1 Conversations at work
The language you use at work is often
different from the language of everyday
conversation. It is often, though not always,
more formal, and it includes phrases that you
do not usually hear in informal conversations.
Below are phrases that are often used when
people have meetings in order to discuss
work. These phrases will help you to speak
clearly and professionally, in a way that is
both
confident and polite.
Opinions
Speaking up
Use these phrases when other people
have been speaking and you want to say
something:
Could / can I (just)
say something here?
Could / can I (just)
add something here?
Could / can I (just)
come in here?
Could / can I (just)
make a point here?
Giving an opinion
Use these phrases when you want to give
your opinion. In meetings, a speaker will
often introduce their opinion with one of
these phrases. This ‘softens’ the statement,
making it sound less direct and more polite.
The way I see things…
I tend to think that…
It seems to me that…
It’s my feeling that…
In my experience…
It’s my experience
that…
Examples:
I tend to think that
it’s the marketing
department’s
responsibility to sort this out.
It seems to me that
we’re going to waste a lot
of money taking this
approach.
It’s my feeling that
enough time has been
spent on this
project already.
Asking for an opinion
Use these phrases to ask someone else what
they think about something:
James, what’s your
opinion of /
about / on…?
James, what do you
think of / about…?
James, what’s your
feeling about …?
James, could we have
your input here?
Example:
James, what’s your
feeling about staffing
levels in the
department?
Agreeing
Use these phrases to agree with what
someone has said:
I agree (with you).
(I think) you’re
right.
I tend to agree. / I
tend to agree with Anna.
I’m with Anna on
this one.
Agreeing strongly
Use these phrases when you agree strongly
with someone and want to show it:
Absolutely!
Exactly!
I quite agree!
I totally agree with
you.
I’m in complete
agreement with you.
I couldn’t agree
more!
Disagreeing
Disagreeing
Use these phrases when you disagree with
what someone has said:
Note: In a work meeting, people often
disagree in an indirect way. They usually
avoid very strong, definite phrases, such
as ‘I completely disagree,’ as these can
sound rude.
I’m afraid I don’t /
can’t agree with
you there.
I’m sorry, I don’t
agree with you there.
I have to say, I
disagree with you there.
I’m not sure I agree
with you.
I’m not sure about
that.
I’m not sure that’s
true.
I take a (slightly)
different view
on this.
I don’t know. I tend
to think that the
opposite is true.
Examples:
A: Money spent on
training is always
a good investment.
B: I’m not sure
about that. I think it
depends on the
quality of the training.
A: In my experience,
customers are looking
for quality in a
product and they’ll pay
extra for it.
B: I take a
different view on this. I think the
lower price is
mainly what sells the product.
Disagreeing strongly
Use this phrase when you disagree strongly
with what someone has said:
I’m sorry but…
Note that if you say ‘I’m sorry but…’ at the
beginning of a sentence, it does not really
mean that you are sorry. In fact it is a way of
emphasizing that you are going to disagree
with what someone has said.
Examples:
I’m sorry but I can’t
agree with you.
I’m sorry but I just
don’t think it’s a good
use of our time.
I’m sorry but the
point you make simply
doesn’t apply to our
department.