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 this episode on small talk or casual conversation.
Imagine you're sitting in a room with several coworkers.
You're waiting for a meeting to start.
Does silence feel comfortable?
Probably not.
You should be talking.
But about what?
Well, this is where the art of small talk comes in handy, and it's not only something we do before a meeting.
We use small talk in the airport lounge, on the train, or standing in line for a movie.
We use it with colleagues, clients and acquaintances, and it's something that takes practice to do well and feel at ease with.
Previously, we looked at some common conversation topics and techniques, including how to handle topics you don't know much about.
In this lesson we'll look at a couple more common topics talking about the weather and talking about current events.
We'll also cover strategies for changing the topic and steering the conversation toward business.
In today's dialogue, we'll join Liz, Kobe, and Sean as they get ready for another meeting.
As you might have guessed, their colleague Gordon has yet to arrive, so they chat amongst themselves while they wait for him to show up.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Sean think about the summer weather?
2.
Why does Kobe seem upset or shocked?
Three, how does Liz steer the conversation toward business?
Hey folks, Gordon's not here?
What a shocker.
Anyways, how's everyone doing?
Not too shabby.
Cool.
Hey, do you mind if I open the window?
It's really cooking in here.
No, go ahead.
Yeah, it's been boiling for weeks now.
Summer here is pretty darn unbearable, if you ask me.
Well, might not be so bad if they got the AC working.
Fat chance of that.
Anyway, how's it going, Kobe?
I'm pretty good, I guess.
Still reeling a bit from what happened in the markets yesterday.
Yeah, a bit tumble, wasn't it?
Tell me about it.
Does everyone have a debt crisis lurking?
I mean, seriously.
How many more countries are going to need a bailout?
Yeah, well, it seems like we're all wrapped up in it somehow.
But hey, did either of you actually talk to Gordon?
He is coming, right?
Well, I talked to him yesterday.
He knew about the meeting and said he'd be here.
Sure.
Always the same thing.
Waiting again.
Yeah, and if we spend much more time waiting around, we'll eventually have our own financial crisis.
So what do you say we all get down to business?
Now, let's go through the conversation again and look at what's happening.
The dialogue begins when Kobe arrives.
Hey, folks.
Gordon's not here?
What a shocker.
Anyways, how's everyone doing?
Kobe is greeting not one person, but a group.
To do this, he says, hey, folks.
Folks is used informally to refer to a group of people.
Kobe comments sarcastically on the fact that Gordon hasn't arrived yet and then asks the question how's everyone doing?
Again, he's addressing more than one person.
Greeting a group of people is often necessary because we can't always greet everyone individually.
It would just take too long.
Let's practice a few more ways to greet several people at once.
Hello, everyone.
Great to see you.
Morning, everyone.
Hi, gang.
How's everyone doing?
Hey, guys.
Glad you all could make it.
Kobe has opened the door for other people to speak.
Let's hear what happens.
Not too shabby.
Cool.
Hey, do you mind if I open the window?
It's really cooking in here.
No, go ahead.
Sean responds to Kobe's question with not too shabby, which is the same as saying I'm doing okay.
Kobe gives a friendly cool and then asks if he can open the window because it's cooking or very hot in the room.
This creates an opportunity for Sean to raise one of the most common topics in small talk.
Yeah, it's been boiling for weeks now.
Summer here is pretty darn unbearable if you ask me.
That's right.
Sean is talking about the weather.
He agrees with Kobe's assessment and adds that it's been hot or boiling, as he says for a few weeks.
According to Sean, the summer is unbearable.
The weather is a very useful topic because it's something everyone has an opinion about but nobody is too emotional about.
Here are some other ways you can introduce weather into a conversation.
Can you believe this rain we've been having?
It's been a pretty nice summer, hasn't it?
Looks like we're in for a big storm.
Anyone hear the forecast for the weekend?
Let's get back to our conversation.
Well, might not be so bad if they got the AC working.
Fat chance of that.
Anyway, how's it going, Coby?
I'm pretty good, I guess.
Still reeling a bit from what happened in the markets yesterday.
Notice how Coby extends Sean's comment on the weather by mentioning that it would be more bearable if they which we can assume to be management or the building operators fix the air conditioning.
Liz doesn't think that's likely, which is what she means by fat chance of that.
This expression seems to close the topic of weather, and Liz transitions with the word anyway into a question about how Kobe is doing.
So now it's Kobe's turn, and he introduces yet another common small talk topic, current events.
Kobe says he's pretty good, but he's reeling or shocked from what's happened in the markets yesterday.
Markets is a common way to refer to the stock market.
Kobe simply introduces a topic without mentioning exactly what happened.
