Reformulating To Be Sure You Understand in English

Hi guys, this is Christina and you're watching Speak Better, Feel Great TV: the place to

boost your English and boost your career. Sometimes, when you're talking to Americans,

you think you understood what they said, but you're not 100% sure. Or maybe you really

need to be sure that you understood absolutely everything.Today, I'll show you how to make

sure you never miss a detail and also give the impression that you're a really good communicator

at the same time. You ready?

There are times when you don't understand and you want the other person to repeat or

say something in a different way. But other times, you think you understood some of the

message, but you want to be totally sure. After all, it's better to be sure than to

simply assume you understood. In fact, that's where a lot of misunderstanding comes from,

even between native speakers.

Reformulating what someone said to you is a great way to make sure you understood.You

may not understand everything the other person says, but you definitely understand everything

you say back to them when you reformulate.

Let's imagine a scenario.You're talking to your American colleague Christy. You and Christy

are working on a project and you work with a team in India.You and Christy realize that

there's a BIG problem in the schedule, so you're on the telephone with Christy.

"Well, now look, if we just talk to the Indian team and explain that there's been this big

screw up in the schedule, I'm sure they'll understand. I mean, they might not be happy

about it, but you know, and it's not like we haven't been on top of everything else

the entire project. What do you think?"

Maybe you understood some of Christy's message, but you want to check.You can use a statement

to reformulate what you think you understood. For example: "So you're saying blah blah blah."

"So you're saying blah blah blah."

Or "Are you saying that blah blah blah." "Are you

saying that blah blah blah."

You can also ask questions to reformulate. For example: "If I understood correctly, you're

saying blah blah blah, is that it?" "If I understood correctly, you're saying blah blah

blah, is that it?"

"What I understand is blah blah blah, is that right?"

"What I understand is blah blah blah, is that right?"

Let's try it, using the scenario from earlier in the video. I'm Christy, your American colleague,

and we're on the phone talking about the problem with the schedule.

"Well, now look, if we just talk to the Indian team and explain that there's a big

screw up in the schedule, I'm sure they'll understand. I mean, they might not be happy

about it, but it's not like we haven't been on top of everything else

for the entire project. What do you think?"

"Exactly, yeah, what do you think?"

So there you go. To build your fluency, you can watch that sequence again and practice.

Just a recap. Do you remember the two statements you can use to reformulate? Go on, say

it to yourself and I'll wait.

So you're saying blah blah blah. Are you saying that blah blah blah.

And, so do you remember the two questions you can use to reformulate? Go ahead,

say them to yourself, and I'll wait.

If I understand correctly, you're saying blah blah blah, is that right?

What I understand is that blah blah blah, is that right?

Here's your Speak Better, Feel Great challenge for this week: try to reformulate what someone

says to you in English this week. You'll come off as a good listener and it'll give you

the opportunity to apply what you've learned in this video. Then come back and tell us

about it in the comments section below.

Remember, the best way to boost your English and boost your career is to work regularly

on your English communication skills. Sign up for the Speak Better, Feel Great Blog and

you'll get one tip a week delivered directly to your inbox. Even if you don't have a lot

of time in your busy schedule, I'll make sure that you improve the way you work in English

a little each week. Go ahead and sign up at christinarebuffet.com I'm Christina from Speak

Better, Feel Great TV. See you next time!