Learn how to offer to help your co-worker
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Going Out to Meet Clients in the United States. Becky here. |
| John: Hi, I'm John. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to offer to help your co-worker. The conversation takes place at the office. |
| John: It's between Linda and Thomas Gray. |
| Becky: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda: I have an appointment at three o'clock at our client's. |
| Thomas Gray: I see. If you have something urgent to do at the office, let me know. |
| Linda: No, I'm just waiting for some new samples. |
| Thomas Gray: Okay! I'll check with the delivery company for you. |
| Linda: That would be great. Thank you! |
| Thomas Gray: Any time! And good luck! |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one more time, slowly. |
| Linda: I have an appointment at three o'clock at our client's. |
| Thomas Gray: I see. If you have something urgent to do at the office, let me know. |
| Linda: No, I'm just waiting for some new samples. |
| Thomas Gray: Okay! I'll check with the delivery company for you. |
| Linda: That would be great. Thank you! |
| Thomas Gray: Any time! And good luck! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: So Linda has a business meeting at her client’s. |
| John: It’s very common to have business meetings in American companies. |
| Becky: Yeah, there are often regular meetings that are scheduled every week. |
| John: Some companies might even have short daily meetings. |
| Becky: Not all of these meetings are formal though. |
| John: No, some might be formal meetings in a business room, whereas others might be informal meetings in a break area. |
| Becky: What kind of thing happens at formal meetings? |
| John: Co-workers might present important information and figures. |
| Becky: Details of formal meetings are often noted down by a secretary. |
| John: At a formal meeting, you should be quiet and attentive, and only speak when it’s your turn or when free talking is permitted. |
| Becky: So during a time when people are asking for opinions or questions. |
| John: Informal and casual meetings are different; you can often speak whenever you want to at those. |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: appointment [natural native speed] |
| Becky: a booking or reservation |
| John: appointment [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: appointment [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: urgent [natural native speed] |
| Becky: of pressing need |
| John: urgent [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: urgent [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, there’s... |
| John: sample [natural native speed] |
| Becky: an example of a product, usually given for free |
| John: sample [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: sample [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, there’s... |
| John: delivery [natural native speed] |
| Becky: act of taking something to a person or place |
| John: delivery [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: delivery [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: any time [natural native speed] |
| Becky: at whatever time |
| John: any time [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: any time [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And lastly... |
| John: good luck [natural native speed] |
| Becky: a phrase used to wish someone well |
| John: good luck [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: good luck [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: urgent |
| Becky: ...meaning "of pressing need" or “important.” |
| John: This word is an adjective. |
| Becky: It describes something that needs to be done as soon as possible. |
| John: There is also a related adverb - “urgently.” |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say “This work is urgent and needs to be completed first.” |
| Becky: ...which is like saying "This work is important and needs to be completed first." |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next word? |
| John: sample |
| Becky: ...meaning "an example of a product, usually given for free." |
| Becky: This word is a noun. |
| John: It means a small amount of something that is used as an example of what the whole product is like. |
| Becky: You’ll hear this a lot in manufacturing companies. |
| John: Yes, any company that makes something physical, will probably make samples. |
| Becky: There is also the verb “to sample.” |
| John: This means the action of trying a little of something to see if you like it. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say “Once the samples have been checked, we can begin manufacturing.” |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next word? |
| John: delivery |
| Becky: ...meaning "act of taking something to a person or place." |
| Becky: This is a noun. |
| John: It refers to the act of taking something, like a letter or parcel, from one place to another. |
| Becky: There is also a verb - “to deliver.” |
| John: This means the action of sending the letter or parcel. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say “I'm waiting for a delivery.” |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn about how to offer to help your co-worker. There may times when you see your co-workers in the office needing help. |
| John: It’s nice if you can help them. |
| Becky: Yes, it is! Let’s go through some phrases to help you when you offer help. |
| John: “Do you need any help?” “Do you want any help?” |
| Becky: These are quite general questions. You can also ask more directly. |
| John: “Can I help you?” “Shall I help you?” |
| Becky: You can change the pronouns in these sentences to talk about other people, too. |
| John: Yes, you can change “Can I help you?” into “Can you help Mr. Baker?” |
| Becky: This is asking someone else to help. |
| John: Sometimes, the task is small and obvious, so you don’t really need to ask if they want help. |
| Becky: Even if you don’t ask though, you should still tell them what you’re doing, in case they don’t want you to do it. |
| John: You can use the pattern “I’m going to… for you.” |
| Becky: Or “I will… for you.” |
| John: For example, “I’ll call the bank for you.” |
| Becky: If someone offers help to you, you can either accept their help or decline it. First, let’s look at accepting help. |
| John: Of course, the first thing you should say is “Thank you.” |
| Becky: And then tell them what you want them to do. |
| John: “Thank you! Can you pick up that box?” |
| Becky: “I really appreciate it. Can you copy these notes?” And say “thank you” one more time after they’ve finished. |
| John: Next, let’s look at how to decline. |
| Becky: Maybe you don’t need help, but even if this is the case, you should say “thank you.” |
| John: And then give a reason why you don’t want their help. |
| Becky: It doesn’t have to be an in-depth explanation. |
| John: For example, “Thank you, but I’m fine.” |
| Becky: Can you give us another example? |
| John: “Thank you, but I can handle it.” |
| Becky: Thank you! |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| John: See you! |
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