How to Succeed and Have Great Conversations at Workplace? | Improve Listening and Speaking Skills

Hi everyone! Welcome back to the Learn English with Jessica channel. I’m Jessica, and I’m happy you’re here today!

In this video, we’ll practice some office English. Repeat the sentences out loud to improve your pronunciation and speaking skills. Take notes of useful phrases and use them in your conversations.

Pause the video if you need more time. It's okay to go at your own pace. Are you ready?

Let's get started. Tell me about yourself. Hi, Maria.

Thanks for coming in today. I'm Sam. Nice to meet you!

Please have a seat. Nice to meet you too, Sam. Thank you for having me.

So, Maria, tell me about yourself. Well, my name is Maria, and I am 25 years old. Previously, I worked as a marketing assistant in an advertising agency.

What did you do there? I helped with social media and events. That sounds interesting.

How long were you in that job? I worked there for two years, and I liked it a lot. Great.

What did you like most about your job? I enjoyed working with people and creating new ideas for campaigns. That's good to hear.

What skills do you think you have? I am good at communication and teamwork and I can also work well under pressure. Those are important skills.

Have you worked on any special projects? Yes! Last year, I organized a big event for our product launch.

and it was a big success. Wow, that sounds impressive! What are you looking for in a new job?

I want to learn more and grow my skills. I hope to take on more responsibilities. That's a good goal.

Thank you. Maria. It's nice to hear about your experience.

Thank you! I am excited about this opportunity. Hey, Tom!

How is your first day at work going? Hi, Anna! It's going well, but it's a bit stressful.

Stressful? Well, for example, I wasn't sure what to wear this morning. I understand!

How long did it take you to choose this outfit? It took me 30 minutes to finally decide what to wear! It was worth it, though!

You look professional. Nice choice! Thanks!

Maybe once I get used to it, I'll get ready for work more quickly. Definitely! What about your commute?

My commute was okay. I took the bus. The bus?

How long does it take you to get here? About half an hour. I wish I could drive, but I don’t have a car.

How about you? How do you get here? I drive.

It usually takes me 20 minutes, but there’s often some traffic. Traffic can be annoying. It is.

I wish I could take the bus like you, but there's no bus stop near my house. What a shame. Plus, finding a parking spot can be a real nightmare!

Well, somehow I feel better about taking the bus to work! You should! Hi, everyone!

Can I have your attention, please? What’s up, boss? Are you ready?

Ready for what? Ready to meet our new colleagues. Oh, we have newcomers today?

Yes! I want to introduce our new developers, David and Ian. Hi, everyone!

I’m excited to be here! I’m David. And I’m Ian.

Nice to join the team! Nice to meet you, David and Ian. Welcome to the team!

So, this is Wilson. He’s a senior. If you ever need help, go find him!

Yes, I’m here if you have any questions! And this lady is Sara. She’s been working here for more than 2 years.

3 years by this October. Nice to meet you! Well, where is Alan?

He's working from home today. Ah, I remember. Alright, let’s save Alan for later.

Now, follow me, David, Ian! I'll show you to your desks. Hey, Mike, do you have a minute?

Sure. What's up? I'm having trouble with the printer.

What seems to be the problem? It won't print my document. Have you checked if it has paper?

Yes, I did. It’s full, but it keeps showing an error message on the screen. What does the error message say?

That's another issue! Someone changed the printer's language to Japanese, so I can't understand the error. Oh, my.

Let me take a look. Sometimes it just needs a restart. I did that too!

I turned it off and on again, but it didn’t help! I think we need to figure out how to set the language back to English first. How can we do that?

Hmm. . .

We can use Google Translate. Good idea. So.

. . apparently, this is the setting.

. . and this is the language.

. . Great!

Back to English! Hopefully, nobody will be bored enough to set it to another language again! You're right.

. . Anyway, what's the issue with the printer?

It looks like the printer is stuck. I think we need to clear the queue. Got it!

I see the jobs listed here. I’ll cancel the stuck one. Perfect!

Now try printing again. Yes, it worked! Thank you so much for your help!

You're welcome. Any time you need help, just ask. Lisa, I’m sorry for bothering you, but I really need your help!

Of course, Jake! What do you need help with? So, Mr Spencer asked me to set up for a meeting.

But I’ve never done it before. . .

No worries! When is the meeting? Tomorrow afternoon.

What is it about? It's about the government project. How many people will be attending?

10 people. Alright! So, the first thing you need to do is to book a meeting room.

Ask Sasha. Tell her you need a room for 10 people. Got it.

Anything else? The handouts. Do you have them yet?

