Pratique du Shadowing: English for Professionals: How to Give Criticism Without Offending - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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Hi, everyone.

Welcome back to High Level Listening, your place for real English conversations at work and business English lessons.

So imagine your colleagues show you something they've been working on.

But it's not very good.

Maybe there are mistakes, or maybe it's completely different from what you expected.

You want to be honest, but you don't want to sound rude, harsh, or unprofessional.

Yeah, it can be a tricky balance.

So today we thought we'd show you exactly what to say to give clear, constructive feedback in polite business English.

And this will be included in all of our PDF transcripts for our business English bundle and the full phrase list.

We've got MP3 downloads and everything will be in the study pack.

So you can check that out in the description below.

okay for the first section we're just going to be pointing out a couple of small mistakes now

if you are just pointing out a couple of mistakes you

can say yep here's a problem we've got a problem here

but if you wanted to soften your language a little bit we're going to start positively

and we're also going to soften the problem

so let's give you an example of what that sounds like okay

so for dialogue one i'll be reviewing a document

that mark has worked on okay yeah all right okay overall

this looks pretty solid i really like how it's structured great

okay thank you i did however notice a couple of details

we should double check before sending it out okay yes of course let me know what I've missed.

All right, so let's follow the structure that we gave you guys earlier.

You're going to give them a compliment or say something positive about it, and then we're going to soften the problem.

So this is how we gave them a compliment.

Overall, this looks pretty solid.

I like how it's structured.

Okay, so I'm giving Mark a compliment.

I'm saying something positive about what he's given me for work.

I did, however, notice a couple of details we should double check before sending it out.

Now, I could have said, I noticed some problems.

That would have been very direct.

I noticed some problems.

It just doesn't sound very nice and it doesn't sound very productive, okay?

So I did, however, notice a couple of details.

Now, I'm even changing the grammar of my sentence from I noticed to I did, however, notice.

Why am I doing that?

Because my first sentence was positive and my second sentence is not so positive.

So I want to show with I did, however, I want to show a difference between the positive and the negative.

I did, however, notice a couple of details we should double check before sending it out.

Now, the final thing we did was I said we, not you.

If I can remove the word you, you, you, you made a problem, you did a problem, you, you, you, you.

If I can remove you from the sentence, it sounds so much more collaborative.

We.

I did, however, notice a couple of details we should double check before sending it out.

When Kat pointed out the problem softly, I responded quite softly as well.

I didn't say, oh, what's wrong?

I said, of course, let me know what I've missed.

So you can open yourself up to criticism and that makes you sound professional and open to changes as well.

It's win-win.

So let's go through another dialogue with the same scenario and we'll use the same structure to give a compliment, start positively and then soften the problem.

We're reviewing a presentation So, okay.

Yeah, I think this is a good start.

I think it's about 90% there.

Okay.

What do you think's missing?

One thing, the figures should be Q3 instead of Q2.

Right, right.

Good catch.

And there's a small typo.

It says manager, manager instead of manager.

Oh, wow.

Yes, I will fix that right away.

But apart from that, I think we're in good shape.

It's okay.

We use the same kind of structure i started positive this

is a good start in the previous one cat said this is solid and yes

when something is about 90 percent there i think it's almost perfect it's almost finished it's about 90 there means it's

almost good enough and then i introduced the problems one thing i didn't say the word one mistake

or one problem again we want to avoid the words problem mistake or bad so one thing

the figures should be q3 instead of q2 and there's a small typo small again i'm reducing

the size of the problem oh there's a little thing uh there's a little error oh there's one small change

if you can make problems smaller that's good too a typo is a spelling mistake i think

when we're talking about typing things on computers that's where it came from

but there is a spelling mistake there's a small typo i

do this too manger instead of manager it's missing an a and then the The final thing is also quite positive.

But apart from that, we're in good shape.

It's almost perfect.

Things are going well.

We're in good shape.

We have made a good start.

And I think with a little bit extra, we'll be ready.

Okay.

Our second topic is going to be about something that you did not expect.

So I thought it was going to be a little more like this, or I was expecting something else,

sometimes you receive something and it is not what you expected.

So we're going to be talking about this and we're going to do it in a similar way.

We are going to acknowledge the person working on the product.

We are going to say, okay, I see that you did some work here,

but then we need to show our expectations and tell them directly what you expect it.

