BEP 45c - 社交互动：如何延续对话

您正在收听的是《商务英语播客》，这是一档为忙碌职场人士打造的商务英语播客节目。

You're listening to Business English Pod, the business English podcast for professionals on the move.

大家好，欢迎回到《商务英语播客》，今天我们将学习如何在职场社交中延续对话的技巧。开始前提醒您，本课PDF文本与数百节其他课程资料均可从BEP官网获取。高级会员还可解锁每节课的额外资源。如需免费试用，请访问www.businessenglishpod.com。有些人天生擅长交谈。

Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod for today's lesson on how to keep a conversation going while socializing at work. Before we get started, a quick reminder that a PDF transcript for this lesson, along with hundreds of others is available on the BEP website. Premium members can also access extra resources for every lesson. To take a free trial, just head over to www.businessenglishpod.com. Some people are natural talkers.

他们似乎能轻松开启并维持对话。你可能认为这是与生俱来的能力——要么有，要么没有；要么具备社交人格，要么不具备。但交谈其实是项技能。

They seem to be able to start conversations and maintain conversations so easily. You might think this is an ability people are born with. Either you have it or you don't. Either you have a social personality or you don't. But conversation is actually a skill.

既然是技能，就能通过练习来提升。上节课我们练习了如何开启对话，但如果不知如何延续，场面会非常尴尬。因此我们需要另一套技巧和语言来保持对话流畅。这种情况下，你可以引导话题或转换主题。

And if conversation is a skill, then you can develop it through practice. In our last lesson, we practiced starting a conversation with someone. Once you've got the conversation started, it sure is uncomfortable if you don't know how to keep it going. So we need a different set of skills and language to maintain the flow of conversation. One thing you might do in this situation is direct the conversation or change the topic.

要让对方保持参与，你需要展现兴趣并对其所言做出回应。这会让对方感到愉悦并愿意继续交流。展现兴趣通常意味着追问细节、表达共情或给予个人关怀。本节课我们将回顾上期Penny与George的对话场景，他们所在跨国企业Multifresh正在举办员工大会。

And to keep the other person engaged, you want to show interest and comment on what they're saying. That makes them feel good and want to keep the conversation going. Showing interest often means asking follow-up questions and showing empathy or personal care or attention. In this lesson, we're gonna go back to the first dialogue we heard in the previous lesson, which featured Penny and George. Penny and George work for an international company called Multifresh, which is hosting a conference for its employees.

我们将听到Penny如何延续与George的对话。聆听时请思考：一、Penny用什么关键词转换了话题？二、她对George的哪段经历表现出兴趣？三、当George讲述艰难经历时Penny如何回应？

We'll hear how Penny develops her conversation with George. As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions. One, what is the word or topic that Penny uses to change the topic of conversation? Two, what experience of George's does Penny show interest in? Three, how does Penny react when George tells her about how difficult his experience was?

演讲很有意思，对吧？

Interesting speech, wasn't it?

是啊，看来我们接下来要面临些挑战了。

Yes. Looks like we have a few challenges ahead.

说到挑战...

Speaking of challenges.

嗯哼，昨天才艺展示环节我见到的是你吗？

Uh-huh. Was that you I saw in the talent showcase yesterday?

是的。恐怕确实如此。

Yes. I'm afraid it was.

你真的跑了一场马拉松吗？

Did you really run a marathon?

当然跑了。差点要了我的命。

I sure did. Nearly killed me.

感觉怎么样？

What was it like?

嗯，很艰难。我训练了一年。

Well, it was tough. I trained for a year.

一年？真的吗？那时间可不短。

A year? Did you really? That's a long time.

那实际跑马拉松时呢？是什么感觉？

How about the actual marathon? How did that feel?

快到终点时，我觉得自己快不行了。

Well, towards the end, I thought I was gonna die.

可怜的家伙。

You poor thing.

其实也没什么大不了的。很多人都会跑马拉松。

It's not really such a big deal. Lots of people run marathons.

