The core theme is that simply stating a job title often leads to conversation dead ends, but by describing what you do in a more engaging and detailed way, you can spark genuine interest and foster better connections.
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Hello everyone. Welcome back to Speak
English Daily. I'm Emma.
Have you ever been at a party, someone
walks up to you, they smile and ask,
"So, what do you do?" You answer, "I'm a
teacher." They say, "Oh, cool." Then
silence. They look around the room. They
check their phone. They say, "Excuse me,
I need to get a drink." They walk away.
You stand there alone and you think,
"Why does this always happen to me?
Am I boring?
Why don't people want to talk to me?"
Or maybe this happens. You're at a
networking event. Someone asks, "What do
you do?" You say, "I'm an accountant."
They say, "Oh, numbers. That must be
interesting." They've excused themselves again.
again.
Or this, you meet your new neighbor in
the elevator. They ask, "What do you do
for work?" You say, "I'm a software
engineer." They say, "Uh, computers."
The elevator reaches your floor. You
both get out, no connection made. This
happens again and again at parties, at
networking events, at family gatherings,
even with new neighbors. And every time
you walk away feeling invisible, boring,
like you have nothing interesting to say.
say.
But here's the truth. You're not boring.
Your job isn't boring. Your answer is
boring. Let me explain what's happening.
When someone asks, "What do you do?"
Most people answer with just their job
title. I'm a teacher. I'm an engineer.
I'm a nurse. I'm an accountant. And the
other person's brain thinks,
"Okay, I know what a teacher is. I know
what an engineer does. There's nothing
to ask." the conversation dies. Not
because your job is boring, not because
you're boring, but because you didn't
give them anything to talk about. Think
about it. If someone says, "I'm a
teacher." What do you say next? Oh,
cool. And then nothing. But if someone
says, "I help kids who struggle with
reading learn to love books." Right now,
I'm working with a student who just read
his first full book last week. Now, you
have something to talk about. You can
ask, "What book did he read?" "How old
are the kids you work with?"
"How do you help them love reading?" See
the difference? Same job, different
answer. One answer kills the
conversation. The other answer starts
the conversation. And here's what nobody
tells English learners.
People don't want your job title. They
want to know what's interesting about you.
you.
What do you actually do all day? Why
should I care? But nobody taught you
this. Nobody said, "Don't just say your
job name." Give people something to talk
about. Make them curious. So you keep
answering the same boring way and people
keep walking away and you keep feeling
invisible. But not anymore.
Today I'm going to give you a simple
formula. A formula that makes people
say, "Wow, tell me more. That sounds interesting.
interesting.
I want to know more about that." I'm
going to give you 35 simple answers that
you can use right away. Answers that
make you sound interesting, confident,
worth talking to. Are you ready? Let's begin.
begin.
I'm going to give you 35 simple answers
you can use. These answers follow a
simple pattern. They're easy to remember
and they work. Repeat after me. Say each
sentence three times. This is how you
make it natural. Let's practice.
Category one. I help people. Simple helper.
I help people learn English.
I help people learn English.
I help people learn English.
I help kids with homework.
I help kids with homework.
I help kids with homework.
I help old people use computers.
I help sick people feel better.
I help sick people feel better.
I help sick people feel better.
Category two, I make things what you create.
I make websites for small shops.
I make websites for small shops.
I make websites for small shops.
I make food for restaurants.
I make food for restaurants.
I make videos for YouTube.
I make videos for YouTube.
I make plans for events.
I make plans for events.
I make reports for my boss.
I make reports for my boss.
Category three. I work with who or what
I work with children every day.
I work with children every day.
I work with numbers and money.
I work with sick animals.
I work with international students.
I work with international students.
Category four. Right now I'm current
I teach English right now. I'm teaching pronunciation.
I teach English right now. I'm teaching pronunciation.
pronunciation.
I teach English right now. I'm teaching pronunciation.
I'm a chef right now. I'm making a new menu.
menu.
I'm a chef right now. I'm making a new menu.
menu.
I'm a chef right now. I'm making a new menu.
menu.
I design websites. Right now, I'm
working on a coffee shop site.
I design websites. Right now, I'm
working on a coffee shop site.
I design websites right now. I'm working
on a coffee shop site.
I'm a nurse right now. I'm working night shifts.
shifts.
I'm a nurse right now. I'm working night shifts.
shifts.
I'm a nurse right now. I'm working night shifts.
I sell cars right now. I'm helping a
family find a good car.
I sell cars right now. I'm helping a
I sell cars right now. I'm helping a
family find a good car.
Category five. I make sure your
I make sure the food is safe to eat.
I make sure the food is safe to eat.
I make sure the food is safe to eat.
I make sure students understand the lesson.
I make sure students understand the lesson.
lesson.
I make sure students understand the lesson.
lesson.
I make sure the office is clean.
I make sure customers are happy.
I make sure customers are happy.
I make sure everything works correctly.
I make sure everything works correctly.
I'm like a helper for new employees.
I'm like a helper for new employees.
I'm like a guide for tourists.
I'm like a guide for tourists.
I'm like a friend who helps you buy a house.
house.
I'm like a friend who helps you buy a house.
I'm like a friend who helps you buy a house.
I'm like a teacher but for adults.
Category seven, fun details. What makes
I taste different foods every day.