Okay.

But we don't just want to say, this is not what I expected.

Change it.

Right.

Because that doesn't, that's not very helpful.

That's not very constructive.

So let's go through the dialogue.

All right.

Okay.

100

Thanks.

101

Thanks for getting this done so quickly. Of course.

102

Although after reviewing it, it is a bit different from what I had in mind.

103

I was expecting something more data-driven.

104

Could you revise it with that in mind?

105

Sure.

106

Yeah, no problem.

107

Thanks for clarifying.

108

So remember that since we're balancing positive with negative, we can say, thanks for this.

109

That's the positive one.

110

Thanks for getting this done so quickly.

111

Thanks for finishing it in time.

112

But we're going to kind of balance that out with the negative thought.

113

So then we could say, thanks, although.

114

Thanks, however.

115

And just like the last one where I said I did notice, I'm saying, although after reviewing it,

116

it is a bit different from what I had in mind.

117

So I could say it's a bit different.

118

But remember, we're balancing it out.

119

Thanks for this, although it is a bit different from what I had in mind.

120

Something I had in mind was what I was thinking, what I was expecting.

121

And then I'm going to tell them what I want.

122

I was expecting something more data-driven.

123

We kind of go down this path, but we do need to directly say what we want.

124

Otherwise, we're never going to get it, right?

125

I was expecting something more data-driven.

126

Could you revise it with that in mind?

127

Okay, so this is what I had in mind.

128

And with that in mind, can you revise it?

129

Revise too.

130

It's better than fix or change or stop.

131

Revise is a very professional word for that.

132

OK, well, here's a second dialogue.

133

Same scenario, same structure.

134

Thanks for putting this together.

135

I can see you put a lot of work into it.

136

Yeah, sure. Of course.

137

I think what you've done is useful, but the format isn't quite what the client asked for.

138

Could we restructure it to focus on quarterly figures? Of course.

139

Got it.

140

I will rework it.

141

Okay.

142

Did you hear our strategy again?

143

Appreciate their work first.

144

I said, thanks for putting this together.

145

Thanks for finding all this different data and collecting it into one.

146

Thanks for putting this together.

147

Thanks for doing this.

148

Thanks for working so hard.

149

I can see you put a lot of work into it.

150

or I can see you put a lot of effort and time into it.

151

So start with a compliment, then say what you would like to change.

152

What you've done is useful.

153

So another compliment, another bit of appreciation.

154

But the format isn't quite what the client asked for.

155

So again, like Kat said earlier, we want to avoid the word you.

156

I want to focus on the problem most.

157

The problem is the format how the information is laid out.

158

The format isn't quite what the client asked for.

159

Again, we want to soften the problem.

160

So making problems smaller is one and saying quite is another way.

161

It isn't quite what the client asked for.

162

This is much nicer than saying you didn't listen to the client.

163

The format isn't quite what the client asked for.

164

Could we restructure it?

165

Again, we Let's work together.

166

It's not all on you.

167

We're a team.

168

Could we restructure it?

169

Again, like revise in the previous dialogue, restructure is another softer word to say change.

170

Could we restructure it to focus on quarterly figures?

171

Some other useful phrases if you find yourself in the same situation.

172

This is close, but I was picturing something a little different.

173

Another one.

174

What I had in mind was slightly different.

175

Now, I may not have explained it clearly.

176

I was thinking of a different approach.

177

I think we need to go in a different direction.

178

Honestly, I was thinking along slightly different lines.

179

Alright, so our final situation is when something just is not possible.

180

We have lots of good ideas all day long, but sometimes things cannot work out.

181

They are physically impossible.

182

We don't have the money.

183

This is not feasible.

184

So I don't want to completely shut someone down, but sometimes we have to.

185

It's just not possible.

186

So let's look at dialogue one and let's show you some good, clear, professional phrases to help you in this situation.

187

So I was thinking we could rebuild the whole system before the launch.

188

Well, I see what you're going for.

189

And in an ideal world, that would be great.

190

But I don't think that's realistic for us right now.

191

Oh, you don't think so?

192

No, just with the timeline we're working with, we wouldn't be able to deliver that properly.

193

Yeah, fair enough.

194

So let's focus on a few key improvements that we can actually get done before the launch.

