Hello! Welcome to the next lesson in our course on improving your speaking skills.
In our last session, we focused on how to support your opinions with reasons and evidence using the PREP method. This is a crucial skill for making your ideas convincing. Today, we'll build on that by learning how to respond when you hear an idea you like. We will focus on how to use expressions for agreeing with a colleague's point.
Mastering these phrases is important for more than just saying "yes." It helps you build good relationships with your colleagues, show that you are actively listening, and contribute positively to team discussions.
1. Simple and Strong Agreement
The most direct way to show you agree is with a short, strong phrase. These are useful when you fully support a colleague's idea without any reservations. They signal immediate alignment.
Let's watch a video that introduces some of the most common and powerful phrases for strong agreement.
How to Agree and Disagree at Work : English Speaking Conversation Practice - UK & US
This video, 'How to Agree and Disagree at Work', provides excellent examples of strong agreement used in a professional context. As you watch, listen carefully to the pronunciation and the confident tone used with these phrases.
Please watch from 02:00 to 04:05. The speakers will introduce and demonstrate four key phrases: 'Absolutely', 'Exactly', '100% agree', and 'I couldn't agree more'.
To summarize the key phrases from the video:
- Absolutely / Exactly: These are short, powerful words to show complete agreement.
- Colleague: "I think we need to double-check the dish alignment before we leave the site."
- You: "Absolutely. That will prevent a callback."
- I 100% agree. A slightly more enthusiastic way to express full agreement.
- Colleague: "This new diagnostic software will save us a lot of time."
- You: "I 100% agree. I've wanted something like this for a while."
- I couldn't agree more. This is a strong, polite phrase that means you agree completely. It might sound negative because of "couldn't," but it means it's impossible for you to agree more than you already do.
- Colleague: "We should create a standardized checklist for every installation."
- You: "I couldn't agree more. It would improve our consistency."
2. Acknowledging a Good Point
Sometimes, you want to do more than just agree. You want to show that you appreciate your colleague's idea or the logic behind it. These phrases validate your colleague's contribution and show you are thinking deeply about what they said.
How to Agree and Disagree at Work : English Speaking Conversation Practice - UK & US
Let's continue with the same video, 'How to Agree and Disagree at Work'. The next section introduces phrases that are perfect for acknowledging a colleague's valid point.
Watch the section from 07:28 to 09:43. Pay attention to phrases like 'That's a good point' and 'That makes a lot of sense'.
Here are the key phrases and how to use them:
- That's a good point. Use this when a colleague says something insightful that maybe you hadn't considered.
- Colleague: "If we use the cheaper cable, we might save money now, but we'll have more service calls in the winter when the material gets brittle."
- You: "That's a good point. I hadn't thought about the long-term cost."
- That makes a lot of sense. This shows you understand and agree with the logic of your colleague's argument.
- Colleague: "Let's update the firmware on all the receivers before we ship them to the client. It will be easier to do it here than on-site."
- You: "That makes a lot of sense. It will be much more efficient."
Test your understanding!
You are in a team meeting. Your manager says, "I think we should spend this afternoon organizing our toolkits. If everything is in the right place, our installations will go faster next week."
Which phrase is better to use here, and why?
a) "Exactly."
b) "That's a good point."
Show answer
Both are good, but (b) "That's a good point" is slightly better. While you agree ("Exactly" would also work), the manager has provided a reason and a benefit ("our installations will go faster"). The phrase "That's a good point" specifically acknowledges this logical connection, showing you appreciate their reasoning.
3. Showing You're on the Same Page
Sometimes a colleague will say the exact thing you were thinking. When this happens, you can use specific phrases to show this shared perspective. This is a fantastic way to build rapport and a sense of teamwork.
How to Agree and Disagree at Work : English Speaking Conversation Practice - UK & US
Let's watch one more clip from the 'How to Agree and Disagree at Work' video. This part focuses on what to say when a coworker has the same idea as you.
Please watch from 09:43 to 11:47. Focus on the phrases 'That's what I was about to say' and 'We're on the same page'.
These phrases are very useful for creating a collaborative atmosphere:
- That's what I was thinking / That's what I was going to say. Use this when someone voices your exact thoughts.
- Colleague: "Maybe the signal issue isn't the dish, but the old splitter inside the house."
- You: "That's exactly what I was thinking. We should check that next."
- We're on the same page. This is a common idiom in business English that means "we agree" or "we have the same understanding."
- You: "So we'll replace the main cable and the splitter."
- Colleague: "Yes, that should fix the problem for good."
- You: "Great. We're on the same page."
4. Practice in Context
Now let's see some of these phrases in a sample conversation and give you a chance to practice.
How to agree & disagree in business situations exercise
This resource, 'How to agree & disagree in business situations exercise', contains a short dialogue from a meeting. It will show you how agreement phrases are used in a realistic discussion.
Please read the dialogue under the heading 'Exercise: A vote in a meeting'. As you read, identify the phrases used by Attendee 3, Attendee 4, and Attendee 7 to express their agreement. Notice how they agree in slightly different ways.
After reading, you can try the quiz on that same page to test your understanding. Focus on the questions related to the agreeing phrases you just saw.
To put it all together, here is a visual summary of common agreeing phrases.
Conclusion
Great job today! You have learned a variety of ways to agree with your colleagues, from simple and strong statements to more nuanced expressions that build rapport and show appreciation for others' ideas.
Key Takeaways:
- Use strong, simple phrases like "Absolutely" or "I couldn't agree more" for full agreement.
- Acknowledge your colleague's logic with phrases like "That's a good point" or "That makes a lot of sense."
- Build teamwork and rapport by using "We're on the same page" or "That's what I was thinking" when you share an idea.
- Choosing the right phrase depends on the situation and how strongly you want to express your agreement.
Preview of the Next Lesson:
Agreeing is an important part of collaboration, but so is disagreeing respectfully. In our next lesson, we will learn how to use polite phrases for disagreeing with a colleague's point, such as "I see your point, but...". This will equip you to handle professional disagreements constructively and confidently.