When you receive a visitor in your company, you want to be friendly and polite, to make a good impression. You greet him, you offer him a coffee, you do the small talk, but there is always that moment … how to say … not very comfortable, when you want to offer him to go to the toilet if he needs to. What should you say without letting your visitor feel uncomfortable?
But if I say ‘Do you need the toilet?’, It works anyway, “you can say. Hmmm. To answer you, I suggest you read this discussion, launched by an Australian visiting the USA. Yes, yes. Read it. It will give you a good idea of how you approach the subject in the USA, explained by the real Americans!
You may find it hard to believe, but by browsing the dozens of English language books I have on my bookshelf, I didn’t find any exercise on the subject. Yet it is something we all do, every day. But no trace of it in English books!
They all talk about how to offer a coffee, talk about the weather, ask if the visitor has a good trip and then start the meeting, but there’s total silence about this common and natural subject: to ask someone if he needs to go to the toilet when he arrives from a trip.
Fortunately, you watch Speak Better, Feel Great TV, because this week you will see how to approach the subject without feeling embarrassed. It’s easy, in fact, if you know some good expressions!
* All SBFG TV videos are subtitled in English. Remember to enable the subtitles!
Do you have other difficult subjects you have to talk about? Tell us about it in the comments below! A member of The Speak Better, Feel Great Community can surely help you!
P.S. Do you like SBFG? Help me spread the word about this initiative. Share it with your colleagues!
