hey there Michelle how's everything today hello Lindsay I feel like we're both having kind of
crazy mornings don't you think we really are I brought my dog to the vet this morning and he
went crazy and you had some uh debacle with the doctor and craziness baby sickness and
child care and and I I sent Lindsay a text this morning I can't record and then 20 minutes later
and that actually I can record yeah we're just like oh it's craziness now we have a wolf man
in the house and my dog is about to be on the microphone he'll be a star pretty soon here so
that's great well oh my gosh well I feel like we were both like happy to kind of just like
be flexible with each other and and work this all out so we could record for our listeners you know
Michelle flexibility is the key I mean it helps that we actually really enjoy you know recording
because we just want to make it work um because we love this show and so yeah I'm usually happy
to be pretty flexible with things and kind of move in and out of stuff and we just make
it work in the end yeah I love it we do yeah so guys um well we are actually I don't know
if you noticed Lindsay and I are throwing about around this expression I'm happy to I'm happy to
um and we're gonna talk about this because on the business English podcast episode 115 uh that was
teamwork English skills for business success so guys if you don't know this we have another
podcast um called the business English podcast and this is a great way to prepare for business
things in your life we know that you guys are Global professionals so there's so much to learn
to wear uh three days a week over on that podcast right Lindsay yes it's 100 it's a great show guys
so go open your search bar search for business English you'll see the big yellow cover art
and hit follow on that show and make sure you're following this one too so that it just drops right
into your queue every Monday Tuesday Wednesday day Thursday but today's episode Michelle is
going to be good for our listeners is definitely a native skill to be able to say this I'm happy
to do something let's talk about it right yeah so on that episode of business English 115 we were
talking about dividing up work uh school projects teamwork uh listen to that definitely um and we
were we were using this expression I'm happy to and that was for splitting up work and it was
kind of used uh like this um I'm happy to start with X do you want to do y um so Lindsay what did
that sound like yeah so I'm happy to start with X do you want to do should I throw in an example
I'm happy yeah with the pictures if you want to do the charts right so there we're grabbing some
work and we're saying I'll do this would you like to do that right it sounds professional it sounds
giving right you want to feel like you're pulling your weight at work or in life right for sure and
and but what was interesting was kind of while we were using that we realized that there's more
to discuss with this phrase so that happens a lot of times sometimes we just get an idea uh
from another episode and because I mentioned that um sometimes I feel funny saying this and I don't
know why if there's a reason um so we're gonna yeah we're gonna we're gonna talk about this
today in our thoughts opinions and teach you guys how to use it because it do you think it's common
Lindsay to say oh I think it's pretty common and I'm also thinking for our listeners maybe if you
guys are not necessarily working I could see this for like a parent uh carpool which I'm sure you'll
get into in a couple years Michelle pretty soon yeah I'm thinking exactly driving around all her
kids right and then other kids and oh I'm happy to do Friday if you can do Tuesday right so it's
really just great for work Life Community Building that kind of thing sharing responsibilities but
I'm wondering why you feel funny about it what I don't know um well I mean let's talk we'll get
into it but like I I I don't know when so but basically when you say I'm happy to X it's like
offering suggesting like Lindsay said saying you're good with doing something it's like a
different way of saying I'll do this like it seems it seems a little bit more polite so I think it
shows a sense of eagerness or just being willing to help so in that way it's very nice yeah exactly
or maybe there's another side to it but we'll see we'll see and I do I would say that personally I
do use this uh I think it's good for work good for social life I'm trying to think yeah you
know when we you know take care of other people's dogs like we'll do like dog swaps or if we go away
for a weekend someone will take kefir and then we'll take their dog you know we're happy to take
care of pip all right that's our friend's dog's name cute little dog with an underbite [Music]
um we're happy to take care of pip if you can take kefir you know it is sometimes maybe what you're
getting at Michelle is that it signals a bit of a like um a transaction it's transactional like I'll
do this if you do that feel is that what you mean that you feel funny I don't know what it is I had
explored this idea now I kind of lost it like why is it that sometimes I feel funny when I say it
um I guess you know what I was thinking maybe it sounds like a little insincere
um like I don't know just a little bit um formal like I feel like yeah I feel like
maybe it can sound it like like okay let's say I am not really happy to do something especially
um but I'm offering and I use that I just feel sometimes a little bit fake and I don't know why
but it's just saying like oh I'm happy to do this like I I don't know it just feels sometimes in
insincere to me I don't know why but it's so it's so common and I don't think people take it as that
way no for sure let's give some more examples what do you think what else what else can we use it
in what do you think okay well so um you can say happy to help right so do so this is you
could say I'm happy to help but don't you think people also just cut off the I'm and they just
say happy to help oh for sure and that's kind of often used when you someone has said thank you to
you more than anything rather than volunteering to take on that task on the front end it's more
on the back end and this role play is perfect so should we do it Michelle let's do it okay thanks
so much that really made my day easier oh happy to help Lindsay yeah so that one's easy I don't
feel any funniness about saying that because that's nice like that's when you have already
helped someone and you want to just it just feels good it's a nice exchange there right
right yeah exactly exactly I don't know maybe it's just me I it's just it's not all the time
but every once in a while I say it and then I feel funny and it's just a silly Michelle thing I get