195

okay so mark's creative mark's thinking mark's telling us some information

196

but it's just not going to be possible right

197

so what i've kind of done is what we've been doing

198

this whole time we've given a compliment we've said what we

199

like about it we've said why we can't do this

200

and then maybe we've offered a new direction to go in or something smaller something easier that we can actually do.

201

So I see what you're going for.

202

I see where you're going with this.

203

I can see you thinking, you know, you're thinking big, right?

204

We're thinking big.

205

And in an ideal world, that would be great.

206

But I don't think that's realistic for us right now.

207

This is a common word.

208

It's not realistic.

209

It's not logical.

210

It just can't happen.

211

We just don't have the time, the money, the resources.

212

I don't think that's realistic for us right now.

213

And then at the end, I say, let's focus on a few key improvements we can actually get done before launch.

214

So some real world things we can actually do, things we can actually accomplish.

215

Here's a second dialogue with the same situation.

216

What if we launched in three separate markets at the same time?

217

I like the thinking.

218

It's very ambitious, but I don't think we have the resources to support that right now.

219

Why not?

220

We'd just be stretching ourselves too thin.

221

Yeah, fair enough.

222

Let's start with one market, do it properly, and then expand from there.

223

Okay, so yes, Mark got shot down again.

224

And he has great ideas.

225

They're just not possible.

226

So I said, I like the thinking.

227

It is ambitious.

228

But I don't think we have the resources to support that right now.

229

When you don't have the resources, you don't have the time, money, manpower.

230

You don't have enough.

231

You don't have enough.

232

We just don't have the resources to support that right now.

233

another explanation on top of that we'd be stretching ourselves too thin

234

if I have two workers

235

and they are working on five different projects they are stretching

236

themselves too thin I would rather have two workers working on one project

237

or two workers working on two projects

238

that feels like a normal amount of work not stretching ourselves too thin so let's start with one market, here's my solution, do it properly,

239

and then expand from there.

240

Okay, then we've got one final dialogue, and we're using the same method again.

241

We acknowledge and appreciate, explain the problem, and then redirect with a solution.

242

So I think we should add a few more features before the launch.

243

Okay, I get why you're suggesting that.

244

More features always sounds good, but I think it might slow us down too much at this stage.

245

You think so?

246

Yeah, we risk overcomplicating things.

247

Okay, yeah, I see what you mean.

248

Let's just keep it simple for now and build on it after the launch.

249

Okay, so again, the same method.

250

Appreciate and acknowledge the work.

251

Kat had a bold suggestion.

252

More features.

253

Maybe we're working on an app or program.

254

I get why you're suggesting that.

255

I get is another way to say I understand.

256

I get why you're saying that.

257

I get why you're suggesting that.

258

I get why you're thinking that is a way to acknowledge. But here's the problem.

259

I think it might slow us down too much at this stage.

260

Like before when we suggested we, I'm using that again, it might slow us down.

261

We're a team.

262

We need to work together.

263

I think it might, again, we're softening the problem, it might slow us down too much.

264

My further explanation, we risk overcomplicating things.

265

Risk is a good word.

266

It's not certain, but when you can think about the future or think about the next stages, you can see a potential problem.

267

We risk hitting that problem.

268

So this is my advice based on what I think will happen.

269

We risk is also good because that's me and you.

270

Again, we're collaborating.

271

We risk over-complicating things or making it too complicated.

272

And again, lastly, redirect, suggest an idea instead.

273

Let's keep it simple for now and build on it after launch.

274

Again, we, the team, let's keep it simple for now.

275

For now implies that maybe we can use your idea in the future, but not yet.

276

So still acknowledging Kat's idea.

277

And maybe I like the idea.

278

We're just not ready for it right now.

279

So let's keep it simple for now and build on it after launch.

280

OK, so now you know how to give feedback that's honest, clear and professional without sounding rude or overly negative.

281

Yeah, we think these are the kinds of phrases that make a real difference in workplace conversations.

282

And you can get the full Business English study pack with PDF transcripts, phrases, dictionaries for all of our Business English videos here on High Level Listening.

283

And you can find that in the link in the description below.

284

Yes, which phrases would you like to use at work?

285

Let us know in the comments.

286

We read and reply to every single one we get here on YouTube.

287

And thanks everybody for watching.

288

We'll see you next time on High Level Listening.

