You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin, and I'll be your host for today's lesson on socializing at an office party.
Office parties are a great opportunity to get to know your colleagues outside of the usual work environment.
Besides, as the saying goes, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
But have you ever found yourself at a party, drink in hand and been unsure how to strike up a conversation?
Maybe you're at a table with someone you haven't actually met from a different department.
You make eye contact, smile, and then what?
What do you say?
Socializing with coworkers is an important part of building good relationships, but it can be awkward if you find yourself at a loss for words.
Fortunately, there are some great techniques for this situation that you can learn and practice.
In today's lesson we'll look at breaking the ice and using common points of knowledge to start a conversation.
We'll also learn how to turn the conversation to the other person, show interest and make an excuse to leave when you want to finish the conversation.
In the dialogue, we will hear Amber, who works in marketing for a pharmaceutical company.
She is at a staff Christmas party and finds herself talking to Shelley, who works in sales.
Amber and Shelley haven't actually met before, and Amber wants to make conversation.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Amber first comment on in her conversation?
2.
What work topic does Amber bring up with Shelley?
3.
What reason does Amber give for leaving?
Hi there.
I don't think we've met before.
I'm Amber, from marketing.
Oh, hi.
Nice to meet you, Amber.
Shelley Davis, sales.
A pleasure, Shelley.
Quite the setup here, isn't it?
Yes, they've really gone to town.
I should get them to come decorate my house.
Yeah, right.
Good idea.
But it sure is nicer than that place downtown last year.
Oh yeah, I heard about that.
But I couldn't make it.
Actually, I think I was on a sales trip.
Aw, that's too bad.
So, sales, huh?
You guys getting excited about this new Zilix line?
Sure, though it's not like there's a shortage of antidepressants out there.
But I trust marketing is cooking up a good campaign that will get the name out there?
Yes, we're working on it.
Like you said.
It's a competitive space.
But yeah, we're hoping to make a big splash with the TV ads.
And what about you guys?
Have they had you in for training yet?
Yeah, we've had a couple of sessions.
But for some reason they run some of our training out in Fontana.
Bit of a pain in the butt.
Fontana, huh?
Yeah, that's a ways away.
So you live here in the city then?
Yeah, in Delgado.
Is that right?
I've got a cousin in that area.
Pretty nice.
And convenient.
Indeed.
Lovely place.
Well, Shelley, it's great to talk, but I've got to go and freshen up and find a table.
Maybe run into you later.
Sure thing.
Really nice to meet you, Amber.
Amber?
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Amber uses in her conversation with Shelley.
Hi there.
I don't think we've met before.
I'm Amber from marketing.
Oh, hi.
Nice to meet you, Amber.
Shelley Davis, sales.
A pleasure, Shelley.
Quite the setup here, isn't it?
Amber begins with a simple greeting and a self-introduction.
It's the first time the two have met, so Amber needs to break the ice or start a conversation.
To do this?
She comments on the setup, which refers to how the room is decorated, and she uses the tag question.
Isn't it to invite a response from Shelley?
When we break the ice.
It's common to make a comment about a simple topic and then let the other person respond.
Let's practice some more ways of breaking the ice with simple topics.
There sure are a lot of people here tonight.
Can you believe how much snow we're getting?
Looks like they've got quite the evening planned for us.
Nice to see everyone outside the office for a change.
Now, let's hear how Shelley responds.
Yes, they've really gone to town.
I should get them to come decorate my house.
Yeah, right.
Good idea.
But it sure is nicer than that place downtown last year.
Oh, yeah.
I heard about that.
But I couldn't make it.
Actually, I think I was on a sales trip.
Aw, that's too bad.
So, sales, huh?
You guys getting excited about this new Zilix line?
Shelley agrees that the decorations are impressive.
And Amber mentions that it sure is, or definitely is, nicer than the location of last year's party.
Amber is staying on the same topic, but actually looking for a way to talk about something more significant than decorations.
To do this.
In casual conversation, we often look for points of common knowledge or things that we both know about.
So when Shelley mentions that she wasn't at the last party because she was on a sales trip, Amber sees her chance.
She takes Shelley's idea and says, "'So, sales, huh?'
Using the simple word so can help us change the topic of conversation.
Then Amber asks about the company's new product called Zilix, which is something that they both can discuss.
At an office party, common points of knowledge are often about work, as Amber and Shelley have shown.
Let's try some more examples of using common work topics in conversation.
I heard they're thinking of redesigning the entire office.
So, what do you think of this new guy who's running finance?
I guess those Q3 results have made a lot of investors pretty happy.
Do you know if they've hired someone for that marketing position yet?
Now, let's hear how Shelley and Amber discuss this new topic.
Sure, though it's not like there's a shortage of antidepressants out there.
But I trust marketing is cooking up a good campaign that will get the name out there?
Yes, we're working on it.
Like you said, it's a competitive space.
