Native English Chat #2 - Do's and Don'ts of Talking to British and American Colleagues - C1 Level
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- Опубліковано 17 бер 2024
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Are you eager to polish your English skills while also navigating the cultural nuances of American and British workplaces? You've landed in the right place! "High Level Listening" is your go-to UA-cam channel for advanced English learners looking to enhance their language proficiency in real, meaningful ways.
🇺🇸🤝🇬🇧 In today's episode, we dive into the art of conversation with colleagues across the pond. Join Kat, our American Voice, and Mark from the UK, as they engage in a relaxed yet insightful chat on workplace culture in the United States and the United Kingdom. Whether you're curious about small talk, formal titles, or the best topics for office chitchat, we've got you covered.
*What's on the agenda?*
- *Colleagues vs. Co-Workers:* Explore the subtle differences and when to use each term.
- *Titles and Names:* Should you call your colleague "Mr." or "Ms.," or is their first name just fine?
- *After-Hours Socializing:* Is it expected to hang out with your colleagues after work in the US and the UK? We compare cultural expectations.
- *Making Small Talk:* Discover whether it's appreciated or seen as a waste of time, and learn what topics are safe for those office conversations.
- *Cultural Insights:* Gain valuable insights into the American and British workplace dynamics, enhancing your cultural understanding and English language skills.
Whether you're planning to work in an English-speaking environment or simply want to understand the cultural subtleties better, this episode is packed with practical advice and engaging discussions.
📌 *Don't forget to participate!* After watching, share your own experiences in the comments. Do you use titles with your colleagues? What kind of small talk is common in your country? Are after-work gatherings a must? Let's learn from each other's experiences!
*Subscribe* to High Level Listening for more episodes where we bridge languages, cultures, and continents, all while enhancing your English. Turn on the notification bell so you never miss out on our casual, advanced-level chats that are sure to elevate your English and cultural know-how to new heights!
*#HighLevelListening #EnglishLearning #WorkplaceCulture #AmericanVsBritish #AdvancedEnglish*
Hello! In Russia we like to talk deeply with colleagues and rather strangers. It’s our culture and we can’t understand why Americans ask how are you if they really not interested in it. When we share our problems, health, events, etc. we become more close to each other and provide advices that could be helpful.
Indeed it does seem strange from the outside. The phrase "How are you?" has become more of a social pleasantry than an actual question. I remember hearing in South Korea that people often asked each other: "Have you eaten yet?" The actual answer didn't matter, it was the customary way to start a conversation.
Interestingly, we actually made another video after this one with questions to talk more deeply with your friends. You'll notice that the questions are slightly different than "How are you" - hopefully it's interesting! ua-cam.com/video/oM9nriZdgzw/v-deo.html
hello kat and Mark . i am from china . so i we have a big culture difference. it is very common for us to talk about health. sometimes we might get some opinions from the other one . like some traditional homemade recipe or the doctor speciallized in it .
anyway i think all are good . we just have to know that we must respect
the customs whereever we are.
so i have learned your culture from this epsiode. it's very interesting. thanks
both of you
Very well said! Every country is different, but if we all respect those little differences then we can all get along just fine. Thanks for sharing about Chinese culture!
Thanks Kat and Mark, In Mexico, there´s some social obligation to attend certain out of work events. It´s relatively common either the boss or the colleagues organize an early dinner to socialize and to chat, and to get to know each other better, outside of the work environment. The Christmas party is almost a ´must go', heheh. But there're other opportunities during the year to socialize. I preferred to stay out, and that´s fine, although probably the majority of people do certain socialization with colleagues, like, soccer tournament, get out to have a drinks or dinner, most people seem to enjoy it, as well, as the northamerican coworker visitors that also get invited to be part of the óffice family' . Thanks for the courses! Blessings.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing! It seems like a lot of offices / colleagues are closer with each other than in the US and the UK. In the UK the Christmas party is quite important, but going out to a restaurant to eat with my colleagues is something I've never experienced in a British office. A lot of corporations try to suggest the idea that the company is "like a family", but very few people actually believe it 😅
@@highlevellistening I´ve had to opportunity to temporarily work in the USA (IN) for a project and could tell the locals even behaved different at the office compared to outside. At the office they only gave brief good morning, while outside the sama people were kind, frienly and nice. Thanks again.
Thank you so much .I am from srilanka.
Thanks so much for joining us and studying with us!
Hello! I'm from Russia. We like a small talk))) we speak about health because someone could advice better doctors or clinics or treats
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. Sharing a different clinic or doctor could definitely be helpful!
Learning English via a theme talking is double beneficial for learners ! 🎉
We think so too! Thanks very much for watching and studying with us!
