#6 - Running a meeting - Part 3 (Practical phrases and scripts for non-native English speaker working in Tech)
Cheatsheets for synchronous and asynchronous communication
Welcome to the next part of this survival guide for non-native English speaker working in Tech. Native English speakers can also use this as a cheatsheet for synchronous and asynchronous communication as I believe the principles here are mostly language agnostic and are more about guiding the way we can think and approach certain situations in business settings.
In this third part I will share some scripts and phrases you can use to during meetings to drive or moderate healthy and productive discussions, and answer questions.
RUNNING A MEETING (CONT)
DURING (SYNCHRONOUS)
Moderating discussions
Mindset: Let's stay on track, remember our common goal, make sure everyone feels heard and respected.
I really want to come back to that, but let's park that for a second so we don't lose the thread,...
Can we step back here for a second
Can I ask a question:
Are we saying that
I take it that we
A read of this is
Remember what we're trying to solve here
What I heard you say was [...]. Is my interpretation fair / accurate?
By x do you mean [redefinition/reframe]
Can I ask you
Let’s work through some examples.
I'd like to go back to something you said earlier
You raised an interesting point earlier
Do you think we can [do / agree on something] and take it from there
If we had 5 mins left, what would you want to have had covered?
I think I'm making 3 points here.
Answering questions
Mindset: Do I understand their question? Do I have enough data information to provide an accountable answer? How certain am I about it? How can I give concrete examples? What stories can I share to better illustrate my point? What metaphor is appropriate here? How can I be helpful?
I do not have that information. I'd like to look into it better and let you know by 4:00 PM
Please say a bit more about what you’re asking. (If you’re not sure what you’ve been asked to comment on, ask for clarity. With more context, you’re likely to come up with an answer that’s more direct and relevant)
Let me see if I get what you're asking here.
Did I answer your question?
Let me share an example
I have a story that will probably answer that to some degree
Happy to (if asked a question, asked to do something)
Disagreeing
Mindset: Fight and unite. Disagree and commit. Stay aligned on the bigger picture, the vision and mission.
I think I’m clear about your idea, and I see it differently. May I tell you?
I understand where you’re coming from and I have different opinion.
I can see the merit in that idea
I appreciate this question though I disagree with the framing of it
Let's agree to disagree on that
We will not see eye on this and that's fine
While I would have preferred a different approach, I’ll fully support this
My working outline for this series:
Managing Asynchronous Communication as a Non Native English Speaker & Running a meeting > Preparing > What and When
Running a meeting > During > Starting, Setting Context, and Presenting
Running a meeting > During > Moderating Discussions, Answering Questions, and Disagreeing
Running a meeting > During > Concluding & Thoughts on English Skills Being a Non Native English Speaker
Business Emails
Managing Up and Managing Down
Asking for Help, Delegating, Following up
Frames to Help You Think More Strategically, Critically, and Creatively
Misc (Consulting Mindset, Sharing Information, Coaching Your Team, Salary Negotiation, Sales Calls. Please suggest in the comment section any other topic you'd like me to share about.)
Make sure to check out the previous parts If you missed them and stay tuned for upcoming ones, but don't feel any FOMO for skipping around. I am proponent of more "Just in Time" and less "Just in Case" living, so you should be able to treat each part as a standalone piece.
Hope these conversational frameworks and reference phrases save you time, let you focus more on solving real problems for your teams instead of spending your brain CPU cycle worrying about what when and how to say certain things.
Originally published on Proses.ID
You can check back here every for updated links as the series go, or subscribe now and get them delivered every Tuesday and Thursday directly into your inbox.
I also syndicate to Medium. Whichever platform gives you the best reading experience!
Good conversations are rare these days but we often forget that we can create them. So go and share this with friends and colleagues who would find this useful to spark meaningful discussions and generate shared experience.