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 strangers.
Imagine you're on an airplane during a flight across the Pacific.
You have to spend several hours seated right beside another person.
You want to be friendly and perhaps find out what this person does and who this person is.
So you turn to him or her and open your mouth to speak.
And what do you say?
How do you start a conversation and then keep it going?
Well, in any kind of travel situation, it is useful to know some common topics and techniques.
Today we'll look at asking a person about their destination and their purpose for traveling.
We'll also learn how to invite detail by echoing, identify a point of intersection and summarize your work.
In the dialogue.
We'll join Connie and Scott, who are sitting beside each other on a flight to Hong Kong.
Connie starts up a conversation with Scott and uses many common and simple, though not always easy, ways of making small talk with strangers in a travel situation.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What is the purpose of Scott's trip?
2.
What do Scott and Connie find they have in common?
3.
What kind of work does Connie do?
We've got some pretty strong headwinds today, and so we'll be touching down a little after 7 o'clock local time.
Hmm, looks like we'll be getting in about an hour late.
Oh, is that what he said?
Still, not so bad, all things considered.
Yeah, unless you're grabbing a connecting flight.
But I guess Hong Kong is your final stop?
Uh, yeah, for now.
Here for a couple of days before going on to Kuala Lumpur.
Oh, really?
Sounds great for a holiday.
Or are you on business?
Mostly business, but I've tacked on a few days at the end to head up to Bangkok to visit an old friend.
Bangkok, huh?
Yeah, she works for a big hotel there.
Is that right?
Mind if I ask which one?
I'm in the hospitality biz.
Yeah, sure.
She's with Paradise Resorts.
Oh, yeah.
I know them.
I used to work with them in Vietnam.
Oh, okay.
Interesting.
And so, are you still in Vietnam?
No.
I'm in Taipei now.
In hospitality?
Oh, yes.
Love it.
I do marketing for a big hotel chain.
And you?
Financial services.
I see.
So, first time in Asia?
Yep, first time.
And I've been really looking forward to it for months.
I bet.
And hopefully you get some time to take a look around Hong Kong while you're here.
There's so much to see and do.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language Connie and Scott used in their conversation.
We've got some pretty strong headwinds today, and so we'll be touching down a little after 7 o'clock local time.
Hmm, looks like we'll be getting in about an hour late.
Connie uses the pilot's announcement to start off her conversation with her seatmate.
The announcement is a chance for her to make a comment to Scott about getting in or arriving late.
How does Scott respond to Connie's initial comment?
Oh, is that what he said?
Still, not so bad, all things considered.
Yeah, unless you're grabbing a connecting flight.
But I guess Hong Kong is your final stop?
Scott replies in a friendly manner and just as Connie dropped the subject in her informal comment saying, just looks like Scott skips the subject in his comment.
Not so bad.
He's responding at the same level of informality, which involves shortening his sentences.
Scott's friendly reply seems to indicate that he is open to conversation, so Connie continues.
She connects Scott's not-so-bad comment to the idea that he might not be grabbing or catching a connecting flight, and this leads her to her question about Scott's destination, which is actually a statement with a question intonation.
Let's practice some more ways of asking about someone's destination, which is a safe and common topic when talking to strangers.
So where are you off to today?
Headed for Atlantic City?
You still have a long way to go today?
Are you on your way home?
So, is Hong Kong Scots final stop?
Uh, yeah, for now.
Here for a couple of days before going on to Kuala Lumpur.
Oh, really?
Sounds great for a holiday.
Or are you on business?
Once again you can hear that Scott is giving shortened sentences, like for now, and saying here for a couple of days, rather than I will be here for a couple of days.
You'll notice this informal approach throughout the conversation.
Connie shows interest in what Scott is saying by responding with the expression oh really?
And then asking about the purpose of his trip.
Like asking about someone's destination.
Asking about the purpose of travel is usually a safe topic when talking to strangers.
And this kind of question also opens the door to all sorts of other topics that relate to the two common purposes of traveling business and pleasure.
Let's try some more ways of asking about the purpose of travel.
Notice how we often ask about whether the travel is for business or pleasure.
You visiting family for the holiday or just getting away?
Chicago, eh?
Business or pleasure?
Is it a work trip or just for fun?
So, you just going to check it out on your own or do you know people there?
Now, let's get back to the dialogue.
Mostly business, but I've tacked on a few days at the end to head up to Bangkok to visit an old friend.
Bangkok, huh?
Scott's response contains a couple of pieces of information that Connie could ask about to continue the conversation.
She decides to follow up on Scott's visit to Bangkok, but she doesn't ask a formal question.
