SituationWeeks of 26 Jul to 11 Oct
First day
- Collections
- 6
- Free
- 1of 6
- Words
- 56
- Done
- 0
In order
Introducing yourself to the team
Six new faces and thirty seconds to make an impression.
LockedSpeaking up in your first meeting
Everyone is nodding and you have no idea what was decided.
LockedAsking where things are
Everyone here knows where the printer is, and nobody thought to tell you.
LockedSaying you did not understand
Everyone nodded and moved on, and you caught about half of it.
LockedAsking for more time
It was due Friday and it is not going to be done by Friday, and saying so early is the whole skill.
LockedSmall talk at the coffee machine
Ninety seconds with somebody whose name you did not catch, and silence is not an option.
Free
All 10 words
Small talk at the coffee machine
- kettle/ˈketəl/The pot used to boil water.
- weekend/ˈwiːˌkend/Saturday and Sunday together.
- commute/kəˈmjuːt/The journey between home and work.
- team/tiːm/The group of people you work with.
- floor/flɔːr/One level of a building.
- settle/ˈsetəl/To become comfortable somewhere new.
- weather/ˈweðər/What the sky and the air are doing.
- busy/ˈbɪzi/Having a lot to do.
- lunch/lʌntʃ/The meal in the middle of the day.
- nearby/ˌnɪrˈbaɪ/A short distance away.
Questions
- What do I say when I don't know anyone yet?
- Ask something small and practical, like "Which team are you working with?" or "Is there a kettle on this floor?" — questions that get an answer without needing history.
- How do I ask about lunch on the first day?
- "Where does everybody go for lunch?" works well, and you can follow up with "Is there somewhere decent nearby?"
- Is it okay to talk about the weather?
- Yes — "The weather has been strange all week" is a safe, easy opener that most people will pick up and run with.
- How do I ask how people are settling in?
- You can say "It takes a while to settle in" as a way of acknowledging you're both still adjusting.