This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
Hello, it's Ray Winstone.
I'm here to tell you about my podcast on BBC Radio 4, History's Toughest Heroes.
I've got stories about the pioneers, the rebels, the outcasts who define tough.
And that was the first time that anybody ever ran a car up that fast with no tires on.
It almost feels like your eyeballs are going to come out of your head.
Tough enough for you?
Subscribe to History's Toughest Heroes wherever you get your podcasts.
Thanks for listening to the Learning English for Work podcast from BBC Learning English.
We're working on a new series of our business podcast Office English.
For now, here's an episode from last year which teaches you language you can use in everyday situations at work.
We hope you enjoy it.
Sometimes at work, we disagree with our colleagues.
I definitely think that everyone's ideas are worth something and it's definitely worth disagreeing with your peers.
Generally I don't like confrontation and sometimes I worry if I disagree with someone, they might think I'm criticising them.
As a person, there's this idea that people with authority always have things right.
You know, imposter syndrome.
Today on Office English, we're talking about how you can keep things professional when disagreements happen at work.
Hello and welcome to Office English from BBC Learning English, your podcast guide to the language of the office.
In each episode, we talk about business English that will help you succeed in your career.
I'm Pippa.
And I'm Phil.
And in this episode, we're talking about disagreements of work.
Of course, we never disagree, do we, Pippa?
No, we never disagree.
We never have a crossword.
But different opinions at work aren't always a bad thing, Phil.
Sometimes you want different perspectives on a problem.
Sometimes you want to hear what other people have to say, even if you don't agree.
The problem, I guess, comes when a disagreement gets in the way of the work getting done.
Today we're going to talk about how to express your opinion, disagree politely and, if necessary, complain about a colleague at work all while staying professional, of course.
And it's important to say that we're speaking from a British cultural context.
So in Britain, we like to think of ourselves as quite polite.
We're quite indirect when it comes to conflict.
So we don't like to say straight to somebody's face that we disagree with them or that we think that their idea is rubbish.
So that's what we have to think about when we're having this discussion, Phil.
Yes.
As always, do think about the context in which you work.
Think about how direct people are comfortable being with each other.
So Pippa, let's imagine there's a decision that needs to be made at work and we have a strong opinion about it.
How do we share that opinion?
So we could say something like, my feeling is we need to.
So that's quite polite.
You're not saying we must do this.
You're making it clear what your opinion is, but you're saying my feeling is that we need to do something like this.
Yes, this is a very common way of saying it.
And yeah, it's that idea of this is what I think.
But of course, other people might think different things.
You're allowing the possibility that someone else might have a different opinion.
It's not the same as just saying, we have to do this.
We need to do this.
It's saying, this is what I think, but you might think differently.
Yeah.
Another thing you can think about is talking about how you would explain your opinion.
What's guiding your opinion?
So you might say, this is the company priority.
And so I think we need to dot, dot, dot.
So you're giving kind of a reason for why you have a particular opinion which can be quite convincing, but in a kind of more indirect way.
This definitely sounds like something a manager would say when they're trying to bring a meeting back on topic or a discussion back to say well look, these are the priorities.
Whatever you suggest needs to do this, this and this.
So why don't we try this?
Yeah.
Another option is to say something like I know there are a lot of different routes we could take, but I really think we should.
So that's kind of again acknowledging there are a lot of options, but re-emphasising what you think.
So really gives more strength to that opinion.
Yes.
But again, as before, you're acknowledging that there are other opinions.
Yes.
Okay, so we've given our opinion, but let's imagine that we have a colleague who is trying to persuade everybody to make a decision that we think is a terrible idea.
What would we do then, Phil?
Okay, so this first one, I think we often say something like, I'm not sure about that.
I think, so we're not just saying, I think that idea is terrible.
We're saying that you've got doubts about it.
You're saying that your opinion is that you think there might be a problem with this approach.
Yes.
So I'm not sure.
Doesn't mean a definite, this is the wrong way to go, but it introduces the idea of doubt into the conversation.
OK, we've got another one here.
We could say that's a good point, Pippa.
But in this instance, I think we should.
What do you think of that one?
Yes, that's nice.
If you said that to me in a meeting, Phil, I wouldn't be offended.
So it's acknowledging the other person's opinion, but you're still being firm about what you think too.
So you're not just saying, oh, that's a great idea.
Let's do that.
You're saying there's a good point.
But in this instance, I think we should do something completely different.
And here's another one.
