1. Practice key expressions and phrases from the Ringle material.
2. Choose “Questions” to apply the expressions you’ve practiced in a lesson.
3. Learn other appropriate expressions while practicing with a tutor during a lesson.
Working in the office in an unfamiliar country with an unfamiliar culture can bring about its share of challenges. While you may have had the opportunity to learn expressions that cover very basic forms of small talk in English courses, office interactions no doubt might leave you in situations that require some more preparation.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of common scenarios alongside useful American English expressions that’ll help you adapt quickly to your environment, make new connections, and hopefully help you grow to love your office life. Let’s get started!
A Note on Addressing Colleagues
In corporate America, it’s perfectly acceptable to address your colleagues, managers, and bosses by their first name.
General Greetings
A Princeton University research study published in 2006 demonstrated that people make snap [1] judgements about trustworthiness, likability, competence, and more within the first few hundred milliseconds of meeting someone. Although much of the research showed that these judgments were made based on things that can’t be changed (like facial structure), body language in the form of smiles and handshakes can be enough to alter someone’s perception. That’s why a good first impression is key.
Greetings
Instead of the classic “how are you’s” before a meeting, you might try some of the options below to spice things up [2].
- “How’s it going?” / “What’s new?”
- “What’s up?” (For more casual environments/situations)
- “Have y’all heard about…” (For inserting news or other events)
Although many people may use “how are you’s” when beginning a conversation, it’s important to note that this generally constitutes a form of polite speech. That is, people generally are not expecting a lengthy or “genuine” response, and rather prefer a reply that is short and direct.
Replies
Some more common, and less common replies can be found below.
Most typically, you’ll hear responses like:
- “Doing fine, and you?”
- “Great, thanks.”
- “Hanging in there, what about yourself?”
You might use this reply when you’re not feeling super great, or feel a bit overwhelmed and want to express this to the other party. - “It’s Friday, so I’m alright.”
- In cases where someone is looking for a more detailed answer, perhaps due to the nature of their relationship with you or for other reasons, they might ask: “How are you, really?”
When Leaving for the Day
It’s always nice to say farewell to colleagues and friends as you’re heading out. Have a look at the suggestions below and feel free to try some of them out!
- “I’m heading out folks! Don’t be here too late and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
- “Just a reminder that I’ll be on leave next week—have a great weekend.”
- “Later!” (More casual)
If someone is saying farewell to you while you’re still in the office, you might consider one of the following responses.
- "Drive safe—see you tomorrow!"
- "Safe travels, catch you later."
At Meals with Colleagues
When going out for meals with colleagues, it can be helpful to have a few restaurant and meal-related expressions at your ready. When first entering a restaurant or place of dining, you might find yourself using some of the expressions below.
- “Table for three, please!”
- “Do y’all have vegetarian options available here?”
- “We’ll be paying together.”
- “Can we split the check?”
- “We’ll be going Dutch on this one.”
- “Check, please” (After making eye contact with the waitstaff)
Invitations
Responding to Invitations
You might find yourself receiving invitations to social events from your colleagues. You might consider how eager you are to attend and then respond accordingly.
- “Wow, thanks so much—I can’t wait to see you this weekend!”
- “Oooh, that does sound like fun. Let me just check my calendar and I’ll get back to you.”
Politely Declining
In both work and life situations, you’ll probably find that you’ll need to decline some invitations.
- “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it on Saturday. Have fun, though!”
- “I’m not going to be able to make it next weekend, I’m afraid.”
- “Thanks so much for the invite! I’m not particularly into football, though, so I’ll pass this time.”
- “I am fully booked on that day, but perhaps another time.”
If someone happens to decline your invitation, it’s typically more polite not to ask for additional details as to why they’re unavailable if they do not offer it.
For additional info on saying no respectfully, especially in the case of work-related requests, please check out this Ringle article, “Say No Respectfully.”