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Business English Phrase Bank · Lesson 28

Sound Natural When Making Small Talk

A complete phrase bank for small talk at work: before meetings and video calls, at networking events, and on business trips – natural, friendly and easy for everyone to understand.

Before a meeting or video call

The first two minutes of a meeting or call: answering “How are you?” naturally, and asking questions that don’t sound like an interview.

Answering “How are you?”

  • The weather

    I’m fine, thanks. It’s a little cold here, but other than that I’m doing great. How about you?

    It’s a lovely sunny day here, really nice and warm, so all is great. How about you?

  • Your workload

    I’m very busy with several projects at the moment, but other than that I’m doing great. How about you?

    It’s a little stressful with the X project, but other than that I’m doing great.

    Everyone is very relieved here, because we’ve just had a successful product launch, so all is great.

  • The time where you are

    I’m a little tired, because it’s 6 a.m. here in Buenos Aires, but other than that I’m doing great.

    It’s really late here, but it’s been a nice day, so all is great.

  • The day of the week

    It’s Friday, the weekend is coming, and I’m looking forward to spending it with my family.

    It’s Monday, so everything is a little hectic with meetings, but other than that I’m doing great.

Asking questions

  • The weather

    How’s the weather where you are?

    I imagine it must be freezing at this time of year. / I hear you have a heatwave in Brazil at the moment.
  • Their workload

    Have you had a busy day so far?

    I imagine you must be really busy at the moment, with the launch coming up. / I hear that business is going really well at the moment. / I imagine you have a lot of meetings on a Monday. / I hope Fridays are a little less hectic.
  • The time where they are

    What time is it where you are?

    I imagine you must be really tired – it must be really late there in Beijing.
  • The weekend

    Did you have a nice weekend?

    I hope you got some time to relax.

    Do you have any plans for the weekend?

    I hear the weather is going to be really hot. / I hear you have a national holiday this weekend.

The secret: I imagine, I hear, I hope

Many people worry that their small-talk questions sound boring, repetitive or like an interview. The usual topics – the weather, workload, the weekend – are hard to avoid. The solution is to follow your standard question with a comment that begins with I imagine …, I hear … or I hope …. It shows that you are thinking about the other person, and it gives them something to react to.

Networking: introducing yourself and your company

Phrases for meeting someone for the first time, talking about where you’re from, and explaining who you are and what your company does.

When you first meet

  • Hi, nice to meet you. I’m John, from X.

  • I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier.

Asking where someone is from

  • Where are you from?

    I’m from Beijing.
  • You haven’t been there

    Beijing, really? I’ve never been there, but it’s somewhere I’d really like to visit some day. I imagine it’s a really diverse, lively city.

  • You have been there

    Beijing, really? I visited a few years ago with my family. We had a really nice time.

  • It’s far away

    Beijing, really? I imagine it was a really long journey for you to get here.

Introducing yourself

  • I’m with …

    I’m with Samsung.

  • I’m based in …

    I’m based in Shanghai.

  • I’ve been with … for … years.

    I’ve been with Samsung for six years.

  • I work in …

    I work in the pharmaceutical industry.

  • I’m a … / I’m the …

    I’m a software manager. / I’m the CEO.

  • I head up / lead the …

    I head up the HR department.

  • I’m currently working on …

    I’m currently working on a social media strategy for our flagship product.

  • I’m responsible for + -ing

    I’m responsible for developing new business strategies.

Introducing your company

  • We’re a … company.

    We’re a software development company.

  • We’re in …

    We’re in procurement.

  • We’re based in …

    We’re based in Chongqing, but our headquarters are in Shanghai. We have branches all over China and South-East Asia.

  • We specialise in …

    We specialise in software development.

  • We produce …

    We produce high-quality furniture.

  • We’re currently …

    We’re currently in a period of transition. / We’re currently undergoing a very important rebrand. / We’re currently looking into branching out into the hotel industry.

Business trips

Phrases for when visitors come to your city – and for when you visit them.

When they visit you: on arrival

  • Hello, I’m Sarah, and this is John. It’s really nice to meet you all in person at last.

  • I hope the journey was OK. How was your flight?

  • I imagine you must be quite tired after such a long journey.

  • I hear you had some delays at the airport.

  • Apologies for the weather! I imagine it’s quite a lot colder here than where you’ve come from.

  • We’ll take a taxi to your hotel. Feel free to take some time to relax and settle in. This evening, we’ll take you for a meal, if you’re feeling up to it.

When they visit you: during their stay

  • The city

    Have you had a chance to look around the city?

    If you get a chance, you should really check out the historic town square – it’s so beautiful.

    How does this city compare to yours?

  • Their stay

    How long are you here for?

    the total length of their stay

    How long have you been here?

    how long they have been here so far
  • Their hotel

    Where are you staying?

    That’s a really nice area of town. There are some great restaurants nearby that you should check out.

  • Food

    Have you had a chance to try some of the local cuisine?

    What do you think of the local cuisine? I imagine it’s quite different from the food in Beijing.

  • Weather

    What’s the weather like in Beijing at this time of year?

    We must apologise for the weather – it’s normally much nicer at this time of year!

When you visit them: on arrival

  • The flight was OK. We flew from Hong Kong to Dubai, and we had a five-hour stopover there before we caught a connecting flight to London.

  • The flight was quite tiring, as we had a five-hour delay at Dubai airport.

  • Thankfully, we managed to catch a few hours’ sleep on the plane.