But yeah, we're hoping to make a big splash with the TV ads.
And what about you guys?
Have they had you in for training yet?
Good conversation is a back-and-forth process.
We say something, then we invite the other person to speak.
This is what Shelley does when she makes a comment about the product that Amber mentioned and then asks about the marketing campaign or strategy for the product.
In fact, it's more like a statement with question intonation, which is a way of inviting someone else's opinion.
Amber offers her opinion, talking about making a big splash or getting a lot of attention with TV ads.
But her comments are general.
She doesn't want to explain at length and in detail.
She needs to keep her comments brief, then turn the conversation back to Shelley.
How does she do this?
With a simple question, what about you guys?
Then a more specific one about training.
As we can see, when we socialize, we express our ideas briefly, then turn the conversation back to the other person.
Let's run through some more ways of doing this.
And you?
Has it been a good month?
But enough about me.
What's new with you?
And how about your new project?
But anyway, how have you been?
Now let's get back to the dialogue, as Shelley talks about sales training for the company's new product.
Yeah, we've had a couple of sessions.
But for some reason, they run some of our training out in Fontana.
Bit of a pain in the butt.
Fontana, huh?
Yeah, that's a ways away.
So you live here in the city then?
Again, you can hear that Shelley keeps her comments brief.
But being brief doesn't mean not expressing ideas.
Effective socializing isn't just a question and answer session.
So Shelley gives a bit of detail, mentioning that her training was in Fontana, which is a pain in the butt or inconvenient.
Now, it's Amber's job to take this new topic of conversation and show interest.
She starts with, Fontana, ha?
Taking a word or phrase that someone else says and adding ha is a simple way of showing interest.
We also show interest by agreeing, which Amber does with, yeah, that's a ways away.
And questions like, so you live here in the city then?
What are some other good ways of showing interest?
Let's practice a few more.
Oh, really?
That must have been amazing.
60 hours a week.
Wow.
How do you do it?
So, have you been there for quite a long time?
Is that right?
So then what did he say?
Next, we hear Amber show interest again after Shelly responds.
Yeah, in Delgado.
Is that right?
I've got a cousin in that area.
Pretty nice.
And convenient.
Indeed.
Lovely place.
Well, Shelley, it's great to talk, but I've got to go and freshen up and find a table.
Maybe run into you later.
You probably noticed, Amber's question is that right to show interest, followed by some simple back and forth about Delgado.
At this point.
Amber has enjoyed a nice conversation with her new acquaintance and she wants to draw the conversation to a close.
How does she do that?
She doesn't just say goodbye.
That would be rude.
Instead, she says it's been great to talk and makes an excuse to leave, saying that she wants to freshen up or use the restroom and find a table.
Now, let's try some more simple ways of making excuses to leave.
It's been nice chatting, but I suppose I should go find my seat.
It's getting pretty late and I should really be heading home.
If you'll excuse me, I just need to make a quick call.
Well, I shouldn't leave my husband sitting there alone for too long.
We've heard Amber do a good job of breaking the ice, having a friendly conversation and then finding a nice way to end it.
Now, let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
We're going to start with a role-play practice.
Imagine you are at an office party.
You find yourself standing next to someone you don't know very well and you want to make conversation.
You'll need to start by breaking the ice.
Then you'll discuss a topic you both know about and turn the conversation to the other person.
Finally, you'll show interest.
At each step, you'll hear a prompt spoken by the other person.
Then I'll give you some suggestions for the language you can use.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and play an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Ah, yes.
It's nice to meet you.
Start by agreeing, then break the ice with a comment about how lovely the weather is today.
Example answer.
You too.
It sure was lovely weather today.
Yes, it's gorgeous outside.
Can't ask for better weather.
Now, switch the conversation using SO to the company's new office building.
Example answer.
So, I see they've finally finished the new office building.
Yeah, right.
Are you happy with the new setup?
Now say that you're pretty happy with it and turn the conversation back to the other person.
Example answer.
Yes, I'm pretty happy with it.
How about you?
Well, I got a nicer office out of the deal, so yeah, I'm happy.
Now show interest and ask a question about the person's new office.
Example answer.
Is that right?
So do you have more space than before?
Now, let's practice some of the vocabulary and collocations we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... You can say...
Changing over to new software can be a real pain in the butt.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Our new marketing includes radio and television ads.
Answer.
Our new marketing campaign includes radio and television ads.
In the new year, we are going to launch a new... of health products.
Answer.
In the new year, we are going to launch a new line of health products.
Samsung is hoping to make a big with their new phone.
Samsung is hoping to make a big splash with their new phone.
It's hard to succeed in the app business because it's such a competitive Answer.
It's hard to succeed in the app business because it's such a competitive space.
Find points of common knowledge and turn the conversation to the other person.
We've also looked at how to show interest and make an excuse to leave.
In the next lesson we'll see Amber use some more great socializing techniques, this time with someone she knows well.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