是啊，我总有一天想试试看。

Yeah, I'd like to give it a try someday.

你应该试试。为什么不报名参加明年的活动呢？现在

You should. Why don't you sign up for next year's event? Now

让我们再回顾一遍对话，看看佩妮是如何与乔治保持对话的。我们加入他们时，佩妮正在评论他们在会议上刚听到的演讲。

let's go through the dialogue again and see how Penny maintains the conversation with George. We join them as Penny comments on a speech they have just heard at the conference.

演讲很有趣，不是吗？

Interesting speech, wasn't it?

是的。看来我们面前还有些挑战。

Yes. Looks like we have a few challenges ahead.

说到挑战

Speaking of challenges

佩妮本可以继续谈论演讲，但正如我们将看到的，她知道人们喜欢谈论自己。因此她想把话题从演讲转到乔治本人身上。要转换话题，我们可以简单地用个特殊表达比如'顺便说一句'，或者利用对方说的话。这里乔治用了'挑战'这个词，意思是艰难的经历。佩妮准备把话题转到另一个挑战上。

Penny could continue talking about the speech, but as we will see, she knows that people like to talk about themselves. And so she wants to change the topic from the speech to George himself. To change the topic, we can simply use a special expression like by the way, or we can use something the other person says. In this case, George has used the word challenge, which means a difficult experience. Penny is going to change the topic to a different challenge.

于是她说'说到挑战'作为转向新话题的方式。如果佩妮没有过渡就直接问另一个话题，会显得很突兀。所以让我们多练习几种转换话题引导对话的方法。

So she says, speaking of challenges as a way of transitioning to the new topic. If Penny just asked about a different topic without a transition, it would be very awkward. So let's practice some more ways of making a transition to a new topic to direct the conversation.

说到旅行，你在海外做过什么工作吗？

Speaking of travel, have you done any work overseas?

这提醒我了。你现在在做什么新项目吗？

That reminds me. Are you working on anything new right now?

顺便问一下，我想了解一下你的演讲情况。

By the way, I wanted to ask about your presentation.

换个话题，你打算参加明天的会议吗？

On a different note, are you planning to attend tomorrow's session?

如你所闻，有些特殊表达能表明你想转换话题，比如“换个话题”。这让我想起，佩妮还想询问什么其他挑战呢？我们听听看。嗯哼。

As you can hear, there are some special expressions that tell someone you want to change the topic, like on a different note. And that reminds me. So what other challenge does Penny want to ask about? Let's listen. Uh-huh.

昨天才艺展示上我见到的是你吗？

Was that you I saw in the talent showcase yesterday?

是的，恐怕确实是我。

Yes. I'm afraid it was.

你真的跑过马拉松吗？

Did you really run a marathon?

才艺展示是让人们展示或谈论自己特殊才能或技能的活动。在会议的才艺展示上，佩妮听到乔治谈论跑马拉松的事。现在她对他的经历表现出兴趣。如果觉得展开对话有困难，只需记住人们都喜欢谈论自己。这就是为什么对对方表现出兴趣并询问关于他们的问题，几乎总能保证对话继续下去。

A talent showcase is an event where people demonstrate or talk about their special talents or skills. At the conference talent showcase, Penny heard George talk about running a marathon. Now she is showing interest in his experience. If making conversation is difficult, just remember that people love to talk about themselves. That's why showing interest in the other person and asking questions about them is almost guaranteed to keep the conversation going.

佩妮问了乔治关于跑马拉松或超长跑比赛的事。她说：“你真的跑过马拉松吗？”只是为了邀请他多谈谈。我们还能通过哪些方式表现出兴趣并邀请对方多说一些呢？让我们再试几个例子。

Penny has asked George about running a marathon or a very long running race. She says, did you really run a marathon? Simply to invite him to talk more about it. What are some other ways we can show interest and invite someone to speak more? Let's try a few more examples.

