speaking bussiness

 What day suits you?

I have to make a call.

Hello, could I speak to Mr. Jack Harris, please?

Speaking. Who's calling?

It's Ronald Taylor from IO systems.

Hello there! How are you?

Fine! I'm calling to arrange a meeting.

Could you hold for a second?

I need to find my diary.

Yeah, right...

So, what day suits you?

How about Wednesday?

Wednesday is a bit busy for me. Can we make it Tuesday?

I think that should be ok.

Fantastic, at 10:30?

Ok. At our offices here in the centre?

That's fine with me. See you then.

Small talk in English

What is Sall talk - is used to start a conversation before getting to details.

It is particularly important in business as it helps to form a relationship.

It is necessary to "break the ice"(open a conversation) with colleagues, clients etc before starting negotiations.

topics can include:

The weather;

Travel to the meeting

Recent news/sport

Recent emails etc

Small talk is often used in business when greeting a client, or on the way to a meeting room.

How was the journey here?

Yes, it was good. I came by fast train from the airport.

How long did it take to get to the office from here?

It only took 20 mins and the train was very comfortable.

Ok. That's good. The meeting room is just over there.

It has to fill the time so it's important to know what to ask and what to say.

What do you do when you find yourself in a lift with a colleague you hardly know?

Afternoon, Mr Smith.

Afternoon, Walbert.

Lovely weather, isn't it?

 It certainly is. Very warm for this time of year.

Any news today in the paper?

Yep. ZR Holdings are be bought by CT Co.

Really!...That's interesting.

Oh, look! Here is my floor.

See you later!

Work & Jobs

Work vocabulary.

To attend meetings.

To make a call.

To take calls.

Send emails.

Paperwork.

Filing. (failing

Colleagues.

 Office.

Factory.

Desk.

Computer.

Asking about someone's job(in a social situation) What do you do?

I'm a PA to the CEO.

That must be interesting.

What does that involve?

I have to send emails, do filing, take calls and organise meetings.

What's your job?

I'm a financial manager.

Where do you work?

In Edinburgh.

What company do you work for?

I work for Harris Associates.

What hours do you work?

I work 9 to 5

Do you enjoy it?

Yes, my colleagues are very nice.

What do you do?

What duties does that involve?

Where do you work?

What company do you work for?

What hours do you work?

Do you enjoy your job?

Colloquial or Formal?

It is important to know the appropriate level of formality to use in different situations.

Here are some examples from different language functions.

Greetings

Alright mate, how's it going?

Good afternoon, how are you today?

I'm off. See you later.

I have to go I'm afraid. 

I have a meeting to attend shortly.

Requests

Could you possibly send the minutes of the meeting?

Give me a hand with this stuff, would you?

Suggestions

Let's go to a disco, shall we?

I suggest we look at the report.

Telephone language

Could you hold for a second? I need to find my schedule.

schedule (chedule)

Just a sec, I gotta get my diary.

Good morning, Could I speak to Linda Harris please?

Hi! Is Linda there?

Giving Opinions

In my opinion we need more data.

Look, I reckon we need more time to decide.

Other ways

What are you doing currently?

What are you up to?

Formal English uses the Passive more frequently.

The match was seen  by thousands of people.

Loads of people saw the match.

Your order has been delivered.

A guy came round with your stuff.

Colloquial English uses more Phrasal Verbs.

My specialism is innovation.

 I'm good at coming up with new ideas.

Send letters and postcards in English.

Describe how to order in a restaurant in English.

Describe how to reserve a hotel room in English.

Sending letters and postcards.

Essential vocabulary