English at work: meetings, email and small talk

Most people who learn English use it at work rather than on holiday, and the workplace has its own rules. The vocabulary is narrower than you fear, but the politeness is more elaborate than you expect.

Why it sounds so indirect

Work English is indirect. Could you possibly send that over? is a normal instruction, not a favour, and I think we might want to reconsider often means no. Direct translations from languages that state things plainly can land as rude without anyone saying so.

Phrases that buy you time

In meetings, the phrases that buy you time are the valuable ones: sorry, could I just go back to something, can I check I have understood, and let me come back to you on that. None of them require good grammar, and all of them keep you in the conversation.

Email is easier than speech

Email is more formulaic than speech, which makes it easier. Learn half a dozen openers and closers - thanks for getting back to me, just following up on, let me know if that works - and most messages assemble themselves around one real sentence.

Small talk, and why it is shallow

Small talk is the part people dread and the part that decides how the rest goes. It is deliberately shallow: weather, weekend, journey, coffee. Nobody wants a real answer, and having three sentences ready removes almost all of the difficulty.