Instead, she simply repeats the word Bangkok and then uses the informal question word, huh.
When we echo someone's words in question form, we are inviting more detail about what they've said.
Let's run through some more ways to invite detail by echoing.
Really?
Major delays?
It's not good for tourists, eh?
Let's hear what kind of details Scott offers.
Yeah, she works for a big hotel there.
Is that right?
Mind if I ask which one?
I'm in the hospitality biz.
Yeah, sure.
She's with Paradise Resorts.
Oh, yeah.
I know them.
I used to work with them in Vietnam.
Scott's response is rather general.
He just states that his friend works for a big hotel in Bangkok.
In casual conversation with strangers, we tend to avoid giving information that's too specific.
This is why Connie politely asks, mind if I ask which one?
And explains that she's in the hospitality business, which includes hotels.
It might sound a bit rude for Connie just to ask directly which hotel without giving reason for her curiosity.
And it turns out that Connie actually knows the company that Scott's friend works for in Bangkok.
In fact, Connie used to work with them, as she says.
A big part of socializing with strangers is finding these points of intersection between our lives.
In this way, we build connections with people and get to know them better.
Connie's questions about destination and purpose have led her to this discovery.
Identifying points of intersection are a sign of successful conversation, so let's go through some more examples.
No way!
I grew up in the Richmond area as well.
Okay, yeah, I know it.
In fact, I worked there a few years back.
Norman Fulton?
You know, I think my brother is friends with Norman.
You're going to the jazz festival?
I've been several times.
Now, let's return to the dialogue, as Scott also shows interest and asks a question.
Oh, okay.
Interesting.
And so, are you still in Vietnam?
No.
I'm in Taipei now.
In hospitality?
Oh, yes.
Love it.
I do marketing for a big hotel chain.
After Connie reveals that she now lives in Taipei, Scott moves on to another common topic of conversation with the question in hospitality.
We often say we work in a particular field, and this question is an invitation to Connie to summarize her work, which she does generally, stating the type of work marketing and the type of employer a big hotel chain.
Again, because Scott and Connie don't actually know each other.
The conversation tends towards general information.
What are some other ways of generally summarizing your work?
Let's practice a few more.
I'm a web designer in San Francisco.
I'm in the sports marketing business.
Well, I run a few little restaurants in Tokyo.
I'm in sales.
Electronics for the most part.
Now because Scott has asked about Connie's work, it's only polite that she asks about his.
And you?
Financial services.
I see.
So, first time in Asia?
Yep, first time.
And I've been really looking forward to it for months.
I bet.
And hopefully you'd get some time to take a look around Hong Kong while you're here.
There's so much to see and do.
Maybe if Scott gave a longer reply about his work, Connie might ask more about it.
But Scott's response is very short and simple, so she moves back to the topic of his travel, asking whether it's his first time in Asia.
And we hear Connie begin to talk about the many things to do in Hong Kong.
Once again, she set up a new topic of conversation by asking a question about travel or work.
And she's helped us understand how we can effectively socialize with strangers.
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 chatting with someone sitting beside you on a train.
First, you will ask the person about destination and purpose.
Then you'll invite detail by echoing and identifying a point of intersection.
Finally, you'll summarize your work.
At each step, you'll hear a prompt spoken by your fellow traveler.
Then I'll give you some suggestions for the language you can use to respond.
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.
This feels like such a long day.
Start by asking the person where they are going.
Oh yeah?
Where are you headed?
All the way to Madrid, eventually.
Now ask if the person is going there on business.
Answer.
Going there on business, are you?
Yes, I need to visit some restaurants there.
Now invite more detail by echoing the idea of visiting restaurants.
Answer.
Visiting restaurants, huh?
Yes, I work in food sales based in Lyon.
Now identify a point of intersection by saying that you have worked in Lyon.
Answer.
Is that right?
I used to work in Lyon.
You don't say.
What line of work are you in?
Answer.
I'm in the biotech industry.
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... After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
We have over 50 Asian locations in our of restaurants.
We have over 50 Asian locations in our chain of restaurants.
The food wasn't great, but all things... It was a good flight.
Answer.
The food wasn't great, but all things considered, it was a good flight.
I'm pretty happy in Philly for... But I don't know about next year.
Answer.
I'm pretty happy in Philly for now, but I don't know about next year.
I've worked in the and tourism industry for 15 years now.
Answer.
I've worked in the hospitality and tourism industry for 15 years now.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series on socializing with strangers.
We've learned how to ask about the destination and purpose of travel.
We've also looked at how to invite detail by echoing, identify a point of intersection and summarize your work.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