Wow high yield lesson ,greatful to my lovely teachers
Thanks so much for studying with us!
And I’s like to say that this kind of subject like small talk is very useful ! ❤
Absolutely! Small talk might seem unimportant and too casual, but it's a crucial part of forming relationships at work and beyond!
Thanks for this very interesting video ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you so much for watching!
In Brazil we're pretty casual in the office and everyone goes by their first name. However, we do address the owner of the company a little bit more formally, we add Mr. and then his first name. We tend to do that with older people as well, 70 year olds for example.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing! Using Mr. Or Mrs. is definitely the same case in the US for older or very senior members of a company as well!
I love the small talk in USA. In my country everyone wants to know about your business.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. We're glad this video could help!
Hello, good morning Mr Mark and Ms Kat I am here with you wish you all the best.
Thanks so much for watching as always!
I love this chatter they are very interesting😊thank you ❤
Thanks so much for joining us!
Thank you, guys! Very interesting and useful as always👍 I love your topics related to work!
Wonderful to hear! We'll continue small talk conversations at work in our Wednesday video!
Thanks a lot. I am very happy with each of your videos. The topic of a small conversation with colleagues is very important to me, but I would like a little more phrases for such a conversation
Thanks very much for studying with us! Our students seem to enjoy these kinds of videos, so we might revisit this topic in the future and add more phrases
Howdy, Kat and Mark! Greetings from a broiling hot São Paulo, Brazil! Hope you guys are both doing well and having a great week. I just watched the full video and wanted to say that I liked it so much! Fortunately, I work for a global company with its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, which requires my English communication skills on a daily basis. And small talk, whether it be in an email or over the phone, definitely helps break the ice and kick off the conversation on a lighter tone before getting down to brass tacks and cut to the chase, since - if not all - most people have tons of work to get done before calling it a day. One thing I find it worth mentioning, though, is the fact that I have already heard or read in some emails the expression 'work colleague', which is synonymous with co-worker. I didn't know the word 'colleague' alone also means co-worker, and was so glad to learn something new today and, for that matter, can't thank you enough. Anyway, thank you both so much for this interesting, useful video, and please keep it up! All the best to you. Toodles!
Hi there! Thanks so much for such a thoughtful comment! We're glad we could teach you something new in our video and we hope you enjoy our other ones just as much!
Thank you for this wonderful channel❤❤❤❤
You're very welcome! Thanks so much for studying with us!
Good morning kat and mark I relish this lesson I appreciate it
Wow, thank you so much for joining us! we're very happy that you're here!
Thank you, guys, for the interesting and helpful topic! I like the way your people introduce themselves! Simple and easy, and easy memorised!
Glad you liked it! Thanks so much for joining us today!
It's great lesson
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for joining us in class!
Thanks, very interessting topic 🙂
You're very welcome! Thanks so much for studying with us today!
Hi!! In Italy, most of all, in the south , we have a good relationship between colleagues and we often go in a bar for a cup of coffee. Small talks begin slowly speaking about the weather, where we come from and then about school, students... We love going for a pizza at the end of the school year, all the collegues. Obviously we are not obliged. Then, friendship continues even after when we change school sending messages to each other...
That's very interesting, thanks so much for sharing! I think that sounds very similar, the conversation starts a bit slower with safer topics and you continue to build a relationship and open up to new topics, I like the idea of a big party to enjoy chatting with each other and letting loose a little. That's great! Thanks again for sharing, we enjoyed reading about your culture!
Yes it is very normal. In Brazil we talk all the time. Haha ha
Thanks for sharing! Yes it seems like a lot of other cultures are much more open with their colleagues / coworkers, especially compared to the US
Great video!! as usual, a great class and topic. The best english teachers. I´m from LATAM and I think our work relations and smal talks in the office could be more open or personal than in english culture. The boundaries between our working and private life maybe are more diffuse, and it´s common people talk about personal issues with their collages, like family, kids or even health problems.
Every culture it´s different, as you said.
I looking forward for more amazing videos like this.!
Regards!
Sorry, not sure where my reply went! I thought I answered this before sorry. Hi! Thanks for sharing, I can definitely see that some cultures feel more personal and share more, especially Latin American culture that feels more family oriented. Personal issues and health seem to be more prevalent in other cultures, making Americans and Brits feel a bit more cold and distant! Thanks for sharing with us we really appreciate it ☺️
Hi I'm from Cambodia.
Hello from us!
Great job, well done ...
Thanks very much for watching!
@@highlevellistening any time, I really appreciate your special work, thank you too ...
Hi Kat and Mark, really appreciate this chat. I think it'll help me a lot.
