Learn how to use interjections and exclamations to your speech, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Brandon: Hi everybody! Brandon here! |
| Becky: And I’m Becky. Making English Small Talk With Guests. |
| Brandon: In this lesson you will learn how to make small talk, using the questions “How far did you come?” and “What are your plans?” |
| Becky: This conversation takes place in the afternoon in the hotel lobby. |
| Brandon: The conversation is between a hotel staff member and a customer. |
| Becky: The speakers are in a professional relationship, so they’ll be using formal English. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Staff: May I carry your bags to your room for you? |
| Customer: Oh, that would be nice thank you! |
| Staff: No problem, so where are you coming from? |
| Customer: California. |
| Staff: Oh neat, I bet the weather is nice... What are your plans while visiting? |
| Customer: I am not really sure yet. This is my first time here. I really wanted to see the castle, though. |
| Staff: Oh, I have heard a lot of nice things about the castle, I have been a few times. I think you would also enjoy the river and the monument as well. They are very similar, but they don't have the tourist trap feel. |
| Customer: Thank you very much for the advice, I’ll be sure to check them out. |
| Staff: Well, here is your room. Please enjoy your stay with us and let us know if there is anything we can help you with. |
| Becky: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Staff: May I carry your bags to your room for you? |
| Customer: Oh, that would be nice thank you! |
| Staff: No problem, so where are you coming from? |
| Customer: California. |
| Staff: Oh neat, I bet the weather is nice... What are your plans while visiting? |
| Customer: I am not really sure yet. This is my first time here. I really wanted to see the castle, though. |
| Staff: Oh, I have heard a lot of nice things about the castle, I have been a few times. I think you would also enjoy the river and the monument as well. They are very similar, but they don't have the tourist trap feel. |
| Customer: Thank you very much for the advice, I’ll be sure to check them out. |
| Staff: Well, here is your room. Please enjoy your stay with us and let us know if there is anything we can help you with. |
| Becky: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Staff: May I carry your bags to your room for you? |
| Becky: May I carry your bags to your room for you? |
| Customer: Oh, that would be nice thank you! |
| Becky: Oh, that would be nice thank you! |
| Staff: No problem, so where are you coming from? |
| Becky: No problem, so where are you coming from? |
| Customer: California. |
| Becky: California. |
| Staff: Oh neat, I bet the weather is nice... What are your plans while visiting? |
| Becky: Oh neat, I bet the weather is nice... What are your plans while visiting? |
| Customer: I am not really sure yet. This is my first time here. I really wanted to see the castle, though. |
| Becky: I am not really sure yet. This is my first time here. I really wanted to see the castle, though. |
| Staff: Oh, I have heard a lot of nice things about the castle, I have been a few times. I think you would also enjoy the river and the monument as well. They are very similar, but they don't have the tourist trap feel. |
| Becky: Oh, I have heard a lot of nice things about the castle, I have been a few times. I think you would also enjoy the river and the monument as well. They are very similar, but they don't have the tourist trap feel. |
| Customer: Thank you very much for the advice, I’ll be sure to check them out. |
| Becky: Thank you very much for the advice, I’ll be sure to check them out. |
| Staff: Well, here is your room. Please enjoy your stay with us and let us know if there is anything we can help you with. |
| Becky: Well, here is your room. Please enjoy your stay with us and let us know if there is anything we can help you with. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Brandon: Small talk is such an important and stressful topic for most English learners that, especially in a hotel setting, it can be overwhelming. |
| Becky: That’s right. But always remember that it’s more important to perform the service the guest is asking of you or expecting of you, than it is to perform small talk. |
| Brandon: Exactly. In other words, it is better that you simply take the bag to their room and do only a bit of small talk, than it is for you to talk so much that you forget to help them take the bag to their room. |
| Becky: So, if you do not feel comfortable in making small talk, you should still perfect the phrases that are important to your job. |
| Brandon: That’s right. For example, you should practice and be very good at saying, "May I carry your bags to your room for you?" and "May I help you with anything else?" |
| Becky: Definitely, those are useful. Okay, now let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Brandon: castle [natural native speed] |
| Becky: large building for royalty |
| Brandon: castle [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: castle [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Brandon: tourist trap [natural native speed] |
