- Hi there!
I am your English coach Christina
and welcome to Speak English with Christina
where you'll learn about American culture
and business know-how
to become confident in English.
There're quite a few topics that are
taboo or frowned upon at work.
Politics and religion
are the two most obvious topics.
Why?
Because people tend to have strong opinions
and if either topic comes up
in conversation at work,
it can make people feel uneasy.
Overgeneralizations about a group of people,
office gossip and complaining
about job frustrations
can make people feel awkward or unwelcome.
Work should be a positive environment
so everyone can achieve their best
for the good of one another
and for the organization, right?
In this episode, we'll discuss
some of the things that you can say
to gently steer the conversation away
from sensitive subjects at work
and help make the office environment
more positive.
Let's get go!
(upbeat music)
(lively music)
If the conversation is moving
in a direction that is inappropriate,
you can simply find a transition
to a new more neutral topic.
One way to do this is to change
the focus of the conversation
to the person that you're talking to.
You can ask them about a project at work.
For example.
"Ah, before I forget, I enjoyed
"the presentation that you gave last week.
"Did you design that Power Point yourself?"
If you know that this person has a hobby
that they're passionate about,
you might ask about that.
For example.
"I know that you ran the half-marathon last month.
"You know, I'm interested in jogging.
"Can you give me a few tips on how to start?"
(lively music)
Who doesn't like to hear something nice
about themselves?
You can pay a compliment to the person
that you're speaking with.
For example.
"Carol, I love your earrings.
"Where did you get them?"
Or, "Daniel, are those new shoes?
"They look great!
"Where did you get them?"
A compliment and a followup question
is a great way to change the subject
of the conversation.
(lively music)
A quick way to steer the conversation away
from a touchy topic is to introduce
a new person into the conversation,
and this way you can reset the conversation
and you have an opportunity
to move to a new topic fast.
It's like hitting a pause button
or saying "Time out!"
If you don't see anyone that you know nearby,
you can ask the person that you're talking to
for an introduction to someone
that they might know by saying,
"I've been wanting to meet David.
"Can you maybe introduce us?"
(lively music)
Never underestimate the power of "Yes, but".
You can easily change the topic
of a conversation by agreeing
with the speaker with "yes",
and then quickly changing direction with "but".
For example, if the person you are talking with
is speaking negatively about their colleague
such as Sue,
"Sue talks very loud."
Your response can be "Yes, but she makes
"wonderful chocolate brownies.
"Have you ever tried them?"
And with a simple "Yes, but"
you've moved the conversation
away from office gossip
about someone who talks too loud
into a crowd-pleasing subject of desserts.
It's almost unfair,
sort of like a bribe talking about desserts.
Yes, but have you tried our brownies?
(lively music)
You likely aren't chained to this person.
If you really want to get out of a conversation,
you can just say "Excuse me" and leave.
But if you want to be more polite,
any excuse will do.
You need to make a call,
go to the restroom, get some fresh air outside.
If you think you might be ready
to talk again afterwards,
you can say something like,
"Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom real quick.
"I'll be right back."
Or, "Sorry, I'll be right back.
"I just need to make a quick call."
And stepping away from the conversation
gives a natural break,
and when you resume talking with this person,
you can start fresh by introducing
a new topic, like "Oh, I was thinking.
"Are you coming to the company picnic
"this weekend?"
And if this person is your employee,
well maybe you can just fire them.
No, no, no.
Just kidding, just kidding.
(lively music)
Now, what about you?
Have you ever been in a situation,
perhaps at work,
in which you felt uncomfortable
with what the other person said?
What strategies have you used
to manage sensitive topics
that come up in conversations?
Share them in the comments below.
And if you want to practice speaking English,
then consider my Faster Fluency Conversation Club
where members can participate
in three group sessions per week.
You'll be paired up in small groups
with other motivated students
and get some help
from a Fluency Club leader too.
And the small group size ensures
that you get plenty of speaking practice
and feedback on your mistakes
and ways that you can speak more colloquially
so that you gain fluency faster.
You can get all of the details
and join the Fluency Club
by clicking on the link below.
You'll also get extra resources
and a conversation guidebook
to help you increase your vocabulary
and become more confident in conversations.
Thank you for learning
with Speak English with Christina
and I'll see you next time.