Neil voiceover: I've been working at the BBC
for a long time now. I've met lots of people.
And I sometimes bump into them… and make
small talk. They call it small talk, but that
doesn't mean it's of little importance.
Neil: Hey Callum!
Callum: Hey! Hey Neil, how's it going? Haven't
seen you in ages…
Neil: It's been a while.
Callum: Yeah, yeah. How's the kids? How's
the family?
Neil: Yeah, yeah. They're good, they're good.
And you… I heard you've got a new job.
Callum: Yes I have, yes. Started a few weeks
ago, yeah, yeah…
Neil: So… What's the salary?
Callum: Um… It's OK. I've got to go…
Neil: How much exactly? How much
do they pay you?
Callum: Um… some. Enough.
Neil: What's the figure?
Callum: Sorry, I've got to run. See ya.
Neil: OK. Nice to see you. Bye. See ya.
Neil voiceover: Let's see what our experts
have to say about that.
Sam: They seem to know each other; seem to
have a little bit of knowledge of each other.
Kee: Absolutely. He's obviously found out
that he's changed jobs.
Sam: Yeah, yeah. And he reacted really
nicely to it.
Kee: Yeah, absolutely. Until he decided to
ask how much he's earning.
Sam/Kee : Yeah. His salary.
Kee: Why would you not ask
that question?
Sam: It's just not a common question. It's
considered very rude to talk about money generally…
Kee: It is, isn't it?
Sam : But specifically money you make.
Kee: Right.
Sam/Kee: It's just not done. No, you wouldn't
ask that, would you? Sam: So, what do
you think he could have
done instead?
Kee: I think the obvious question is, 'How
are you finding your new job?'
Sam: Yeah.
Kee: Are you enjoying it? You know, like,
what are your colleagues like?
Sam: Yeah
Kee: Or even just asking about the job itself.
'What are you doing in your new job?' I think
that's a standard thing to do rather than…
'So, what's your salary?'
Sam: Exactly.
Kee: And I think most people will want to
talk about their new job.
Sam: Yeah definitely.
Kee: They'll want to tell the other person
about what they enjoy and what they're not
enjoying. But not this guy. Money.
Neil voiceover: Thanks for the tips, guys.
I'll try harder next time.