Chatterbox
Learn from Natural English Conversation – Customer service
05/12/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Everyone likes to get good customer service, but we don’t always get it. In this episode, we talk about tipping (where, when, and how much), and about how to handle a situation when the service was not so good. Harp and Maura also share their own perspectives of what it’s like to work in customer service. Is the customer realty always right?
| Maura: | When you go to a restaurant and you sit down, when someone takes your order and brings you your food, you should be giving them a tip at the end. Now, the amount that you tip is really up to you. |
| Harp: | Yeah, it varies. And this is where the quality of service can definitely come in, because you can leave 10% if it was bad service, or if it was really good service, you can leave 20%. |
| Maura: | Or even more. Now, when Harp says 10%, she means 10% of your bill. So, for example, if you bought a meal and it cost $10, then a 10% tip is one dollar. |
| Harp: | Now I have a question for you, Maura. |
| Maura: | I hope it’s not a more difficult math question, because I won’t be able to do it. |
| Harp: | Nope. But I’ve had this discussion with my friends. Do you tip on the amount before taxes or after taxes? |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| That very thing | How much and whom to tip in Canada |
| The bill | A grey area |
| To swear | Interac and the tip function |
| What to do when you get bad customer service | To be taken advantage of |
| The squeaky wheel gets the oil | On the other end of the line |
| Across the board | The customer is always right |
| The other side of the coin | Minimum wage |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
Canadian myths
04/28/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Many cultures around the world have traditional stories that have been told for many years. We were recently asked whether Canada has any interesting myths, so here’s an episode all about our some of our stories. We talk about Canada’s Bigfoot, a flaming ghost ship, and our lost mines. You’ll have to judge for yourself whether you think these myths are true or not. Thanks to our listeners for suggesting such great topics!
| Maura: | So Canadians have their own Bigfoot. Interesting. Now, are there any other myths that you heard out West? |
| Harp: | Yes. The other one—I love this one because I love his name—the Ogopogo. |
| Maura: | OK. The Ogopogo. I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. What is it? |
| Harp: | You’ve never heard of the Ogopogo? |
| Maura: | No, tell me about it. |
| Harp: | Well, the Ogopogo is a lake monster, and he exists in the Okanogan Lake. |
| Maura: | OK. So, I have heard of the Loch Ness Monster, which is a really famous kind of thing—monster—that lives in Scotland. It’s the same idea then, right? |
| Harp: | Exactly. The Ogopogo is similar to the Loch Ness Monster. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To see something through another person’s eyes | Word of mouth |
| That’s just a myth | Long-standing |
| Do tell | Bigfoot/sasquatc |
| That’s the thing | A hoax |
| The Ogopogo and other Canadian lake monsters | To give someone the benefit of the doubt |
| The Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait | Lost mines |
| Fishy | To lose track of something |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Canada Post
What’s your personality?
04/21/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In this episode, we talk about personality! Harp and Maura start by talking about introverts and extroverts, and the positive and negative qualities of both. They also discuss astrological signs. Do you think that when someone is born can determine their personality? Can a person’s personality change over their lifetime? Listen to this episode to hear what Harp and Maura have to say about it.
| Harp: | If we talk about extroverted people, they’re very outgoing. They’re usually telling jokes or stories, and people are listening to them. They really like being the centre of attention. They like other people’s attention to be on them. |
| Maura: | Yeah. These kinds of people are the life of the party. They’re friendly. They don’t feel shy about striking up conversation with a complete stranger. |
| Harp: | Sometimes they can come off as a little bit of a show-off, ’cause they always want to talk about themselves and their stories. |
| Maura: | Yeah. There are really pros and cons to both of these personality types. If you’re extroverted, you’re very friendly, but you can also seem, maybe, loud- mouthed or arrogant. And introverted people are thought to be more intellectual, but you could also seem, maybe, rude because you’re quiet all the time, or people might think you’re a hermit because you stay in and don’t go out very much. |
| Harp: | Yeah. And oftentimes, with introverted people, you might think they’re cold because they don’t show their feelings as much. |
| Maura: | Yeah. That’s true. But I think you really hit the nail on the head earlier, Harp, when you said that some people can be introverted and extroverted in different situations. It’s not so fixed to say that one person is always introverted and one person is always extroverted. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Cut and dried | The Perks of Being a Wallflower |
| To strike up a conversation | To come off as something |
| A hermit | To hit the nail on the head |
| The Myers-Briggs personality test | Technically |
| Zodiac signs, astrology, and horoscopes | Blood type |
| It goes to show | Like |
| It’s not an exact science | To come out of your shell |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
The corporate world
04/7/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Work! Love it or hate it, most of us have to do it. In this episode, Harp and Maura talk about the corporate world and what it’s like nowadays. Almost everyone hopes to make as much money as they can, and some people work to climb the corporate ladder in order to get prestige as well. Harp and Maura also talk about the latest interview trends and discuss what the job market currently looks like. This is a super-informative episode, and some of the ideas in this episode were suggested by two Culips listeners!
| Harp: | It seems that more and more people are working around the clock because of things like smart phones and laptops at home. People are always connected so they feel like they have to respond to emails, they have to answer calls. |
| Maura: | That is definitely true. The idea of working just 9 to 5 doesn’t really exist if you’re in the corporate world and you’re trying to climb the corporate ladder. Now, another part of working and living in the corporate world is the rat race. |
| Harp: | The rat race. |
| Maura: | And we want to give a very special thank you to one of our Culips listeners, who suggested that we talk about the rat race, on Facebook. |
| Harp: | Yeah. Thanks, Ehsanaagha. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To climb the corporate ladder | On the other hand |
| A go-getter | A career path |
| VP and CEO | The glass ceiling |
| To take something | To work around the clock |
| To get around something | A workaholic |
| The rat race | A shout-out |
| A split-second decision | The STAR approach to answering behavioural questions |
| Baby boomers | Booming |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
Commuting
03/17/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Most of us travel to work many times in one week. Some of us have a quick little trip and others spend hours on public transportation. This episode is all about that—travelling to and from work. Harp and Maura talk about what commuting is like in Canada, how people get to work, and how long it usually takes them. They also share their own experiences of getting to work every day. If you’re a commuter, listen to this episode on your way to work.
| Harp: | And then we’re gonna talk about our some of our own personal experiences with commuting. |
| Maura: | You know, it is something very personal. Sometimes people love their commute, or they hate their commute. So people really have a strong feeling about it. |
| Harp: | Yes. I definitely agree with you. |
| Maura: | OK. So let’s start by talking about how people get to work in Canada. |
| Harp: | Well, I have to be honest; most people get to work by car. |
| Maura: | That is definitely true. I think, internationally, Canada and the US are known for drivers. People really like to drive around here. |
| Harp: | Yeah. People love their cars and they love driving to work, or anywhere. |
| Maura: | And most of the time, people are alone in their cars. So you have a car with one person driving to their workplace. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To commute/a commute | A carpool/to carpool |
| To take turns | Hardcore |
| A traffic jam | Right off the bat |
| The metro | No problem |
| To hold back | To see where this is going |
| To jaywalk | I don’t blame you |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
