Speak & Listen: 5 Simple English Communication Tips

Learn five simple ways to be polite and clear when you talk in English. You’ll learn why and how to: • Ask for name pronunciation if you forget or don’t know it • Clarify when you don’t understand a question • Avoid assuming what someone thinks or feels • Say “excuse me” instead of pushing past someone • Use real names instead of “dude” or “buddy” These tips will help you make friends, avoid misunderstandings, and sound more confident in everyday English conversations. https://www.engvid.com/speak-listen-5-simple-english-communication-tips/ Take lessons with me at https://EnglishWithRonnie.com ! More of my videos about social situations: Body Language: How to tell if someone is bored or interested! https://youtu.be/3tntO3hZTQY How to handle uncomfortable situations https://youtu.be/tw2ZlBO5w60 In this lesson: 0:00 4 Communication Tips 2:05 Never assume someone doesn't want to talk 3:12 Don't nod or laugh when you don't understand 4:48 Don't call people bro/lady/buddy/dude 7:18 Don't push! TRANSCRIPT: So, I was at the store the other day, and I was checking out the bananas, and of course I want the green bananas. All right? Because I have this thing about bananas, if they're kind of, like, going brown a little bit, I don't like them. Brown spots, I don't like them. So, I was standing here going through the bananas, and a lady - we'll call her a lady - comes right up beside me and kind of like... Kind of tries to move me over and, like, muscle in on my bananas. And she was quite short, so I stood there, kind of like a wall. I know that she wants to look at the same bananas that I'm looking at, but she lacked one thing. She lacked politeness and communication to say to me, "Hey, hey, could you please move? Because I would like to look at those bananas, too." So, here's where communication skills are very important. And let me tell you that these persons that I'm talking about, they speak English, so it's not just a "Oh, I don't know how to speak English properly" kind of thing. It's a... It's a global... It's a global problem we have here. If someone's in your way, like I'm probably in the way of the camera, you have to say, "Excuse me. Oh, yeah, okay, I can move." Or someone is in your way, don't push them, like, push them aside. Don't do that. Say, "Excuse me" or "Could you please move? Trying to look at those delicious bananas down there, lady." And I would have been like, "Oh, yeah, sure, I'm sorry. No problem." But she didn't say that, so I stood there longer just because I could. And she finally found some other bananas. But the point is communicate with people, because that's how you're going to make friends and not enemies in this world. So let's go through a couple things that I notice people do to show bad communication skills. The first one, never assume that someone doesn't want to talk to you. Now, the word "assume", this might be a new word for you. "Assume" means you think, so like, "You know what? I texted my friend, but she didn't text me back. You know what? I don't think she wants to hang out with me anymore. Maybe I said something wrong. Maybe... Oh my god, what did I say?" Don't do that. Don't do that. Just... You text the person, then say, "Hey, what's up? I haven't heard from you in a while. Are you okay? Is everything all right? You... Why haven't you been in touch? There's probably a reason. Oh, well, I don't know, I'm sick. You know, I'm not in the country, I'm travelling." So never assume or think that someone doesn't want to talk to you. Okay? Everyone wants to talk to you. Yeah, you're special. Okay? Okay? This is a really, really common habit that I do, too. Okay? Okay, I do it, I do it, I do it. And you're like, "Whatever, Ronnie", but I do. Okay. When you don't understand someone, so someone's talking to you, you nod or laugh nervously. Nervous laugh, like... And you hope-okay?-that the person talking didn't ask a question. So, for example, we say, "Yeah, those are really nice roses. Do you want them? Do you want the roses?" If you don't understand what someone is asking you, it's okay. You can say to the person, like, "Hey, do you know what? Sorry, Ronnie, I didn't understand what you asked me, and do you mind... Can you... Can you clarify? Sorry, what? Ah. Oh, I'm sorry, I understand. I asked you if you would like some roses. Of course you'd like some roses." So, you might be missing out on something very beautiful and wonderful. So, if you don't understand something, ask the person. They're not going to get mad. If they do get mad, don't talk to them. They're out of here. Bye-bye, bad people. All right, the next one. Oh, yeah, I do this, too. […]