When you visit them: during your stay

  • The city

    We had a short walk around the city centre yesterday. Is there anything you’d recommend we see while we’re here?

    Would you recommend that we take a look around the castle?

    Your city is really beautiful. The architecture is amazing.

  • Food

    We’re really interested in trying the local food. What would you recommend?

    We tried some goulash last night. It was really tasty, and quite different from what I’m used to. Are there any other local dishes you’d recommend?

    Are there any good restaurants near our hotel?

  • Weather and free time

    The weather here has been so nice. Is this usual for this time of year?

    We have a free afternoon tomorrow. Is there anything you’d recommend we do if it’s sunny?

AWhat would you say?

Read each situation. Which phrase would you use?

  1. It’s 6 a.m. in Buenos Aires, where you are. A colleague in Madrid starts the video call by asking how you are.

  2. You know that your client is launching a new product next week. You want to ask about her workload in a natural way.

  3. At a networking event, someone told you their name ten minutes ago, but you have forgotten it.

  4. Someone tells you they are from Lisbon. You have never been there, but you would love to go.

  5. You want to explain that you are in charge of the marketing department.

  6. You want to explain that your company is changing its name and its image.

  7. Your visitors have just arrived after a 14-hour journey. You have planned dinner tonight, but they may be too tired.

  8. You want to know how many days your visitor will spend in your city in total.

  9. You are visiting a client’s city. You have a free afternoon tomorrow, and you want some ideas.

  10. Your visitor’s hotel is near a beautiful old church that you think they would enjoy.

BKey expressions you can use anywhere

These expressions from the phrase bank are useful far beyond small talk. Choose the expression that matches each definition. Then complete the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the expression.

  1. To relax and start to feel comfortable in a new place

    “Take some time to relax and before dinner.”

  2. To feel well enough or have enough energy to do something

    “I’ve had a long day, so I don’t really going out tonight.”

  3. To go and see something interesting

    “If you get the chance, you should the castle.”

  4. A short stay in a place in the middle of a long journey

    “We had a five-hour in Dubai before our connecting flight.”

  5. Very busy, with a lot of things happening at the same time

    “Mondays are always a little , with back-to-back meetings.”

  6. Apart from that; except for that

    “It’s a little cold here, but , I’m doing great.”

  7. To lead a department, a team or a project

    “Maria our HR department.”

  8. To focus on one particular area of work or one type of product

    “We software for hospitals.”

  9. To start doing business in a new area

    “We’re looking into the healthcare industry.”

  10. To live or work in a particular place

    “I’m Shanghai, but I travel a lot for work.”

  11. To experience a process of change

    “The company is currently a major restructuring.”

  12. The typical food of a particular place

    “Have you had a chance to try some of the ?”

CKey expressions in a new context

Complete the conversation with the expressions from the box. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

Word box

  • be based in
  • stopover
  • other than that
  • settle in
  • specialise in
  • head up
  • hectic
  • undergo
  • branch out into
  • check out
  • local cuisine
  • feel up to

Anna meets Raj during the coffee break at an industry conference in Prague.

AnnaHi, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier.

RajIt’s Raj. Nice to meet you.

AnnaNice to meet you, Raj. I’m Anna. So, where are you from?

RajI’m from Mumbai originally, but I’m Singapore these days.

AnnaSingapore, really? I imagine it was a long journey to get here.

RajIt was! We had a six-hour in Doha, so I’m a little tired, but , I’m doing great.

AnnaI hope you’ve had time to at your hotel.

RajJust about! So, who are you with?

AnnaI’m with Medica. We’re a small software company – we booking systems for clinics – and I the sales team.

RajThat sounds interesting. I imagine you’re busy at the moment.

AnnaVery! Things are a little , because we’re a big rebrand, and we’re also the hotel industry. Anyway, how long are you here for?

RajUntil Sunday. Is there anything you’d recommend I see?

AnnaYou should definitely the Old Town – and try some of the . The goulash is excellent.

RajI’d love to. There’s a speakers’ dinner tonight, but if I’m it afterwards, maybe I’ll go for a walk.

Use it well

Three things professionals often get wrong in small talk.

How long are you here for?

How long are you here for? – the whole visit: Until Sunday. / For a week.

How long have you been here? – so far: Since Tuesday. / Two days.

Don’t say How long are you here? – it is unclear which one you mean.

I’m with, I work in, I’m based in

I’m with + company: I’m with Samsung.

I work in + industry or department: I work in pharmaceuticals / in HR.

I’m based in + place: I’m based in Shanghai.

I head up + department or team: I head up the HR team.

Small words, big difference

What do you think of the food? – not think to.

quite different from what I’m used to

arrive in a city, but arrive at the airport / the hotel

Would you recommend that we visit …? / Is there anything you’d recommend we see? – not recommend us to.

Glossary

The key expressions from this lesson.

  • other than thatapart from that
  • hecticvery busy, with a lot happening at once
  • to be based into live or work in a particular place
  • to head upto lead a department, a team or a project
  • to specialise into focus on one particular area
  • to branch out intoto start doing business in a new area
  • to undergoto experience a process of change
  • a stopovera short stay in the middle of a long journey
  • to settle into relax and feel comfortable in a new place
  • to feel up toto feel well enough to do something
  • to check outto go and see something interesting
  • local cuisinethe typical food of a particular place

Knowing the phrase is step one. Using it in the meeting is step two.

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