289

Bye-bye.

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Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon

Cette leçon d’expression orale de niveau B2 s’appuie sur la vidéo « English for Professionals: How to Give Criticism Without Offending ». Cette vidéo contient 289 phrases et 2726 mots à répéter en shadowing. La partie parlée dure 18:13. Le locuteur parle à un rythme naturel d’environ 150 mots par minute, proche d’une conversation courante. 87 % des mots font partie des 3 000 mots les plus courants en anglais, le vocabulaire est donc facile à suivre.

Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo

Les 15 mots les plus avancés de la vidéo, avec leur prononciation et leur sens :

Mot	Prononciation	Sens
compliment nom	/ˈkɑmpləmənt/	compliment
revise verbe	/ɹɪˈvaɪz/	revoir
soften verbe	/ˈsɑfən/	adoucir
restructure verbe	/ɹiːˈstɹʌkt͡ʃə(ɹ)/	restructurer
acknowledge verbe	/əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/	reconnaître
typo nom	/ˈtaɪpəʊ/	coquille, faute de frappe
realistic adjectif	/ˌɹɪəˈlɪs.tɪk/	réaliste
redirect verbe		réorienter
transcript nom	/ˈtɹæn.skɹɪpt/	transcription
softly adverbe	/ˈsɔftli/	doucement
constructive adjectif	/kənˈstɹʌktɪv/	constructif
ambitious adjectif	/æmˈbɪʃ.əs/	ambitieux
quarterly adjectif		trimestriel
spelling nom	/ˈspɛl.ɪŋ/	orthographe
scenario nom	/sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/	scénario

Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez

Mot	Prononciation	Sens
point out verbe		pointer
go through verbe		traverser
go down verbe		descendre
shoot down verbe		abattre
work out verbe	/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/	calculer

Des phrases à répéter

Des phrases courtes et complètes de la vidéo, à réutiliser dans la conversation de tous les jours :

Why am I doing that?
I didn't say, oh, what's wrong?
What do you think's missing?
Could you revise it with that in mind?
Could we restructure it to focus on quarterly figures?

La grammaire de cette vidéo

Les structures que le locuteur utilise le plus, avec les mots exacts de la vidéo :

Structure	Dans la vidéo
Present perfect continu have/has been + -ing — une action commencée avant et toujours en cours	they've been working · we've been doing
Present perfect have/has + participe passé — une action passée qui compte encore maintenant	has worked · I've missed · have made
Voix passive be + participe passé — l’accent est mis sur ce qui arrive, pas sur qui le fait	will be included · is laid

Prononciation à surveiller

Le locuteur utilise 93 contractions et formes réduites, comme we're, don't, you're. Prononcez-les sous leur forme courte, telles que vous les entendez.

Les sons « sh » et « zh »: ambitious /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
Mots longs — placez bien l’accent: positively /ˈpɑ.zɪ.tɪv.li/, collaborate /kəˈlæb.ə.ɹeɪt/, collaborative /kəˈlæb.ə.ɹə.tɪv/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/

Les sons difficiles pour les francophones :

/tʃ/ et /dʒ/ — à ne pas adoucir en « ch » et « j »: restructure /ɹiːˈstɹʌkt͡ʃə(ɹ)/, acknowledge /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/, manger /ˈmeɪ̯n.d͡ʒɚ/, logical /ˈlɑd͡ʒɪkəl/
/r/ anglais — langue recourbée, sans frotter la gorge: revise /ɹɪˈvaɪz/, restructure /ɹiːˈstɹʌkt͡ʃə(ɹ)/, realistic /ˌɹɪəˈlɪs.tɪk/, transcript /ˈtɹæn.skɹɪpt/, constructive /kənˈstɹʌktɪv/

Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo

Écoutez la vidéo en entier une fois sans parler et notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas.
Commencez à la vitesse 0,75×, répétez phrase par phrase, puis revenez à la vitesse normale quand cela devient facile.
Enregistrez-vous et comparez avec l’original, en faisant attention à des mots comme compliment, revise, soften.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.

Technique du shadowing : lire le guide complet étape par étape →

Pratique du Shadowing: English for Professionals: How to Give Criticism Without Offending - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon

Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo

Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez

Des phrases à répéter

La grammaire de cette vidéo

Prononciation à surveiller

Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?