This is the Business English Podcast Episode 79, How to Prevent Daily Workplace Panic in English.
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Hey, Jessica, how you doing today out in sweltering Portland, Oregon?
Sweltering. I love that word. I love these adjectives we use to describe the heat.
Like so many cooking words, like boiling, like it's boiling outside.
Yes. There's such like, I think when we describe the weather, we use very sort of like visceral adjectives because the weather is something you feel.
So the way we describe it is like super vivid.
Yeah, that's so true. That is so true. And, you know, gosh, right now you are feeling some heat out there.
A heat wave. I'm sorry to hear it's so hot these days out in Portland.
That's crazy. That doesn't seem normal to me.
No, it's not normal. Guys, listeners, I even looked this up in Celsius so I could like communicate internationally.
It has been like 40 degrees Celsius here, which is like 107.
And that doesn't happen here. Whoa, that's crazy.
It is. And like not many people have air conditioners either because I mean, it doesn't happen.
So like James and I are sitting in front of like two fans with like wet dishcloths, just sort of like wiping our skin with a wet dishcloth and like sitting in front of the fan.
Yeah. I heard, you know, I was reading in the paper there's a heat wave apparently in Europe right now, too.
I think I was seeing in Italy and other places.
It sounds like a lot of places are getting hit with nasty heat this summer.
Yeah, which leads into Al Gore's new movie.
Oh, yeah. What is it? So his first documentary was An Inconvenient Truth, right?
But he has a new one, and I think it's like The Inconvenient Truth Challenge. or something um like truth to power i think is part of the title but anyway i've been listening to interviews with him and uh yeah just fascinating guys um really really check it out because he's dedicated like all of his um fame and resources into getting this message out so uh it's yeah it's just it's a whole it's a fascinating project he's into so definitely check that out I love that.
I'm definitely going to check that out. So today we're talking about something a little bit different, but it's around the topic of freaking out, right?
And panicking whether it's about the weather or whether it's about communicating with native speakers at work.
Right. Yeah. And I think, you know, we thought of these common questions that our students would run into in the office, but I think these would come up anywhere.
Like, these are exchanges I would have with the barista giving me my coffee.
Right. These are exchanges I would have with like while I'm waiting in line at the bank or something.
So I think these are useful not just for our professionals, which they are extremely useful, but for anyone, just daily life among, you know, English speakers.
Yeah, no, that's true. And then the difference comes in when we think about how high the stakes are sometimes at work.
You know, I feel like our listeners probably feel like, wow, if I mess up the small talk at work, you know, what are people going to think of me?
The good thing about the cafe or the store is we can walk out of that store.
And in many places, we don't have to go back there.
We don't have to see those people again.
But at work, we have to see these people every day.
So we want to try to get this right as much as we can.
And that's why today, guys, we have a question from Kaori that we're going to go ahead and read.
And then we're going to try to answer her question and give you guys some really good tools that you can come away with today and use in your daily life.
So good. So Super useful. We guarantee 300% that you will hear these questions and now you'll be able to expect them and be prepared.
Yeah, this is as common as it gets. So I'm going to go ahead and read the question and then we're going to answer Kauri's question.
Are you ready? Perfect, I am. Okay, here we go.
So Cowrie says, so now I live in Virginia and I get on the job training in a US company.
I always feel fears when I meet someone accidentally in the hallway or in the kitchen at the office because I can't predict topics of talking and I cannot prepare to catch key words when I speak with natives.
And I'm afraid to join group talks or group chats because the conversation is always so fast and I can't say anything.
Please give me a tip to overcome these. Thanks, Kaori.
Wow, such a good question. It's fantastic.
I mean, this is exactly what we're working to help you guys overcome.
I mean, this like epitomizes the reason why we're building this material, right?
It's the idea of the listening shock. Like it comes in again.
We're battling the listening shock. And again, like you said, Lindsay, the stakes are higher at work.
I mean, if you're just out exploring because you're on vacation and like you don't understand what somebody says, you're like, I'm just going to go back to the hotel and relax for a bit.
But if you're at work, you're like, oh, crap.
Now these people think I don't ever understand them and they're never going to talk to me again.
And like... Exactly. Yeah, exactly. You can't just disappear into an anonymous sea of people, right?
Like you can out in the world. Like if you live in a big city, this is big.
And so that's, as you said, Jessica, you named it earlier, the first listening shock.