I'm french and in France, from my experience, talk about health is not as much as private than in the Uk or US. If someone doesn't want to talk about his health it' OK, but my colleagues talk about their health problems. It's quite common in the office, even if it's private. People share their problems and we listen to them, not a long conversation and i think ii's more than just a small talk.
For the social events, it's pretty the same as in the US or UK, one or two days a year. After work we go home, the day is over, and time to relax and share moments with family.
Thans you very much for all, i don't make comments each time but really appreciate your lovely work.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Most of my French friends feel the same way, leave work, go home and enjoy your free time, very similar to us!
I understand most people talk about their health more openly than we do in English, it's an interesting cultural difference, sometimes (Americans/Brits) we might feel uncomfortable or less easy going when someone asks us about our health because we're just not used to it!
I think sharing your health feels like you might create a deeper connection with someone, so in the right place and the right time it can feel like a deeper conversation which I think can be good for a relationship, but in small talk, I sometimes feel a bit surprised!
Thanks again for sharing with us, we really appreciate all your time and energy watching and listening to our channel and we love reading your comments thank you!
Hey there! I'm from Argentina too, and I guess we Argentine are open socially and small talk is natural for us, not only in a job with the coworkers, but also at the grocery or a bus stop. We talk every time everywhere! Haha. Love your channel ❤
I actually really like that! Here in Yucatan in Mexico, people tend to be quite friendly with a quick hello or good morning, but when I go back to Houston (my hometown) or Dallas I talk to about 5 to 10 strangers a day in some form of small talk, and sometimes I forget that's totally normal! hahah We would love to visit Argentina, it's sounds like a good place to practice our Spanish chit chatting.
Thank you big time ❤ You Rock !!!guys ❤
Rarely do we go out with our clients!
It's not recommended in my country to blend your social life with your work life even if the situation sometimes uses it 😊
You're very welcome! Thanks so much for studying with us!
Hello everyone,I 've just found your channel and really liked , wonderful job and understandable words,I got all the words and phrases but it's still hard to speak fluently,I am thinking: if in my mind have so many vocabularies why i can't use them ,why i not able to speak 😢
Respect from Uzbekistan,I pray to God to become the owner of this language during the holy month in my country
Hello - we're super glad you enjoyed the video and our channel!
It's very common for language learners to understand more than they can speak in their 2nd languages. The best way to improve your fluency is by speaking outloud and trying to talk as much as possible. Good luck!
I am from Ethiopia. We have small talk such as greet each other and ask our health etc.
Welcome and thanks for sharing! Do you have serious talks about health or just asking if everyone is feeling healthy/feeling good? Thanks for joining us in class today!
@@highlevellisteningIt depends on your relationships. If you are very close friends, We discuss everything including his/her health status, family health and more.
The weather and sports
are the best topics in small talk in Japan.
But recently these are the most parts of our conversation between me and my husband, I'm afraid. Thank you your videos. I'm going to add it to our topics.
Weather is always a safe topic! Sports is such a funny topic in America and the UK because it depends on who your favorite team is, but I also think it's a fun connection if you both like the same team or a competition if you don't haha!
glad you enjoyed the video! We'll have more small talk dialogues coming out today!
I am a new student in this channel. I think this channel will be beneficial for me at least. Thank youuu
Welcome! and thank you so much for joining us!
Hello,
Usually I have chance to have small talk before starting conference call with my overseas colleagues,
We mostly talk about weather and holiday..😊 small talk makes the mood of call much smooth.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. Small talk is definitely common before meetings, great example. I suppose it helps people relax a little before the serious talk starts!
Socializing after work it's quite common in Brazil, especially on Friday. I personally struggle a little bit to get to know people in general, because I'm timid.
Another important point to consider is the organization climate, it'll affect all relationships inside a company. I've already been in some places which were impossible to build trustworthy relationships.
Oh wow, very interesting! Thanks for sharing. The whole corporate culture can have a huge influence for sure. Especially in competitive industries, it might be harder to form a bond with any of your colleagues.
In the UK sometimes colleagues will 'clock out' early on Fridays to go for Happy Hour, there are often lots of little bars near large office buildings full of people in business clothes.
A pretty interesting talk, allowing us to learn more about your habits at work. I love that episode...
In Spain, it's sooo informal!!! Sometimes shocking for somebody coming from another country... And drinking with your colleagues could be each week if you agree to go to bares de copas all the night!!
Everybody asks you about your private life and the main topic for small talks is... Health😂
So different😅...
That is really very interesting! I can see why people think that Americans and Brits maybe seem a bit cold or uptight in comparison! I can definitely see some work friends going out and grabbing a drink together, especially people who work in very high stress jobs like nurses, servers, etc but in the office, most people have families at home and there's still that boundary between work life and social life that a lot of people have for sure! Thanks for sharing!
