This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 544.
Where are you based?
How to start remote calls in English.
Welcome to the business english podcast.
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This is real business english, with your favorite american hosts, lindsay and michelle, coming to you from new york city and colorado, usa.
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Hey, Lindsay, how are you?
Feeling great today, Michelle.
What about you?
I'm good.
I'm good.
Lindsay, one cool thing about you know our team is that we are spread out all over the world really.
I mean, yeah.
What is, what's something that you really like about that?
Well, I love that, you know, we're not all from the same place.
So as we work together, we get to know different cultures.
I mean, I love cultures.
I
Um, and it's just like to hear how people spent their weekend, and that kind of thing is just different for all of us because we're in totally different parts of the U?
S and the world.
So I love that.
Yeah.
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
It is really fun to just get to hear about different places and I'll ask you about Denver, or you know, Totally different lifestyles, lots of things to learn.
But today we're going to talk about how to ask someone where they are.
Yeah, it's a great question.
And I find myself asking this all the time.
Now that we're all working remotely.
Not everyone's working remotely, but many people are doing business somehow with some company abroad.
Yeah, I would say so.
It's pretty common now.
And, you know, sometimes we need to find out where somebody is or whether they work in our company.
Maybe they're just maybe they don't work in our company.
Maybe they're a potential client.
Sales calls or sales calls.
Right.
Customers.
Right.
Totally.
Yes.
Yeah.
So, you know, we have to know this for small talks, time zones.
Learning about the person and building the connection.
It's just really an important skill.
Yep.
I was just on at least three or four calls last week with companies that we might purchase a product from.
And of course, these one person was in London.
The other person was in California.
I mean...
It's like all across the world, right?
Yeah.
One person was in Thailand that I talked to on the phone.
So it's like almost every call for us is somewhere in the world.
Yeah.
Different from where I am.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
If you just cut that off there, it's like almost every call is somewhere in the world.
You've got to be somewhere in the world.
Yeah, exactly.
But so guys, today we're going to be talking about different ways to ask people, where are you?
Um, other than the traditional, where do you live?
Right.
That feels a little more juvenile, a little more juvenile.
I think like what a kid might say, where do you live?
Right.
That's a weird thing to say.
I think when you, when you get on a business call, personally.
Right.
Yeah.
Unless you're kind of like at the next level.
Oh, so you're in, you're based in Colorado.
Where do you live there?
Like, are you totally, you know, that's, that's different, but we can get into that another time.
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Yeah.
Excellent.
Excellent.
So I'm excited to get into this.
So for me, this is the one I go with the most.
Honestly, it is just where are you based?
And this is so it's not just like you said, Michelle, you summed it up really nicely.
Small talk.
Time zones.
Yeah, future meetings, but it's also a space filler of like, maybe there's some awkwardness at the beginning of that call.
How do you start that you want to connect on the human level, not just go right into business right yeah, exactly because it can lead you to other things.
Um, it's just a, it's just a good way to start something out.
So it's very this is very professional sounding yes, so let's do a teeny, teeny role play, all right, so we're on a little zoom call here.
Right, pick it up and Nice to meet you.
Oh, you too.
So where are you based?
Oh, I'm in the San Francisco office.
So in this, this is an important context here.
The way I worded that makes me think we probably work for the same company, right?
I'm in the San Francisco office.
That's what signals that, right?
Right.
Because I know that there's a San Francisco office.
I know that.
I know that already.
So you're saying that's where I am.
Yeah, and by saying the, it kind of means it's like a shared circumstance going on here, right?
So that's really important, a little bonus context for our listeners today.
Yeah, good point.
What else could you say?
Where are you located?
Also really good.
Professional, right?
Let's see what this looks like.
All right.
Oh, I'm so glad we're connecting.
Me too.
Where are you located?
Oh, I'm in Miami.
You?
I work in the LA office.
Nice.
Okay.
Yeah.
So Yeah, same, same idea.
I mean, it's possible you could work for a different company.
And you I know, there are many like, yes, you're a client.
And I know there are many offices, I'm very familiar with your team.
And so it's possible, but it's shared information.
