The Phrase Bank

I’ve often said that off-the-cuff doesn’t mean off the top of your head. What I mean by that is that there are ways that you can prepare for extemporaneous speaking. When you have phrases top of mind to use, it makes it easier to speak when you need to. Collect phrases. Observe how people say things and consider if it might work for you. Test them out in different scenarios. This helps you to know what to say. It’s like a phrase bank.

Here are some phrases for your phrase bank

What to say when you disagree in a meeting:

I understand that perspective, the way I see it is…

Something we should also consider is…

My view on this is xyz because…

Another way to think about this is…

What to say when you don’t understand something that was said

Can you expand on what you mean by that?

I’m not sure if I’m tracking with that idea. Can you say more about that?

When you say [X], does that mean [your interpretation of X]?

What to ask instead of “tell me about yourself”

How do you know (person who introduced you)?

What is the most exciting thing about your work right now?

What captures your attention when you’re not working?

Conclusion

Some of my most popular posts on instagram are just lists of phrases. Hundreds of people save these posts to refer back to and the thought that they are creating their own phrase bank makes me so happy. If you try any of the phrases above or have ideas for phrases I should try, let me know using the contact information below.