um but anyway so there's another thing people might say is I'm happy to hear that so that's when
there's hearing good news yeah so for example um I finally got to relax this weekend oh I'm happy
to hear that yeah okay so happy to help happy to hear that so kind of starting with happy to do
X or or something X right yes okay Michelle what else do we need to know here all right so we also
just one more have I'd be happy to do something so this is kind of what we went over already but you
can also say I'd instead of I'm like I would be happy to so for example can you help me with those
boxes I'd be happy to right so so it's I would be happy to or as we said earlier in the episode I'm
happy to what is the difference Michelle when we say I'd be happy to versus I'm happy to I feel I
I'm happy to can like I'd be happy to you wouldn't say that afterwards uh-huh right you want to say
like oh thanks for doing that I'd be happy to no that's four that's for more for the future for
like a a future thing that might happen um whereas I'm happy to um or happy to help that could be at
the end or if like let's say you're saying oh could you could you do this for me later and I
said sure and you say thank you and say oh happy to help even though it's still in the right like
it's still before the action takes place we've already made this agreement that I'm going to
do that so you're thanking me so the I'd be happy to is more when you're being asked yes and I think
um when it comes to accepting it on the front end both are fine right I'm happy too you know will
you uh oh someone or just someone needs to go pick up the dog at the vet oh I'd be happy to or I'm
happy to both are interchangeable in that scenario right Michelle that's true that's true good point
okay I love it so guys there's some nuances here for sure but what we're communicating here is
openness kind of an eagerness or just wanting to you know I think human beings really have this
even though we don't want to be transactional it's the reciprocity effect right and we keep things in
mind it's not so much we're always scheming like oh I did this for you you need to do something
but I think it's built into our brains as human beings and goes way back to Evolution that when
someone has done something nice for us we want to come back and do something for them it's it's very
hardwired into us as humans so this will help you do that guys that's right that's right yeah
and I think for that like what you're saying uh it shows that this can bring about connection because
it just you know that idea that you're willing to help that you're eager that you're happy to
um and I think it's interesting how the word happy because it's kind of an informal sounding
word just happy you know it's yeah um it can kind of have an elevated tone when you use
it in this expression so you can use that at work um and it's you know formal sounding or
informal sounding so either is good I love it so let's give our listeners a little role play
to finish up today's episode so today Michelle we are planning a trip and this is a place where
it is really good especially if you're taking a trip with friends to be able to jump in and
say you know I'd be happy to do this if you'll do that right exactly yes yeah so here we are
we're friends planning this trip let's go okay so I'm happy to look up the hotels in the area
okay that would be great I think I can get us some discounts oh I'm happy to hear that can
you call about the car rental I'd be happy to oh man Michelle when you travel with Dan uh does he
do most of the planning or do you share it pretty well he does most of it what about for you guys
yeah oh me too and then I get there and I'm like oh where are we like what it's so bad I need to
get better at that really I I mean you know when your partner is really good at planning trips that
you know they enjoy it and then they want to do it but then it can get overwhelming right
um that's so funny that's why sometimes I feel like you and I are very similar like in more
ways than we even realize like whenever we it always happens that we feel the same way about
something or we take on a certain role but yeah I feel it's it's so I was just thinking about
that on our trip like why do I do nothing yeah I know I it's something I really want to change yeah
um but anyways to be Revisited we'll come back maybe we'll do an episode about something around
pulling your weight or something I don't know or when the two of us are going on another trip
we should uh we should like challenge each other to do some of the planning and do an
episode about that I know or Michelle you and I should not take a trip together because no no
we wouldn't be going anywhere wait what just we would barely make it to the airport like
all right let's go back through this role play here for our listeners so we said I
said okay I'm happy to look up the hotels in the area and this is where I'm just throwing
it out there we know we're planning a trip and so I'm volunteering to do the first thing right
um and then you said you could get us some discounts so I said I'm happy to hear that
yeah and then finally you said well I said can you call about the car rental right and
so I'm asking you to do something and you said I'd be happy to right so yeah good stuff well
what's the takeaway for today Michelle what do we think how do we want to leave our listeners
right yes well we hope everyone can take a trip sometime soon but basically I think leave I want
to leave you guys with this is that this is all about connection right and this eagerness
to show you're willing to help don't listen to me about feeling funny about it I don't
even know what I'm talking about like even as I talk through it I'm still like it you know
it's it happens only in very specific moments where I say it and then I feel funny saying it
I still have to once that comes up yeah maybe I'll do a follow-ups English yes exactly so
um yeah so but this is these are great ways to connect with people and show your willingness
help anything else Lindsay yeah I mean keep in mind that reciprocity effect we know it because
it's hardwired into us like I said so we want to compensate when someone has done something
we want to do something else it's normal right it's not transactional it's just how
human beings function in the world and so now guys you have the language to do that whether it's at
work planning a trip with your spouse or just uh sharing a carpool with friends in your community
um this works for many Arenas so go and use it so good perfect okay well this was fun Lindsay
so yeah all right I'll talk to you later all right talk soon Michelle take care bye [Music]