I haven't printed them out yet. Make sure to print enough copies for everyone. It helps them follow along during the meeting.

Good point! I’ll do that. What else do I need to do?

Did Mr Spencer mention a break? Yes. He said there would be a 15-minute break.

In that case, you should have some light snacks and drinks ready. Where can I buy them? Just tell Sasha.

She will take care of them. Got it. Oh, I almost forgot.

Make sure you have a list of the participants' allergies. We don’t want to serve any allergic food! Good point!

I’ll do that. What time should I arrive? Arrive at least 15 minutes early to set everything up.

You want to be ready before people come in. You’re right! Thank you so much!

You’re welcome! Why are you guys here? Because it's coffee time!

Do you want to grab a cup? Sure. So, did you hear about the new promotion?

No I didn't. What promotion? They are promoting Sarah to team leader.

I heard she did a great job on the last project. That’s awesome! Sarah worked really hard.

She deserves it. Yes, she does! I remember how she stayed late to finish that report.

Exactly! She always goes the extra mile. I think she will be a great leader.

I agree. I’m excited to see how she will lead the team. Do you think she will change anything in our meetings?

Maybe! I hope she keeps it fun and light. Our meetings can be a bit boring sometimes.

Right! A little more energy would be nice. Yes, I hope she brings new ideas too.

I think she will. May I come in? Oh, Jake!

Sure, please sit down! I’ve been looking forward to seeing you. So may I know why you want to see me?

Of course. I want to talk to you. What's on your mind?

So, Jake, I’ve noticed you haven’t been collaborating well. Me? Why do you think so?

You haven’t been sharing your ideas with the team. I thought I was doing my part. Yes, I know.

But Jake, this is a group project. . .

So? I sent out my part! What I want to say is.

. . collaborating on a group project is also important!

What do you mean by "important"? We need your input on the whole project, not just your section. I see.

I didn’t realize it was an issue. I thought I could just work alone. Working alone can be hard.

We can help each other and come up with better ideas. I see your point. Well, I’ll try to communicate more with my team from now on!

That sounds good! You can discuss everything together. I appreciate the feedback.

I’ll be more open to collaborating. Great! We all want to succeed as a team.

Thank you. Have you heard? We’re getting a new boss today.

Really? I just started last week, so I didn’t know! What’s he like?

Have you heard anything about him? I heard a few things. His name is Mark, and he has a lot of experience.

He worked in management for over ten years at a big tech company before coming here. I think he might be strict. You know how it is with new bosses.

They always want to make a strong impression. Oh, I see. That makes me a little nervous.

I hope he’s easy to work with. Yeah, same here. I’ve had my share of difficult managers.

Some of them act like they need to change everything right away. Even if things are going well. Exactly.

I mean, we all know things can get better, but changing everything? That’s stressful. I hope so.

Here he comes now. He looks busy! But who knows?

Maybe he'll be really nice about it. Good morning, team! I’m Mark, your new manager.

I’m excited to work with all of you and hear your ideas on how we can make things better. Let's work together to achieve even greater things for this department. Nice to meet you, sir.

I’m Emily. I just joined the company last week. Nice to meet you, Emily.

I hope you're getting comfortable here. And you must be Sam. The managers have said good things about you.

Thank you, Mark. I've been with the company for five years now, and I’m looking forward to working with you. That’s fantastic to hear.

It's amazing to learn more about the team and how we can make things run even smoother. I’d love to have a one-on-one meeting with everyone soon, so we can talk about your thoughts and ideas. Let's set a schedule sometime this week.

That sounds great. We’re happy to have you. Hey, Jessica!

What’s for lunch today? Oh, just the usual stuff, a turkey sandwich and an apple. I didn’t have much time to prepare anything fancy this morning.

How about you? I ordered sushi from that new place around the corner. You know the one everyone’s talking about?

Oh, I think I know the place. The one with all the great reviews? How is it?

It's really good. Fresh fish, nice presentation, and they deliver pretty fast. It's becoming my favorite lunch when I don't bring anything from home.

Oh. Sounds good. I want to try it.

Maybe we can order together tomorrow. That's a great idea. I'll send you the menu later today and we can find out what to get.

Perfect. Oh, by the way, have you heard about the office event next week? They're planning a team building activity.

Yeah, I heard about that. I think this day is supposed to be a game day or something. It should be fun, right?

I hope so! I like the idea of getting out of the office and doing something different. It's always good to bond with the team outside of work.

Hey Alex! How’s your day going so far? It’s been.

. . busy, to say the least.

I had back to back meetings all morning, and I'm still catching up on emails. You know how it is. Oh, I feel you.