I'm sorry, Phil, I have to disagree with you on this.
I seem to hear this one a lot.
Lots of people say this to me.
I'm not sure why.
I couldn't say, Phil.
Yes, I like this because you're being quite direct about disagreeing with someone.
You're saying I have to disagree with you.
But you're saying I'm sorry and you're saying I have to disagree.
So it sort of makes it more professional.
It's less of a personal disagreement because you have to disagree.
You don't want to disagree.
It's more of a matter of principle.
So we have some good options for disagreeing.
But what if the person we disagree with becomes unprofessional and prevents the work from getting done?
Is there anything we can do here, Pippa?
So it depends.
If you have a colleague who keeps getting in the way of things or ignores the decisions being made by the company, you could consider complaining to someone more senior, so your boss or your manager.
You'll have to think really carefully about whether it's a good idea.
This will depend on the seriousness of what's happened and also the kind of company that you work in.
It might be a better idea just to talk to the person directly, but sometimes you just aren't going anywhere.
It's a really big issue and it's causing problems for your work and for the company.
So you have to complain.
If you're going to complain, you might use a phrase like I'm finding it difficult to work effectively, because What do you think of that, Phil?
Well, it's a very common way of saying this.
And the reason that it works is because the focus is on you and why your work is difficult, rather than the focus being directly on the other person's behavior.
Although obviously you are going to mention that, but it kind of it tries to reduce the conflict by pointing out the consequences of what the other person is doing.
Yes, and a manager is probably going to be most interested in why this is a problem, rather than your kind of personal disagreement with somebody.
Another phrase you can use which is useful is I'm worried about how this would affect, for instance, our customers or our clients.
So again, you're focusing on the impact.
Yes, I think by focusing on the consequences, it reduces the possibility of it just becoming too personal.
You're just saying, look, it's about our customers or it's about the work that we need to do.
And that's where the focus needs to be really yeah, and not everybody gets on as well as we do phil, so you know sometimes you'll have to work with people you don't get on with.
But it's really about whether or not you can do the work, and if the work can't get done, then you probably need to look at what.
What the problem is and how you can solve it.
Hopefully, with these phrases, you can keep disagreements professional and avoid having to complain.
But conflict at work is difficult, as we heard from our BBC Learning English colleagues at the start of the podcast.
Generally, I don't like confrontation.
And sometimes I worry if I disagree with someone, they might think I'm criticizing them as a person.
There's this idea that people with authority always have things right.
You know, imposter syndrome.
So Georgie talked about something called imposter syndrome.
And this is what we call the feeling that you don't belong somewhere or you aren't good enough to do your job when you actually are.
What do you think about that, Phil?
Yes, it can be difficult with imposter syndrome because there's two sides to this.
You get people who are not very confident, but they are competent.
And that's usually when people have imposter syndrome.
But you also get the opposite.
You get some people who are really confident, but maybe they're not so good at their job.
And if you're the person who's not that confident, it can be really difficult to stand up against another colleague who's really confident, even though you think they're doing everything wrong.
Yeah, and in the UK people talk a lot about imposter syndrome, stopping people from doing their best work, and so there's a lot of talk about kind of being more confident and standing up for what you believe in.
But I guess it's important to think about your workplace and culture, because there's some places where there's quite strict hierarchies and it wouldn't be a good idea to disagree with your boss or somebody who's worked at the company a lot longer than you.
So it's Again as we've said.
It's about reading the situation, trying to be confident in your opinions if you think that they're going to make the company better, make the work better, but also recognising when it's a good idea not to voice an opinion.
Yes, and actually that's a really important skill.
Look at the place where you work.
Look at how people deal with conflict.
Are they very direct in criticising each other or are they a lot more indirect?
Do they try and not get very personal with it or perhaps go through third people?
Have a look at it and see what the context is where you work.
Music That's it for this episode of Office English.
Remember, you can find more programmes and activities to help you with your English at work on our website bbclearningenglishcom.
Next time we'll be talking about the language of negotiating at work.
Bye for now.
Bye.
Hello, it's Ray Winstone.
I'm here to tell you about my podcast on BBC Radio 4, History's Toughest Heroes.
I've got stories about the pioneers, the rebels, the outcasts who define tough.
And that was the first time that anybody ever ran a car up that fast with no tires on.
It almost feels like your eyeballs are going to come out of your head.
Tough enough for you?
Subscribe to History's Toughest Heroes wherever you get your podcast.