That's where it comes from. And we addressed this a few weeks back.
We've been talking about this and we've talked about this in our course, guys.
What is the first listening shock, Jessica?
Yeah. So the first listening shock is when you are already on edge, right?
You are expecting to not understand because maybe you have not understood before, right?
So you've never practiced actually understanding.
So you're going into this already with like a wall up in your head, right?
Right? That's preventing you from understanding.
So the first listening shock happens when the conversation starts.
And that first phrase or that first question you hear, you don't understand.
And then it ruins the whole rest of the conversation for you because now you sort of like your breath catches in your throat.
Right? You sort of freeze up. It's this paralysis of communication that you're experiencing where –
You're prevented from further diving into the conversation or actually connecting with the other person because you're like, oh, I didn't get it.
I'm not going to get it. I'm never going to get it.
Yeah, it's so true. It's a good explanation.
And I like how you said paralysis because that's really what it feels like, guys.
And what can we do if we're paralyzed? But there are some things we can do, right, Jessica, to break down that wall of the first listening shock.
And we can do them every time. It's a reliable skill and strategy you guys can take into your daily lives.
Exactly. So today we're focusing on a very specific skill that...
I think it's the most useful skill to build for daily life participation.
And this is the idea of a schema. So a schema is like a script in your head for common situations.
Because native speakers, we say the same stuff all the time, right?
And probably people are saying this in an office in China. in an office in Japan and Brazil, like we're probably saying similar things.
So it's this idea of knowing what to expect in common situations.
So you're going in there armed with knowledge, you're ready.
So you recognize things more quickly, Even if it's not exactly the same question, it has the same meaning.
So today we're going to talk about the common questions that happen in these situations in the office, as well as tell you some more native speakery ways you might not be aware of that we express these questions.
Exactly. And you're right. I mean, we are predictable in the small talk questions that we ask at work, especially on certain days.
So guys, if you really pay attention today, go out and put this tip into action, this strategy.
It's going to pay dividends. It's really going to move you ahead disproportionately.
It's going to be awesome. So listen up, guys.
And you know what? I mean, I would challenge our listeners to not always wait for this question to come to them.
I would challenge you to use these questions when you approach someone, right?
Like take control of the conversation. So we're talking about three questions, something you'll hear on Monday morning, something you'll hear on Wednesday, and something you'll hear on Friday.
And maybe on Monday, wait for the question and answer it.
And then on Wednesday, you ask this question.
Exactly. So let's just give it to our listeners so they can start to get these habits and these frequent questions that are going to be asked.
So what's the first one, Jessica, that we are more than likely to hear on Monday morning?
Oh, yeah. So inevitably, indubitably, you will hear, so what'd you get up to this weekend?
So I wouldn't say like, hello, what did you do this Saturday and Sunday or whatever?
Like we don't talk like that. Be like, what'd you get up to this weekend?
Yeah, I like that. I like that. So that's one.
How would you answer that? Like, what could our students say to answer that?
Oh, I could. Well, you could say that you could say specifically what you did.
You know, I spent some time with friends.
You know, you could do that. Or you could also say my weekend was great.
You know, you could make a comment about the quality of the weekend.
So it's not just, you know, just because someone's saying, what did you get up to?
They're asking for the activity. You could make a comment on the quality of the weekend, too.
It's a pretty open question. Yeah, yeah, it is, really.
It's like, you know, answering the question, what's up?
Exactly. You can answer that in a lot of ways.
Completely open. Okay, what about Wednesday?
What would you likely hear in the office on Wednesday?
Well, before we go in, there was just one other that I think is almost even more common, right?
So the Monday morning, so it's just this, how was your weekend, right?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? I almost think you'd be likely to hear that one more than what did you get up to, but both are really common, guys.
So write those down. Yeah, definitely write these down today, guys.
Role play this with a friend. That would be super fun.
That would be really easy. Okay, so those are two phrases for Monday.
Now, midweek Wednesday. It's a tough day for a lot of people because it's like you are not that close to the weekend.
You still have more work to do. So, like, how –
Yeah. Like how do we approach this on Wednesday when we're talking to our coworkers?
Well, I think for this one, your question that you're going to get is more like likely to be about your work and your projects at work, not so much about the weekend because it's so far away.
So you might hear something like this, you know, what does your day look like today?
I love that one. That's really common, and I think that would confuse a lot of people who aren't native English speakers because that phrase, look like, I've noticed that that is really difficult to handle for a lot of people.
