Learn how to be agreeable in difficult situations, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Braden:Hi, everyone. Braden here. |
| Ann: Ann here. Expressing Concern for a Guest. In this lesson you will learn how to express concern. |
| Braden:This conversation takes place at the hotel pool in the early afternoon. |
| Ann:The conversation is between the guest and the lifeguard. |
| Braden:The speakers have a staff-customer relationship, so they will be speaking professionally. |
| Ann:Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Ann:Americans often refer to a "personal bubble" or "my bubble" which is a comical way of referring to the space around each individual. |
| Braden:That’s right. Americans, in general, prefer to have about 2 feet of space between them and any other people. But if the person is a friend, then maybe a little closer than that. And if a person is a stranger, maybe a little farther. |
| Ann:In the dialogue, one of the guests at the hotel is not feeling well while at the pool. |
| Braden:The lifeguard went over to check on the guest because she was concerned for the guest. |
| Ann:She probably came very close to the guest, but she would certainly still have remained outside of that "personal bubble." |
| Braden:That's right. Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Ann:Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Braden:The first phrase we’ll look at is “short of breath.” |
| Ann:The phrase "short of breath" roughly means "not getting enough air." Usually a person is "short of breath" because of physical activity, like running or working out. |
| Braden:The phrase "short of" gives the idea of "not enough of" and this makes sense, as people who are working out are usually breathing very hard. Let's hear that one time slowly, |
| Ann:"Short of breath" |
| Braden:and one time fast |
| Ann:"Short of breath." |
| Braden:Our next phrase is “would you.” The phrase "would you" is used to ask questions about preference or ability. For example, |
| Ann:"Would you like to tango?" |
| Braden:This question uses "would you" to ask about the person’s desire to dance the tango. |
| Ann:The most important thing here, however, is the pronunciation. In casual conversation, "would you" is often pronounced "woul'jew." However, in professional contexts, like a hotel, it should be pronounced "would you," with the two words remaining separate. |
| Braden:It might help to pronounce the word "would" completely just as you would the word "wood", which is what trees are made of. |
| Ann:Ok, now let's take a look at the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Braden:In this lesson, you’ll learn how to express concern. |
| Ann:In the dialog we heard the phrase “Are you alright, sir?” |
| Braden:That’s right. In the dialogue, the lifeguard expressed concern for the hotel guest. This is both a kind thing to do, as well as beneficial to your career. |
| Ann:There are many phrases you can use to express your concern. These phrases are very common and very polite. |
| Braden:The first one we’ll look at is... |
| Ann:“Are you okay?” |
| BRADEN: This phrase is used when you have moderate concern for a person’s well-being. They may look sick, or otherwise not well. |
| Ann:The next phrase is, |
| Braden:“Is everything alright?” |
| Ann:This is used when something doesn’t seem to be correct. For example, the person may seem worried or confused. |
| Braden:The word “alright” when spoken is usually written as one word. However, when used in official or formal writing is should be written as two words, “all” and “right.” |
| Ann:Next we have the phrase, |
| Braden:“Are you feeling okay?” |
| Ann:This phrase is used when you think the person isn’t feeling well. They may seem sad, angry, irritated, or sick. |
| Braden:Our next phrase is, |
| Ann:“Would you like to see the doctor?” |
| Braden:You can use this phrase if you think the person may want to see a doctor, is injured, or otherwise unwell. |
| Ann:We have a few tips for expressing concern, actually. |
| Braden:That’s right. Remember, as hotel staff, you should always address the guests by either their names or by sir or ma’am. |
| Ann:If you know their name, you should say something like, “Are you feeling okay, Mr. Parker?” or “Is everything alright, Mrs. Swan?” |
| Braden:Each of these expressions of concern may be responded to in many ways. For example, if the individual is well, they will probably respond with... |
| Ann:“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.” |
| Braden:...but if they are not well, they may respond with, “I’m not sure.” |
| Ann:or, a bit more directly, “No, I’m not.” |
Outro |
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| Braden:That’s it for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone! |
| Ann:And we’ll see you next time! |
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