There are several ways we can introduce current events.
In the following examples.
Notice how the event is introduced, generally without a clear opinion or details.
Did you hear about the latest earthquake in Japan?
Obama gave quite a speech last night, didn't he?
The Euro sure seems to be in a bit of trouble.
The protests in Yemen look like they're escalating.
Now Kobi has brought up the topic of stocks and investing, let's hear how this develops.
Yeah, a bit tumble, wasn't it?
Tell me about it.
Does everyone have a debt crisis lurking?
I mean, seriously.
How many more countries are going to need a bailout?
Sean understands what Kobe is talking about and calls what happened in the markets a big tumble or decrease.
He uses a negative question to invite Kobe to say more.
And Kobe obliges, wondering if everyone has a debt crisis hiding or lurking, as he says, and asking how many more countries will need a financial rescue or bailout.
Kobe is eager to talk about economics, but Liz is not, as we can hear.
Yeah, well, it seems like we're all wrapped up in it somehow.
But hey, did either of you actually talk to Gordon?
He is coming, right?
Liz wants to change the subject, but she can't do it without first commenting on what Kobe is talking about, as that would be impolite.
What she does is give a non-committal response, that is, a general response that doesn't present a clear opinion.
She says that we're all wrapped up in it, or involved somehow.
This closes the topic.
And then Liz says but hey, before trying to confirm whether Gordon is really coming to the meeting.
This is a very useful strategy, so let's hear a couple more ways of giving a non-committal answer before changing the topic.
I can't believe that Jones won the sales award.
Yeah, pretty surprising.
So, did you see the game last night?
This election is quite a dogfight, huh?
Yeah, well, aren't they all?
Anyway...
You want some coffee?
Okay, back to the dialogue.
Remember, Liz has just asked whether Gordon is really coming.
Well, I talked to him yesterday.
He knew about the meeting and said he'd be here.
Sure.
Always the same thing.
Waiting again.
Yeah, and if we spend much more time waiting around, we'll eventually have our own financial crisis.
So what do you say we all get down to business?
Sean confirms that he actually spoke with Gordon about the meeting.
Kobe expresses some frustration about Gordon always being late and the fact that they're waiting for him yet again.
As for Liz, she doesn't want to wait any longer, so she tries to steer the conversation toward work.
Notice how she ties the topic of financial trouble to their own situation, saying that if they wait any longer, they'll have their own crisis.
Liz uses this to set up her suggestion of getting down to business, a common way of talking about starting to work or discuss work.
There are lots of other ways we can steer the conversation toward work and business, as you can hear in these examples.
Okay, folks, I think we should get started here.
Very interesting stuff.
Now how about those sales reports?
Speaking of summer, how does our third quarter look?
Well, whether Tom shows up or not, we need to get some work done.
Now let's practice some of the language we've learned for giving non-committal responses and changing the topic.
First, you'll hear a statement.
Then you'll hear a prompt outlining what you should say.
Use the words in the prompt to give a non-committal response and change the subject.
For example, if you hear tough on another note lunch, yet you can say yeah, competition is pretty tough.
On another note, did you eat lunch, yet we'll play an example.
Answer after each practice ready, let's give it a go.
The service in that new restaurant is really terrible Common.
These days.
Finish.
Report.
Answer.
That's common these days.
So, did you finish that report?
Did you see that the price of gold is still climbing?
Yeah, surprising.
But what game last night?
Answer.
Yeah, it's really surprising.
But what about that game last night?
Can you believe the candidates we have to choose from?
Difficult.
Decide.
Anyway, where?
Dave?
Answer.
Yes, it sure is difficult to decide.
So, anyway, where is Dave?
There's no way that England can beat the All Blacks tomorrow.
Well, never know.
By the going Christmas party?
Answer.
Yeah, well, you never know.
By the way, are you going to the Christmas party?
Now, let's practice useful vocabulary and idioms.
You'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence, saying the missing word.
For example, if you hear, You can say, Todd forgot to file his report.
That's a big shocker.
We'll play the correct answer after each question.
Let's begin.
Well, I'm not too... Thanks for asking.
Well, I'm not too shabby.
Thanks for asking.
Will Dawn come to the meeting?
Answer.
Will Dawn come to the meeting?
Fat chance of that.
Okay, folks.
I think it's time we got down to Answer.
Okay, folks.
I think it's time we got down to business.
Let's open a window.
It's really in here.
Answer.
Let's open a window.
It's really cooking in here.
We've reached the end of this episode, the second in our two part series about small talk before meetings.
We've covered greeting a group of people, talking about the weather and current events.
We've also learned how to give noncommittal responses and change the subject, as well as steering the conversation toward business.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