哦，真的吗？听起来很酷。多跟我说说。

Oh, really? That sounds cool. Tell me more.

哇。那会不会让你太忙了？

Wow. Does that make things too busy for you?

我不知道你从事那个领域。你是怎么进入这一行的？

I didn't know you were in that field. How did you get into it?

哦，不错。你喜欢参与这个项目的工作吗？

Oh, nice. Have you enjoyed working on the project?

现在让我们听听乔治的经历。

Now let's hear about George's experience.

确实如此。差点要了我的命。

I sure did. Nearly killed me.

那是什么感觉？

What was it like?

乔治说马拉松差点要了他的命。当然，他并非真的差点死掉。这只是我们对极其艰难经历的一种夸张说法。而佩妮通过就乔治谈论的话题提出一个WH疑问句，让对话得以继续。WH疑问句包括使用谁、什么、何时、为什么、哪里以及如何等疑问词。

George says the marathon nearly killed him. Of course, he didn't almost die. This is just something we say when an experience is very difficult. And Penny keeps the conversation going simply by asking a WH question about the topic that George is speaking about. WH questions include using who, what, when, why, where, and even how.

你可以针对任何话题构思好的WH疑问句来延续对话，而关于对方的WH疑问句尤其有效。让我们再练习一些你可能在对话中用到的疑问句。

You can think of good WH questions about any topic to keep the conversation going, and WH questions about the other person are especially effective. Let's run through some more questions you might use in a conversation.

你的办公室具体位于哪里？

Where exactly is your office located?

你通常与哪类客户合作？

What kind of clients do you usually work with?

你是什么时候开始在这家公司工作的？

When did you start working with the company?

你通常与谁合作项目？

Who do you usually collaborate with on projects?

对话如何继续？让我们听听。

How does the conversation continue? Let's listen.

嗯，很艰难。我训练了一年。

Well, it was tough. I trained for a year.

一年？真的吗？那时间可不短。

A year? Did you really? That's a long time.

那实际跑马拉松时感觉如何？

How about the actual marathon? How did that feel?

快到终点时，我觉得自己快不行了。

Well, towards the end, I thought I was gonna die.

可怜的家伙。

You poor thing.

如你所闻，乔治进一步分享了他的经历。随后佩妮对此发表了评论，并提出了另一个以WH开头的问题。她询问跑马拉松的真实感受。正如佩妮所示，你可以围绕同一话题持续提出WH问题来深入对话。当乔治说他在马拉松途中以为自己要死了时，佩妮回应道'可怜的家伙'。

As you can hear, George gives a bit more information about his experience. Then Penny comments on that experience before asking another WH question about it. She asks how the actual marathon felt. As Penny shows, you can keep asking WH questions about the same topic to develop the conversation further. And when George says he thought he was going to die during the marathon, Penny responds by saying, you poor thing.

通常不会用'东西'来称呼人，乔治也未必真穷。称某人'可怜的家伙'只是表达'我理解你经历了困难，我对此感同身受'的方式。这些共情与关怀的表述能让对方感到温暖。这正是维持对话时个人化沟通方式的一部分。下面我们再看看其他表达同理心或个人关怀的方式。

It's not usual to call a person a thing, and George probably isn't really poor. Calling someone a poor thing is just a way of saying, I see you had a difficult experience, and I have sympathy for you. Expressions of empathy and care for the other person make them feel good. It's all part of this personal approach to maintaining a conversation. Let's run through some more ways of showing empathy or personal care.

哦不，那一定让人非常沮丧。

Oh, no. That must have been so frustrating.

听起来要处理的事情很多。你还能应付得过来吗？

That sounds like a lot to handle. Are you doing okay with it all?

哇。希望你的节奏能尽快慢下来。

Wow. I hope things slow down for you soon.

我能想象那并不容易。很高兴听到最终顺利解决了。

I can imagine that wasn't easy. Glad to hear it worked out in the end.

现在让我们来听听对话的结尾，乔治开始将话题转回佩妮身上。

Now let's hear the end of the dialogue as George begins to turn the conversation back to Penny.

