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 with your boss.
If you're like most people, you might find socializing with your boss a little uncomfortable.
It's not like socializing with your friends or colleagues, which is an opportunity to relax and have fun.
With your boss, you might have to be a bit more careful, both with what you say and how you act.
But this doesn't mean you can't be yourself or engage your boss on a more personal level.
In fact, socializing with your boss is a really great opportunity to get to know each other better, and that can only help your position and career.
One thing you might want to do if your boss is visiting from afar is to point out things that might be interesting, like places of interest or aspects of culture.
That can help break the ice.
And it's a good idea not to talk about yourself too much.
Show interest in your boss.
You can even ask about his or her professional background.
When you do talk about yourself.
You might want to bring up your own history if the conversation provides a natural opportunity.
But don't be boastful.
Be sure to respond with modesty if your boss praises you.
And if you're lucky and your boss seems interested, you might even have the chance to bring up some ideas for the company.
In today's dialogue we'll hear David and Lily, who work at the Shanghai office of an American clothing company called Boston Vintage.
They're hosting their boss Cam, who is a production planner with the company.
He's been visiting China to talk with his staff about company strategy and to investigate some potential production facilities.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What place of interest does Lily point out to Cam?
How does David respond to Cam's praise of his team's work?
How does Lily introduce the fact that she has some ideas for improving the company?
Great view up here, huh?
Sure is.
And all this here, it's the old French concession, right?
Yeah, all the way down to Shujiawei.
Cam, Shujiawei is where all those new high-rises are over there.
Quite a contrast with the old buildings along Fuxinglu, wouldn't you say?
Indeed.
Pretty crazy how much new development there's been in the past 20 years.
And so many new opportunities, right?
You know, I come here and realize we're very lucky to have people like you guys on the ground here.
Well, we do our best, you know.
It's a team effort.
Of course.
Good teams are the foundation of pretty much everything, I think.
Doesn't matter what kind of business, retail or whatever.
For sure.
And so, Cam, have you worked in other areas as well, or have you been in retail all along?
Yeah, well, believe it or not, I started out in mining.
I'm an engineer by training.
Seriously?
A mining engineer?
Would never have guessed.
Yeah, I did a lot of overseas work, especially in South America.
But the whole industry started falling apart.
So I went back to school, got my MBA and landed this job with Boston Vintage.
Wow.
Though I'm guessing China is a pretty different game to South America, right?
You're telling me.
And it's not just regulations and stuff.
Basic things like staffing and retention are just as challenging.
Yeah, it's the same for every company, really.
And it doesn't get any easier with time.
You know, though, I've been thinking of a few ways we might be able to improve our situation.
Really?
Go on.
I'm all ears.
Well, I was thinking about what we provide in terms of training, and also looking at the idea of a loyalty bonus, something that would reward staff who stay with us for a certain amount of time.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques David, Lily and Cam used in their conversation.
The group is on a patio overlooking Shanghai.
Great view up here, huh?
Sure is.
And all this here, it's the old French concession, right?
Yeah, all the way down to Shu Jiao Wei.
Pam, Xujiahui is where all those new high-rises are over there.
Quite a contrast with the old buildings along Fuxinglu, wouldn't you say?
A great way to break the ice when you socialize with your boss is to talk about your surroundings.
That's a safe and neutral topic of discussion.
And once David brings up the view from the patio, Cam seems quite interested as he asks about the French Concession, an old historic part of Shanghai.
This is a great chance for Lily to mention an interesting contrast or difference between two areas, one modern and one old.
Pointing out places of interest or cultural points in this way can lead to many other topics of discussion.
And you can let your boss pick up on what interests them and steer the conversation where he or she wants.
Let's practice some more ways of pointing out places of interest.
Just down the street across from the market is the very first Starbucks.
If you look across the river there, you'll see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
This road here is quite famous for antique shops and traditional tea houses.
The Plains of Abraham just over there is where the British invaded Quebec City.
Now let's hear David's comment on the contrast that Lily mentioned before Cam responds.
Indeed, pretty crazy how much new development there's been in the past 20 years.
And so many new opportunities, right?
You know, I come here and realize we're very lucky to have people like you guys on the ground here.
Well, we do our best, you know.
It's a team effort.
The contrast of the old buildings with the modern ones reminds Cam of all the new business opportunities in Asia, and those opportunities remind him of the great staff on the ground or those doing the frontline work for the company in China.
So, conversation about places of interest has led Cam to praising David and Lily.
If your boss praises you or says something nice about the work you do, how should you respond?
Well, be careful not to sound too proud.
Don't boast about all you've done and agree with your boss's praise.
Instead, show modesty by focusing on your effort or saying you're happy for the opportunity.
Even better, you can shift the focus from yourself and give credit to a broader group of people.
This is what David is doing when he says it's a team effort.
And of course, it's always good to show your boss that you're a team player.
What are some other ways we can respond modestly to your boss's praise?
Let's run through some more examples.
Thanks, but I can't really take all the credit for these achievements.
Yeah, we're pretty fortunate everything came together like it did.
Ah, well, it's nothing really.
We're just doing the job the best we can.
We're just happy we could contribute in some small way.
Let's get back to the dialogue, as Lily finds a chance to ask Cam an interesting question.
Of course.
Good teams are the foundation of pretty much everything, I think.
