Julie: Hey! Good morning, it’s Rahim, right?

Rahim: Yeah, hi, good morning Julie.

Julie: Hi, err, we ran out of coffee pods on the 3rd floor, so I hope you don’t mind if I steal a few of these?

Rahim: Yeah, sure … well, actually, I’ve been thinking about how we make coffee here… and I was wondering if we could maybe stop using coffee pods, and switch to something more environmentally friendly?

Julie: Oh, well, nice idea Rahim, but I don’t think we could ever convince the big boss to give up their single brew, roast vanilla blend! Nice talking to you though, have a good one!

Rahim: Ok this is my chance! I need to convince management that we need to make a change! We are a multinational company. We can’t just ignore what’s happening to our planet! Isn’t one of our company’s values to be more environmentally friendly? I just need to… remind them…

Conor: Well, Rahim, I think that’s your answer! You’ve got the right message. Now we just need to find a way to communicate it to that manager in a polite and respectful manner.

Welcome to today’s episode of Talking on the job. My name is Conor and, as always, I’m your host and business English mentor. I’m here to help you deal with some common challenges that you might face in the workplace. And we’ll be doing all of this in English! A fitting title for today’s episode would be, Coffee Break.

Rahim is passionate about protecting the environment, and so is his company. He wants his company's actions to reflect their mission and values. In other words, he wants them to practice what they preach, as we say. But how can he communicate this to his superior and get them to make a change?

This opportunity to speak with one of the company’s decision makers is rare. Rahim should take this chance to speak with her in an informal setting. He needs to show that he respects the manager’s opinion and still make his point clear. He could start with something like…

Rahim: I see what you’re saying, the coffee really is delicious, but there are other, equally tasty coffee options we could try.

Conor: If he needs to disagree with something his superior says, Rahim can try saying…

Rahim: I understand where you’re coming from, but…

Conor: Or

Rahim: That really is a fair point, but…

Conor: When disagreeing with someone, it is important to offer different, or alternative suggestions. Rahim could introduce these by using a phrase like…

Rahim: My suggestion would be to…

Conor: Or

Rahim: An alternative solution might be…

Conor: This is the first time Rahim has spoken to this manager about his idea. It may be too soon to start quoting statistics on plastic waste, especially so early in the morning, before they've had their coffee. But backing up, or supporting your ideas with evidence in a friendly way is always a good idea.

You can keep things light and informal by using phrases like…

Rahim: Did you know that…

Conor: Or

Rahim: I was listening to a podcast about…

Conor: Shall we check in with Rahim and see how things go?

Julie: Oh, well, nice idea Rahim, but I don’t think we could ever convince the big boss to give up their single brew, roast vanilla blend!

Rahim: I see what you’re saying. The coffee really is delicious, but there are other, equally tasty coffee options we could try.

Julie: Ye-ah, well, but these little pods give you the perfect amount of coffee; all we have to do is pop them in, and hey presto! We have a delicious cup of coffee! They are so convenient!

Rahim: That really is a fair point, we all enjoy the convenience of using the pods. But what happens to the used pods that get thrown away? I’m pretty sure sustainability is high up in our list of company values, right?

Julie: Yes, of course. But, I’m sure we send them somewhere to get recycled, don’t we?

Rahim: Actually, I have checked with office management and they say we don’t recycle the used pods.

Julie: Oh, really, I wasn’t aware…

Rahim: What do you think about using compostable coffee pods instead? They are made from environmentally friendly materials that can break down, when they are recycled the right way.

Julie: Really? Ok, tell me more.

Rahim: Ok, well, I was listening to a great podcast about the materials used to produce different types of packaging and how they get recycled …

Conor: Ok then, I think Rahim has certainly caught that manager’s attention! She wasn’t expecting to have such a deep conversation when she popped that coffee pod into the machine.
Shall we quickly recap the phrases Rahim used?

When he wanted to show respect for the manager’s idea he said:

Rahim: I see what you’re saying…

Conor: When he needed to disagree with her he used:

Rahim: That really is a fair point, but…

Conor: When he made an alternative suggestion he said:

Rahim: What do you think about this instead?

Conor: And finally, when he wanted to back up his ideas with evidence, he said:

Rahim: Ok, well, I was listening to a great podcast about the materials used…

Conor: Do you agree with Rahim’s point of view? Do you believe we should think more about how our favourite products are packaged?

Well, no matter what your opinion is and where you stand on this topic, I hope this episode will help you to express disagreement and make alternative suggestions in a professional way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make a nice cup of coffee, bye!