| Becky: area where products and services are overpriced because of tourists |
| Brandon: tourist trap [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: tourist trap [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Brandon: advice [natural native speed] |
| Becky: counsel |
| Brandon: advice [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: advice [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Brandon: check it out [natural native speed] |
| Becky: look at, examine |
| Brandon: check it out [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: check it out [natural native speed] |
| : And Last: |
| Brandon: monument [natural native speed] |
| Becky: artificial object that has historical meaning |
| Brandon: monument [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: monument [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first one we’re going to look at is "tourist trap." |
| Brandon: This phrase is talking about an area that has vendors, salesmen, stores, and attractions that are all designed to entice tourists to spend money. |
| Becky: The phrase "tourist trap" has quite a strong negative connotation, and “tourist traps” are places that tourists tend to avoid if they can. |
| Brandon: For example, there is a beach in the north eastern part of Brazil where many tourists enjoy going because of the warm water and pleasant climate. |
| Becky: And because of the tourists, prices on general goods are extremely high. For example, a small bottle of honey could cost upwards of $150, whereas that same bottle of honey at the city center costs roughly $10. |
| Brandon: So, for example, someone could say to you "Don't go there, it's a tourist trap." |
| Becky: The next phrase we’re going to look at is "check them out" |
| Brandon: Now, the phrase "check them out" is a special kind of phrase called a phrasal verb. Be careful not to confuse this word with the phrase "check out", which is the process of helping a guest leave the hotel at the end of their stay. |
| Becky: Now, in practical conversation, the shorter phrase "check out" usually means "to examine" or “to look at." |
| Brandon: Since the guest is talking about somewhere outside of the hotel, they’re probably talking about examining or looking at something, not about un-registering themselves and leaving their room. |
| Becky: Also, be aware that saying "check out them" is incorrect, and is not something that English speakers will understand. Okay, now onto the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn about quick tips for making the most of small talk. In the dialogue we had, "Oh neat. I bet the weather is nice... What are your plans while visiting?" |
| Brandon: Small talk is often a difficult topic for non-native English speakers, because it includes so many things. Any topic can come up during small talk. Politics, travel, fashion, music, food, surfing, or any of 100 other topics could come up. |
| Becky: In this lesson, we have four tips to help you do your best when you’re making small talk. Our first tip is to ask questions and make comments about the customer’s trip. |
| Brandon: This limits the number of topics that can come up in the conversation. Plus, the area around the hotel is something that you should know a lot about. |
| Becky: In the dialogue, the staff member did this by saying "Oh neat, I bet the weather is nice… What are your plans while visiting?" |
| Brandon: You can also use phrases like "How was your flight?" "Have you had a pleasant trip so far?" and "Do you plan on staying here for a while?" |
| Becky: Our second tip is to purposely try and ask open-ended questions. An open-ended question is a question that usually needs to be answered with some kind of explanation. |
| Brandon: Usually, open-ended questions begin with question words like "what," "where," "when," "how," "who," and "why." In the dialogue, the staff member asked, "What are your plans while visiting?" |
| Becky: The third tip is to try to avoid talking and referencing your own opinions, hopes, and dreams. So, for example, you should avoid sentences like "I would love to go there." |
| Brandon: But, even though you’re avoiding talking about yourself, that doesn’t mean you should never use the word "I." In the dialogue, the staff member does talk about himself but, he’s referring to what the guest had said. |
| Becky: That's right. Our fourth tip is to always be friendly and pleasant. In general, that means smile. |
| Brandon: And another important thing that you can do, is not contradict the customer. |
| Becky: That’s exactly right. This is particularly important when the customer has said or is suggesting something that you personally disagree with. |
| Brandon: For example, the staff member knew that the castle was a "tourist trap." But he didn’t say,"Don’t go there, it’s a tourist trap!" |
| Becky: Yes, because that is too direct, and many people would consider that rude, even though the staff member was trying to help. |
Outro |
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| Becky: That’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone! |
| Brandon: And we’ll see you next time. Bye! |
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