这其实没什么大不了的。很多人都会跑马拉松。

It's not really such a big deal. Lots of people run marathons.

是啊。我也想哪天尝试一下。

Yeah. I'd like to give it a try someday.

你应该试试。为什么不报名明年的比赛呢？

You should. Why don't you sign up for next year's event?

乔治说马拉松没什么大不了，意思是这并非多么严峻的挑战。是的，他之前说自己差点丧命。但现在由于佩妮对他表现出的关注，他反而转变态度淡化了这项挑战，然后向佩妮提问。这很好地提醒我们：如果你打算在对话中表现出对别人的兴趣，就需要准备好对方将话题引回你身上。现在我们来练习今天课程中学到的一些表达。

George says the marathon wasn't such a big deal, meaning it wasn't such a serious difficulty. Yes, he says he was going to die. But now with all the attention Penny has been giving him, he goes the other way and downplays the challenge before asking Penny a question. That's a good reminder that if you're going to show interest in people during a conversation, you'll need to be ready for them to turn the conversation back to you. Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.

假设你正在参加一家食品公司的会议。你正在与一位从事市场营销的人交谈。你会听到对方给出的谈话线索，然后我会建议你如何回应。我们将引导你完成每个练习步骤，并为每个回应提供范例答案。准备好了吗？

Imagine you are at a conference with a food company. You're maintaining a conversation with someone who works in marketing. You'll hear a cue from the other person, then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response. We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response. Ready?

我们开始吧。

Let's give it a go.

我们在市场营销方面有很多事情在进行。

We've had a lot going on with the marketing side of things.

先表示听起来他们很忙，然后转换话题询问他们推出了什么类型的产品。

Start by saying it sounds like they've been busy, then change the topic and ask what kind of product they launched.

回答：听起来你们一直很忙。你们推出了什么类型的产品呢？

Answer. Sounds like you've been busy. And what kind of product did you launch?

实际上是一系列新的无糖苏打饮料。

It's actually a new line of sugar free soda drinks.

现在说这真的很酷，并询问这个想法是怎么产生的。

Now say that's really cool and ask how the idea came about.

哦，哇，这太酷了。这个想法是怎么来的？

Oh, wow. That's cool. How did that idea come about?

嗯，我们收到了很多来自健康食品公司的请求。

Well, we've had a lot of requests from health food companies.

现在说这很棒，并询问到目前为止的销售情况如何。

Now say that's great and ask what sales have been like so far.

回答：这很棒。到目前为止销售情况怎么样？

Answer. That's great. And what have sales been like so far?

销售情况不错，但我们人手不足。因为太忙了，我几乎没怎么睡觉。

They've been good, but we're short staffed. I've hardly slept because we're so busy.

最后，通过表示你能想象这既压力重重又令人疲惫，来展现个人关怀。

Finally, show personal care by saying that you can imagine it's stressful and tiring.

哦，不。我能想象那一定压力很大也很累人。

Oh, no. I imagine that's very stressful and tiring.

以上就是本次关于社交和维持对话的课程内容。我们学习了如何引导对话及转换话题，也探讨了如何展现对他人的兴趣、如何使用WH疑问句，以及如何表达同理心或个人关怀。如需更多练习，高级会员可访问BEP网站获取本课程及其他课程的在线资源与PDF文本记录。还不是会员？

That's all for this lesson on socializing and maintaining a conversation. We've learned how to direct the conversation and change the topic. We've also looked at how to show interest in someone, how to use WH questions, and how to show empathy or personal care. For more practice, premium members can access the online resources and PDF transcripts for this and other lessons on the BEP website. Not a member yet?

那就前往www.businessenglishpod.com注册免费试用，预览会员专享的额外资源。感谢收听，我们下次再见。

Then head to www.businessenglishpod.com and sign up for a free trial to preview some of the extra resources available to members. Thanks for listening and see you again soon.