From the course: Multinational Communication in the Workplace

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Take time to reply in conversations

Take time to reply in conversations

From the course: Multinational Communication in the Workplace

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Take time to reply in conversations

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- When I'm having a conversation with English native speakers, I'm usually quite slow at replying because I need some time to think about my answer. This is natural, and you shouldn't stress too much about the speed of your replies. First of all, there are words and expressions you can use to buy some time. It can be a sound such as as hmmm, mmmm, or words like, well, let's see, let me think, okay, and so on. Nobody expects you to have a clear answer ready at every moment. Observe native English speakers when they reply. You'll notice that they also use a lot of those expressions even if they talk faster than you. I usually recommend my students to take their time during exams too. If they didn't, it could mean that they have memorized the answers, not that they are exceptionally good at English. When you're taking your time to reply, think about what you want to say. If there is one word that you can't remember, describe it. If I wanted to say desk, for example, I could say, "The…

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