I feel like maybe that doesn't translate directly into a lot of languages, and especially the way, like the idiomatic way it's used in this question, right?
Yep. So, like, what would we say? Like...
Lindsay, what does your day look like? Well, my day is busy.
I have a meeting in the morning and we're recording podcasts in the afternoon.
You know, so my guess is that if at least if you're in the U.S., you're likely to hear busy somewhere in that.
Totally. Yeah. Just like overwhelmed, overworked.
I don't know. I feel like, I feel like Wednesday, it's kind of the, it's kind of the day where you're okay to complain.
That's like the, like, that's the complainy day.
And then it could also be something offhanded.
Like, how's your week going? Yeah. Sure.
Yep. I love that. And that's more like of a general thing.
Like, you know, not bad. Like, I'm pretty busy today, but only two more days left till the weekend.
Yeah. And that's kind of good because you don't like you don't have to know someone very, very well to ask that question.
You could ask a lot of people at work that question.
So you're really likely to hear that, guys.
Exactly. Yeah. And that is a beyond the workplace question.
I think you would ask anyone that on Wednesday, right?
Absolutely. Absolutely. Let's go to Friday because I enjoy Fridays more than Wednesdays.
Oh, don't we all? I love Fridays. Okay. So Friday, Friday is the day to be excited, try and get out early, right?
Like just finish up. So I think a likely question, what are you up to this weekend?
Yeah. Exactly. What are you up to this weekend?
So this is interesting because when we talked about the Monday phrase, we said, what did you get up to this weekend?
Ooh, tricky. So why are we using this? First of all, talking about the this here on Monday, how do I know if it's this or last or next?
So, yeah, guys, I think we get too hung up on this pronoun because it is a fluid pronoun, meaning it just, it depends on the context, all right?
So, it's not, I think students want the rule.
Like, this is always, like, the date, blah, blah, blah.
And that's not the situation, guys. So, whatever weekend you're closest to, that's what we're referencing.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And that's, you know, actually that is grammatically correct because this references the closest thing.
Exactly. So I guess it does make sense grammatically.
So on Monday, this weekend would be the previous Saturday, Sunday, right?
Friday is going to be the next day, right?
That weekend, that's what this is. So I would never say on Friday, I would never say, what are you doing next weekend?
I would never say that. You could say it, but you would mean the following weekend.
You wouldn't mean the next day, that day after.
Yeah, sure. Which that causes confusion.
So I'm really glad we could clear that up for you guys.
So next is going to be like the farther away one, right?
And then this is literally tomorrow and the next day.
Yeah, that's the way we can keep it simple.
I like that. Perfect. So guys, yeah, definitely write this stuff down.
Write these phrases down and practice using them.
Practice asking and answering just yourself.
Talk to yourself for a little bit and then you'll be ready.
And really, guys, I want you, this is your challenge.
If you are working with any English speakers in the office, use these questions to start a conversation, right?
Present this confident self where you are seeking out the conversation, not just waiting for it to come to you.
Yeah, I love that. And then another takeaway from today, guys, when it comes to different situations, especially at work, but anywhere, build that schema before you go in, right?
We didn't have time today to talk about the lunch schema.
There are certain things you're going to hear over and over at lunch in the cafeteria, right?
And we can write those out. We can listen to people around us.
What are people asking you? And get ready for it, guys.
That's the key to really starting to feel strong and confident.
I think we should do more schema episodes, Lindsay.
That would be fun. Let's do it. Okay, awesome.
And guys, if you want to experience, maybe you're not working with English speakers, right?
Maybe you don't have a chance to experience situations like this.
You can experience them virtually in our course.
This is the closest you can get in some places, right?
Yeah. So, Lindsay, how do they check out our listening course?
All right. Well, you guys can actually start with your first lesson for free.
You can get the seven simple secrets to connection in English, and that will give you an overview of the seven things you need to focus on.
And then once you get that lesson done, we'll show you exactly how to get into the course, guys.
We'll invite you into the course. So go to allearsenglish.com forward slash secrets to get those secrets now.
It's a video and you get it right away. Very cool.
Perfect. yeah so good awesome all right well thanks uh thanks for hanging out today Lindsay I hope you have a a wonderful weekend or had a wonderful weekend thank you you too Jessica and I hope the weather cools down out there in Portland oh god me too all right all right talk to you soon all right bye Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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