Even if you mostly need English to work, you don’t just work with your colleagues and your foreign clients. You take coffee breaks and you go to the restaurant too. While these activities are more enjoyable, the discussions can be more difficult. How to start a topic? How to conduct the conversation afterwards? And be comfortable?
Last weekend I was in Brussels for a conference. In addition to all the presentations, we do a lot of small talk (if you don’t know what it is, it’s explained in the video 🙂 Like you, we talk about everyday subjects during coffee and lunch breaks. It is important to create links, to learn to know each other, to exchange and avoid those silences that make us sometimes uncomfortable.
Rather than trying to start a topic (to see it fall like a stone 3 sentences later), you can use a simple strategy that creates a link with your interlocutor and invites him to participate in the conversation. You will be able to build good relationships and enjoy these moments of relaxation, without stress as it is in English.
And you will see, there is no need to know how to construct complex sentences (and thus to get lost between tenses and grammar). 3 simple sentences can be the beginning of a nice conversation in English.
“But I always lack vocabulary to talk about everyday topics!” I can hear you already 🙂
That’s why I’m going to create more videos on vocabulary topics. You were many to tell me that you enjoyed the video “Vocabulary for Talking about Wine in English”(Thanks !!). I want to be sure to create videos on topics that YOU need.
If you have a topic of everyday life for which you still lack the vocabulary, tell me in the comments and I will put it on my list of topics to be dealt with in a future SBFG Video!
See you soon in the comments!
Have a great week in English,
Christina
Hi Christina
I’d Like a topic about starting a round of golf
I arrive at the first tee and I realize that my partner is an American guy…
It could be interesting !
Thanks a lot
Have a nice weekend
Oh, good topic Michéle! Thanks for that idea! I can definitely do a video on how to start a conversation in different leisure situations, like a round of golf! Great idea, thanks!
i didnt understand christiana this video could you please tell me ?