I mean, we talk about this with, uh, and the right all the time.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Maybe if it's a very well-known company and I'm assuming you know we have an office in LA, New York London Sydney, whatever.
It's a little presumptuous, right? to say that because I'm assuming you know a lot about my company.
Right.
Right.
But yeah, it's possible that we don't work for the same company.
I'm just saying that about my office.
Right.
Yes.
Yeah.
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All right, Michelle.
Now, let's get into slightly more complicated ones.
What else could you say?
So you could say, which location are you working from or where are you working from?
And this is probably more for if you know that they work for your company or a certain company.
Again, like this is probably more for the same company.
Or you know the company and you know it has locations, right.
It's like kind of a little bit more familiar sounding, right?
More familiar.
Yeah.
So here's how it would sound.
How have you been?
I see you're not in your regular office.
Oh, I'm good.
Thanks.
Yeah, I'm traveling.
So not at my home base.
Oh, nice.
So which location are you working from?
I'm in the Boston office.
Oh, nice.
They have a great spot there.
Definitely.
Yeah.
So yeah, likely that we are co-workers.
We work for the same company here, right?
Which location are you working from?
And we had a little bonus here.
You said, I'm traveling.
So not at my home base.
Okay.
My home base would be where I typically work.
And it's interesting how you didn't you didn't say I'm traveling.
So I'm not at my home base.
Yeah.
So not at my home base.
Yeah.
We do this sometimes.
We drop that subject again.
Right.
If we drop a lot of things in sentences, verbs, subjects, all kinds of things.
But it works.
It works even on a professional call.
Okay.
Yes.
Yes.
And here's one more.
So this is more general.
Like, you know, you could just say something like, what city are you in?
Yeah.
So for example, wow, the view behind you looks beautiful.
Oh, thanks.
I love it here.
What city are you in?
Oh, I'm in Phoenix.
Nice.
Yeah.
So this is not presuming that we work for the same company or that I know anything about your company, right?
Right.
Yes.
This is just, you see the background.
I mean and yeah, with Zoom you can definitely like.
In that other example.
I say oh, I see you're not in your regular office.
You know, maybe you're used to that person's background or and you can tell that that's not where they are.
And so you're making commentary on that.
So it was Zoom and all this video stuff.
It makes it easier for that connection.
I mean I think just to kind of wrap it up here today, I mean this is it's anytime you can get extra context about someone professionally, it builds that connection.
That relationship that we're all about here on Business English.
Right, Michelle?
Definitely.
Yeah.
So it's great.
I mean, and yeah, these are good.
You could use it on Zoom.
You could use these on the phone.
They're all just professional sounding.
And then you can use it to further the connection.
Talk about the location.
Oh, I've been there.
Oh, that's such a great place to live.
And we could do a whole follow up on that.
Yes, yes.
Somebody tells you where they live.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, I've been there.
Have you?
You know, and then that opens up so much.
Yes.
Excuse me.
I just sneezed on the microphone.
Couldn't help it.
Just got a sneeze.
Yeah, exactly.
So that's the point, right?
It's.
The point is, probably you're going to, possibly you're going to bridge into.
I mean, many times when people ask me where I'm based, I say I'm based in Denver.
They say oh, I love Denver.
I was just out there skiing, you know, last year.
I went to, you know whatever Copper Mountain.
It's so amazing.
So that leads to a bit more getting to know that person, which is the goal, so you can then do the business you need to do.
Right exactly, All right guys, check out episode 537.
That was perfect this word stress for perfect English pronunciation.
Good job.
You did it right.
You did it right with the intonation there.
Last time I read that title because we referred to this one from another episode, I think I did it wrong in my head.
First, right.
Because perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect.
Go check out that episode to get it straight, guys.
All right, guys.
I think we covered pretty much the takeaway for today.
So guys, give this a try.
In today's world how everybody works.
I can't imagine that you don't have someone that you are speaking to that's working in a different place.
It's very common nowadays.
So give these a try.
All right.
Great stuff today, guys.
Hit the follow button if you love our show.
All right.
Bye, Michelle.
Have a good day.
Bye, Lindsay.
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