I taste different foods every day.
I talk to people from many countries.
I talk to people from many countries.
I see beautiful places for my job.
I see beautiful places for my job.
Every day is different. I love it.
Every day is different. I love it.
What about you? What do you do?
What about you? What do you do?
What about you? What do you do?
Great job. You practiced 35 easy
answers. Now, I'm going to show you
exactly how to use them in real
conversations. Watch carefully.
Meet David. He's 32 years old. He works
at a phone factory. His job, he checks
if phones work correctly. before they go
to customers. David thinks his job is
boring. When people ask, "What do you
do?" he always says the same thing. I'm
a quality control inspector. And people
always react the same way. Oh, okay.
David feels invisible. He feels boring.
He stops going to parties. But tonight,
his friend convinced him to come to a
birthday party. And at this party, a
woman walks up to him. Her name is
Sarah. Watch what happens first.
Add answer. The old way.
>> Hi, I'm Sarah.
>> Hi, I'm David.
>> Nice to meet you, David. What do you do?
>> I'm a quality control inspector.
>> Oh, Arte. What's that?
>> I inspect products.
me, I need to get a drink.
David stands there alone again. He
thinks, "I knew I shouldn't have come."
But wait, let me show you what happens
when David changes one thing. Just his answer.
answer.
Good answer. The new way.
Hi, I'm Sarah. Hi, I'm David.
>> Nice to meet you, David. What do you do?
>> I check phones before people buy them. I
make sure they work correctly.
>> Oh, that's interesting. Do you find a
lot of problems?
>> Yes. Last week, we found some phones
that stopped working in cold weather.
>> Really? So, you saved a lot of customers
from buying broken phones.
>> Exactly. That's my job. Making sure
people get good phones.
>> That's actually really important. I
never thought about that.
>> Yeah, most people don't. But imagine
buying a new phone and it breaks after
one week. That would be terrible.
>> Absolutely. So, do you test them in
different conditions?
>> Yes, we test them in heat, cold, with
water, everything.
Wow, that sounds like a lot of responsibility.
responsibility.
>> It is, but I like it. Every day is different.
different.
>> That's great.
>> Thank you. What about you? What do you do?
do?
>> See the difference? Same job, same
David, different answer.
Meet James. He's 30. He designs logos
and websites for small businesses. He
works from home. Today, James is going
to his apartment. In the elevator, he
Hi. You're new here, right? I'm Lisa.
>> Hi, I'm James. Nice to meet you.
>> Do you work nearby? Actually, I work
from home. I make websites for small businesses.
businesses.
>> Oh, cool. What kind of businesses?
>> Mostly coffee shops, bakeries, small
stores. Right now, I'm making a website
for a new bakery that's opening next month.
month.
>> A bakery? I love baking. What's it called?
called?
>> It's called Sweet Corner. The owner is
really nice. She gave me free cake last
week to say thank you.
>> That's the best part of your job,
>> right? I love working with small
business owners. Every project is different.
different.
>> That sounds fun. Do you enjoy working
from home?
>> I do. Some days I work in pajamas. Some
days I go to a coffee shop. It's flexible.
flexible.
>> That's the dream.
>> What about you? What do you do?
>> Amazing. Everyone, now let me give you
the simple formula.
Don't just say I'm a job title. Say I
verb plus who or what plus one detail.
Examples. Don't say I'm a teacher. Say,
oh, I help children learn English. Right
now, I'm teaching pronunciation.
Don't say, "I'm a web designer." Say, "I
make websites for small businesses.
Right now, I'm working on a bakery
site." Don't just say, "I'm a nurse."
Say, "I help sick people feel better.
Right now, I'm working night shifts."
That's it. Simple, clear, interesting.
Now, here's seven things to remember.
Number one, don't just say your job
title. Give people something to talk
about. Number two, use simple words.
Don't say, "I facilitate onboarding
processes." Say, "I help new employees
on their first day." Number three, add
one small story or detail. Right now,
I'm working on a bakery website.
Last week, I helped a student read his
first book. This makes you interesting.
Number four, show you like your job if
you do. I love it. Every day is
different. It feels good to help people.
Oh, this makes people smile.
Number five, always ask back, "What
about you?" This continues the
conversation. This shows you're
interested in them, too.
Number six, practice at home first. Say
your answer out loud. Say it 10 times.
Make it natural.
Number seven, remember, simple is best.
You don't need perfect English. You
don't need complicated words. Simple
plus friendly equals interesting. Now,
it's your turn. I want you to write in
the comments what do you do? Use the
simple formula I verb plus who or what
plus one detail.
I will read every comment. I will give
you feedback. I will cheer you on. Let's
practice together. Write your answer
now. And if this video helped you feel
more confident, like this video, share
it with your friends who are learning
English. Subscribe to the channel so you
never miss a lesson.
Remember, you're not boring. Your job
isn't boring. Your old answer was
boring, but now you have a new answer.
An answer that makes people say, "Wow,
tell me more." That sounds interesting.
I want to know more about that. You
deserve to be heard. You deserve to be
interesting. You deserve good
conversations. And now you know how to
make that happen. I'm Emma from Speak
English Daily. Thank you for learning
with me today. Keep practicing. Don't be
afraid to speak. I believe in you. Take
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