Wooow its great very practical
So glad you think so! Thanks for watching!
amazing chat, a lot of informations about culture ❤
Thanks so much for joining us! Glad you enjoyed it!
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks very much for watching as always!
I'm from Brazil. Here about 60% of co-workers get together after work on "fridays" to drink beer and talk about things not relationed to work.
Thanks for sharing! Very interesting, do you feel like this is something that you have to do with your coworkers or is it something you simply enjoy doing to catch up? I could definitely see Americans enjoying a beer with some coworkers after work and venting a little but a lot of people head home to their families as well. ☺️
Yes , beer corona and modelo
I don’t have enough word to appreciate,you both are lit 🔥
Thanks so much for joining us! We're happy that you're here!
I'm from Argentina. Men often talk about football 😂 (soccer), as small talk. Women, more about our family, family activities... if we've shared a lot of time and know each other a great deal... we maybe talk about politics.... 😂 if we are of the same party of course. Sometimes we talk a lot, not just "small" talk. Again, if we share interests. Otherwise, the least possible, politely...
Very interesting! Thanks so much for sharing your culture! I can imagine that football is very popular in Argentina haha. I think mothers definitely tend to talk to each other about their own children a lot - my (Mark) mum seems to know everything about her colleague's children, like what university they went to and what they do for a job!
Hi dear teachers , could you please explain how to use “would” in sentences or questions . You have already explained it in S2 E1 (rough morning ) but I still don’t know when to use would and when to use do . Thank you very much of all your fantastic job and efforts❤❤
Hello! It's a good question.
"Used to" describes things that we did before but don't do now. We often use this to describe a past habit *in the most general way we can*.
- I [used to] play in a band at school.
- I [used to] run marathons before I injured myself.
"Would" is used when we describe the individual past actions, often when we want to add more detail. For example:
- I used to play in a band at school. Every day we [would] meet up at my friend's house and we [would] practise.
- I used to run marathons before I injured myself last year. I [would] wake up at 5am and I [would] often 25 kilometres before work.
Hope that helps!
@@highlevellistening Thanks a lot ❤️❤️❤️
In Argentina, everybody nowadays addresses each other by the first name, even more, by the short form of the name, and on some occasions with a nickname. And something curious is that everybody, men and women, greet with a kiss and sometimes is annoying. I imagine it would be really very weird in the USA or the UK
Thanks for sharing! It sounds like a lot of Latin American countries have very close relationships with their colleagues. You're right about kissing on the cheek, in the UK and US that's only for close friends, we wouldn't attempt it in the office!
Hello, I'm from Turkiye and most of the coworkers and colleges really enjoy spending time each other on weekends. It is more like in American way. For example small talks are important and if you want you can go ahead by explaining the details from your life, because your colleges will probably be interested in knowing more about you but not all the times and not in every single break time it would be when you have a cup of tea or coffee and have a good conversation with them. And gossips are more common here even if you are not that friendly with your coworkers some of them will a hundred percent poke their noses into your job.
I have a question btw, what do we call the teachers who work in the same school with me? Colleges? Or coworkers?
Love this perspective! There's a fine line between small talk and oversharing 😂 and there's also a time and a place. I think it's an art hahaha.
I think we definitely have coffee breaks and maybe even going out to lunch together where we might have the opportunity to get to know each other a bit more, but most people we say "we keep at an arm's length" which means we keep our personal lives to ourself and we don't share a lot.
I think gossip is universal and it can't be stopped 😂😂😂 we just enjoy it too much!
Thanks so much for sharing! This is great to hear and is a wonderful insight into the Turkish cultural mindset! Have a lovely day :)
👍
Thanks for watching!
In other words, don't expect to make friends in American companies, they are just co-workers.
I have a lot of friends who have tried and failed at making friends at work, perhaps it's the age difference, if you're young and work with much older colleagues or lots of coworkers with families, it will definitely be harder to make "work friends". But of course, companies where you might meet people closer to your age and working together 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, hopefully you find some "work buddies" that you get along with, but we do keep that distinction and separation a lot of the time!
You're right Sir ....
🥰🥰🥰🥰
☺️☺️
Do you have google podcast?
Sadly not, we are only on UA-cam at the moment
💐💐💐💐💐🌹🌻🌺
Thank you for joining us in class! ❤❤
It that really the level C1?
C1 doesn't always mean long and difficult vocabulary. Listening at a C1 level can easily be listening to native speakers, talking at a natural, casual pace, using a wide range of vocabulary and phrases in context, making mistakes, using fillers and false starts - just like real life. If you can understand everything words from this video (without subtitles) then your listening skills are very high indeed!
Looking for someone who's interested in improving his or her spoken english with respect, let me know if you feel the need to exchange ideas ...