I've had one of those days, too. My inbox just keeps filling up, and every time I clear it, ten more emails show up. It's like a never ending cycle.

I just keep reminding myself that the weekend is coming. Haha, that’s what I keep telling myself, too. Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Yeah, actually. I'm going hiking with a couple of friends. We're heading to that trail just outside the city.

It's supposed to have amazing views. Have you ever been there? I think I know that one.

I haven't been, but I've heard it's beautiful. Definitely. I love getting out in nature and just disconnecting for a while.

No phones, no emails, just fresh air. Oh, that sounds amazing. So, what's the plan for lunch?

Should we go together, or is that too risky? I think it might be too risky today. Karen’s been watching us like a hawk lately.

I don't want to give her anything to gossip about. Okay. We’ve been careful so far, but I’ve noticed she’s been getting more nosy.

Maybe we should take a break for a while at least when we're at work. Yeah, it's a good idea. I mean, I love spending time with you, but we don't want the whole office talking about us before we're ready to go public.

I agree. I just hate feeling like we have to hide it. But I guess that's a smart move for now.

Hey, guys, what's going on here? You two seem to be spending a lot of time together lately. Oh, just talking about the new project.

You know, deadlines and all that. Uh-huh. .

. sure. Oh my God.

She actually may know something. Yeah, we really need to be more careful. Hi everyone!

We need to plan a team event for next month. I have some ideas, but I want to hear yours too. It's important that everyone has fun.

I think a cooking class would be great! Everyone loves food, and we can all work together to make something. It will help us bond as a team.

That’s a good idea! Cooking classes are a fun way to learn new skills together. But what if we do something outside?

Getting fresh air can be nice for everyone. Oh great point, David. What if we do the cooking class one day and have an outdoor activity the next day?

That way, we can enjoy both cooking and nature. I like that! The cooking class will be exciting and the outdoor event can be a good break from the office.

For the cooking class, I know a fun place downtown that has great classes. They have an awesome chef who can teach us For outdoor activity, we can go to the park or nature reserve nearby. This is perfect.

Let's book the cooking class and I'll check the budget. Hi, Mr Matt. Do you have a moment?

I need to talk to you about something important. Sure, Sophia! What’s on your mind?

You look a bit worried. I'd like to take next Friday off. I've been really busy lately, and I think a day off would help me relax and feel better.

Hmm. . .

Okay! We all need a break sometimes. Are you feeling okay?

I want to make sure you're doing well. Yes, I’m fine. I just.

. . I just have a lot to handle at work, and I want to avoid feeling too stressed out.

A day off will help me recharge. That makes sense. You've been working very hard, and I really appreciate all your effort.

Just make sure to finish your tasks before you leave. Is there anything urgent coming up? I have a report due on Thursday, but I’m almost finished.

I'll make sure everything is ready for the team before I go. I can also let them know how to reach me if they need anything. That sounds great.

I trust you will handle it. Enjoy your day off and remember to take some time for yourself. If you need anything, just ask.

Oh, thank you so much, Matt. I really appreciate your support. No problem at all.

Taking care of yourself is important. I’m really excited about the hiking trip we’re planning for next week! It will be a great way for the team to spend time together outside the office.

Have you hiked this trail before, Katie? Yes, I went there with friends last summer! The trail is beautiful and the view from the top is amazing.

It’s not too hard, so I think most people can handle it. That’s good to know! We want everyone to have fun.

Do you think we should bring anything special for the hike, like food or drinks? Yes. Everyone should bring a lot of water and sunscreen.

It can get hot out there. We could also bring some snacks to share when we take a break. Good idea.

I'll send a reminder to everyone about what to bring. What if we make the hike a bit more fun with a game, like a finding items? That sounds awesome!

We could split everyone into teams and see who can find the most items on the list. Oh, I love that idea. It'll make the hike more exciting, especially for those who don't hike much.

It’s a great way to encourage teamwork. Thank you for meeting with me, Brian! I just wanted to say how grateful I am for the promotion.

It really means a lot to me. You’re very welcome, Emma! You've worked hard for this, and you deserve it.

I'm glad to see you moving up in the company. I’m excited to take on more responsibilities and grow in this new role. I really want to do my best.

That’s great! You’ll be leading more projects now, and it’s important to guide the team. You're ready for this challenge.

I'm ready for that. I feel good relationships with the team and I want to help everyone succeed. I believe we can achieve more together.

That’s the right mindset! I'm here if you need advice or support. It’s a big change, but I’m confident you’ll do well.

Thank you! I really appreciate your trust in me. I’ll work hard to make sure this promotion benefits the whole team.