Doesn't matter what kind of business, retail or whatever.
For sure.
And so, Cam, have you worked in other areas as well, or have you been in retail all along?
Cam emphasizes the importance of a team in all types of business, not just in retail, which is their company's field.
And because Cam has just mentioned business in general, Lily has an opportunity to ask about his professional background and whether he's always been in retail.
If you want to ask your boss questions, including ones about his or her professional background, you need to find an opening.
Just like in all conversation, you have to flow naturally from topic to topic.
But remember that with your boss, you need to maintain a polite and respectful tone.
Let's try some more ways of asking about someone's professional background respectfully.
So, Ryan, have you always worked in finance?
I get the sense that you've been with the company for quite some time.
May I ask where you worked before coming to Edge Systems?
I hope you don't mind, but I'm curious how long you've been in manufacturing.
So, what is Cam's professional background?
Yeah, well, believe it or not, I started out in mining.
I'm an engineer by training.
Seriously?
A mining engineer?
Would never have guessed.
Yeah, I did a lot of overseas work, especially in South America.
But the whole industry started falling apart.
So I went back to school, got my MBA and landed this job with Boston Vintage.
It turns out that Cam's background is in engineering, not retail.
And when David learns this, he sounds very surprised and interested.
Hearing this surprise and interest can relate some of his personal history describing how and why he switched from engineering to retail.
It's usually a good sign if your boss starts talking about his personal history.
It means you've made a good connection and he feels comfortable.
And it's all right for you to talk about your personal history if it fits in the flow of conversation, of course.
Then you can continue talking about yourself if your boss sounds interested.
Let's practice some more ways of bringing up personal history in a conversation.
You know, this reminds me of my time in Spain back in the 90s.
Actually, I went to Stanford myself.
Well, I spent about ten years with Volkswagen before coming here.
I studied to be an accountant but I don't think I was cut out for it.
If your boss talks about his personal history or background, then it's a good idea to show interest, as Lily does.
Wow.
Though I'm guessing China is a pretty different game to South America, right?
You're telling me.
And it's not just regulations and stuff.
Basic things, like staffing and retention, are just as challenging.
When Lily invites Cam to talk about the differences between China and South America, Cam mentions several challenges.
One of these challenges relates to staffing and retention, which is a company's ability to keep staff.
Now it turns out that Lily has some ideas about how to address these challenges.
And because Cam has introduced the topic, it's an appropriate time for her to bring up her own ideas.
Let's hear how she does that.
Yeah, it's the same for every company really, and it doesn't get any easier with time.
You know though, I've been thinking of a few ways we might be able to improve our situation.
As you can hear, Lily starts by responding generally to Cam's comments about the challenges.
Then she introduces the fact that she's been thinking about how to improve the company's situation.
She doesn't just start telling Cam what the company should do.
That would sound too pushy.
Rather, she just lets him know she has some ideas.
And if he's interested, he can ask for more information.
What are some other ways we can introduce ideas for the company in a conversation?
Let's run through some more examples.
So, I've got some thoughts about our marketing strategy you might be interested in.
I'd love to run some ideas for a new training initiative by you if I can.
This problem isn't really new, and I think I've got some ways around it.
You know, my colleagues and I have been bouncing around some really great product ideas.
So is Cam interested in what Lily has to say?
Really?
Go on.
I'm all ears.
Well, I was thinking about what we provide in terms of training and also looking at the idea of a loyalty bonus.
Something that would reward staff who stay with us for a certain amount of time.
Yes, Cam is interested in hearing Lily's ideas.
As he says, he is all ears, which means ready to listen.
And Lily takes the opportunity to tell him about how the company can improve staffing and retention.
So what started as a casual conversation about points of interest has led naturally, to an opportunity for Lily to impress Cam with her business ideas.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are attending a social event with your boss.
Everyone has eaten dinner, and now you're chatting in the hotel lounge.
You'll hear a cue by your boss.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
I must say, you've done some pretty amazing work this past year.
Start by thanking him and say that it was really a team effort.
Thank you, but it was really a team effort.
Well, whatever the case, it's been one of our best years since I've been here.
Now show interest and ask your boss how long he has worked for the company.
Is that right?
And how long have you worked for the company?
It's been about 15 years since I came here from Seattle.
Now mention that you actually used to work in Seattle for Boeing.
Answer.
Oh really?
I actually worked in Seattle for Boeing.
Nice.
I've heard that Boeing is a great company to work for.
Finally agree and say that you learned some things that might help this company.
Answer.
It sure is.
And I learned some things there that I was thinking might be helpful to us here.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary 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... In my opinion, people are the... of every successful business.
You can say... In my opinion, people are the foundation of every successful business.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
I would really never have... That English isn't your first language.
I would really never have guessed that English isn't your first language.
If you ever need to talk about your concerns, I'm all.
If you ever need to talk about your concerns, I'm all ears.
I can't believe Roger was able to a management job so soon out of school.
I can't believe Roger was able to land a management job so soon out of school.
When our team leader resigned, the whole project fell Answer.
When our team leader resigned, the whole project fell apart.
Today we've focused on socializing with your boss.
We've covered how to point out places of interest, respond modestly to praise and ask about professional background.
We've also looked at how to bring up personal history, as well as ideas for the company.
In our next lesson, we'll talk about how to discuss strategic change.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
