesson is so much more robust.
This is an amazing course that really helps you take all of the words you know and be able to use them when it matters.
Yes, exactly.
We're so excited to announce the availability of this brand new course called Active Vocabulary for you guys now.
It is on sale for the special deal this week only.
And the whole idea is we know that you know a lot of words, right?
What Aubrey just said.
We know you have a big vocabulary.
It's not that you need a ton of new words.
You do get new words in this course, but you don't need a ton of new ones.
What you need is to be able to use them in the moment.
Right, Aubrey?
Exactly.
And that is what we are giving you strategies and phrases, what you need to do and know in order to access the vocabulary you've learned, to make it part of your active vocabulary.
So you can use it to connect in English.
Yeah, so you can go and get a preview.
The course is actually on sale right now.
So go on over to allersenglishcom slash vocabulary and you will save up to 100 on the course, this week only.
And we'll give you more details at the end of the episode as well.
Awesome.
Let's get into this.
We're first talking about why.
This might be a new idea for you.
Maybe you haven't had that experience I did.
Why enthusiasm can kill conversations.
Part of the problem is that it leaves nothing to ask, right?
Nothing to discuss.
And we might accidentally create an awkward situation if we're so enthusiastic that no one feels like they can express a different opinion.
Oh, yeah.
That can really shut down a room quickly, Aubrey.
Exactly.
This idea of if you're gushing about something, right?
If you're gushing.
This is a good word.
What does this mean?
Yeah.
Well, I'll talk about it for a second.
So, to express this exaggeration, Kind of an unrestrained enthusiasm, the idea that this enthusiasm is just coming out of you.
It's gushing out.
Yes, I do this a lot when I'm really enthusiastic.
I gush about things, right?
And sometimes it's endearing, but sometimes it's too much.
And if someone disagrees, then they're in a tough position, right?
So you might say...
I absolutely loved it.
No notes or it seriously could not have been more impressive.
You're gushing.
That means your enthusiasm is unbridled.
It's very strong.
Unbridled enthusiasm.
Exactly.
So what are some phrases that maybe we could use?
Instead of just coming in and showing all this enthusiasm, we could be a little bit more nuanced in our answers, right.
If someone asks us how a movie was or something, what could we say?
Yeah, so you might say, it grew on me, right?
And especially if you didn't really love it at first but then started liking it later.
This is a great phrase to say that something grew on you.
And of course, if you really loved something, then you maybe wouldn't say this.
We'll have a few others that would be perfect for that.
But some things.
This is ideal when you are worried that if you recommend it, someone's gonna be like how did Aubrey recommend this right?
You can really hedge here.
Could really hedge here.
We've talked about hedging in other courses that we have.
But another thing we could say is it's a bit of an acquired taste.
So a nice balanced answer.
Maybe you didn't like it at first, but then eventually you liked it more.
OK, exactly.
Right.
Or I could take it or leave it, honestly.
And this is where you're really sharing like you're you're really being on the fence.
Right.
You're not really committing either way.
Maybe you're waiting to see what someone else thought about something before you commit.
So this is something you could say.
And then further in the conversation, maybe you share more of your opinion.
Yes.
Or you could say it might not be for everyone, but I liked it.
And the reason I love these phrases Aubrey, is it makes it clear that we're constantly thinking about connection, because we're thinking about the other person.
We're thinking about the fact that maybe they won't like this.
Right.
Right.
Exactly.
This last one would have been perfect for me to use with my, with anyone.
Really be like.
You know, this might not be for everyone.
Do you like sci fi?
Right.
I loved it.
But I don't know.
So yeah, we have to consider that other people might disagree.
Something might not be someone's cup of tea, as we say.
Exactly.
All right.
Good stuff.
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All right, Aubrey, we are back.
Let's do a role play to show exactly how these more nuanced answers could be used.
All right.
We are friends talking about a new restaurant here.
Want to start us out?
Yes.
Hey, Aubrey, have you tried that new Korean restaurant downtown yet?
Yeah, I went with my family last weekend.
Well, was it worth the hype or what?
I think so.
At first I wasn't sure, but then some of the side dishes really grew on me.
Ooh, that makes sense.
I've heard kimchi is a bit of an acquired taste.
I think that's true.
You're usually pretty adventurous with food, right?
Well, I try to be.
If I go, what should I order?
Definitely the barbecue.
It might not be for everyone, but I really liked it.
Cooking the food at the table made the whole experience really fun.
Nice.
All right.
So clearly, you know, I'm asking you and you're giving me a bit more nuance about the whole picture of yeah, maybe you know these things are an acquired taste.
I'm not quite sure.
But overall, it's a good recommendation.
Imagine if I went hard with like, I loved it.
It was the best.
You have to go.
And then you go and don't like it.
Then I've created an awkward situation.
If I use these more nuanced phrases instead, then we can have this interesting conversation.
And no matter what you feel about the restaurant, you'd be able to give me your honest take.
Yeah.
And also, you don't want to be the person that's always answering with that enthusiasm, right?
Because it can be a little boring for people to hear the same thing from you about everything.
If you liked it, there's no – right?
We want to show that nuance, those shades of gray, I think.
Or it might seem insincere.
If you're always so enthusiastic, then it isn't believable.
Yeah.
Right.
Exactly.
Don't overuse it.
So what are some phrases that we use to add nuance here?
Yeah.
So I had said, you know, I wasn't sure at first, but then the side dishes really grew on me.
So I love this.
I imagine you going, maybe you love the side dishes, maybe you don't.
Whatever it is, you'd be able to come and be like, that wasn't really for me or I loved it.
And because of what I said wasn't overly enthusiastic, it would work.
Yes, exactly.
Or the next one I said was it was a bit of a – kimchi is a bit of an acquired taste, right?
Right.
So you're not saying it's great or it's terrible.
There's so much in between that we can highlight.
Right.
There's room for us to discuss here and share our opinion.
If I really don't like kimchi, or if I love it, I would still feel comfortable sharing that with you after the phrases you're using.
Exactly.
And then what else, Aubrey?
What did you say at the end?
I said, it might not be for everyone, but I liked it because, right, this is really interesting.
Not everyone's going to want to cook their own food on the grill at a restaurant.
So I'm sort of, again, hedging here, right?
I'm like, I really liked it, but it might not be for everyone.
Yes, really good stuff.
So clearly, I mean, what is this about, Aubrey, when it comes to vocabulary?
Let's just kind of reiterate here.
What do you see as the biggest challenge?
Yeah, this is really interesting because if all you have in your vocabulary arsenal is unbridled enthusiasm, to say like I loved it.
It was amazing.
There's no nuance there to create a conversation, to give other people the space and freedom to share their opinions.
So you need all these different phrases, nuanced phrases, and you need to understand that how they'll be received.
Yeah, exactly.
And then in order though to really have those phrases, we need to be able to pivot into using them.
So you may know some of these phrases already guys, but can you actually use them in a conversation when it really matters?
That's the question we want you to ask yourself today.
And that is the problem that we're seeking to solve for you in active vocabulary.
Right, Aubrey?
Exactly.
This is an amazing course.
We're very excited about it.
So go check it out right now at allearsenglish.com slash vocabulary.
You can save up to $100, but that offer ends Sunday at midnight.
Yes.
Again, our goal is to turn your passive vocabulary into active vocabulary.
So guys, again, go over to allersenglish.com slash vocabulary to save up to $100 off the course.
And yeah, buzzer, the timeline ends soon.
So don't miss this deal, this opportunity.
We'll see you guys in the course.
All right.
Bye Aubrey.
Have a good day.
Bye.
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