Imagine that you are in a meeting where an important discussion is going on and suddenly your manager calls you out and says “What’s your opinion about this topic?
You start feeling nervous and you can’t say anything. You have a lot of great ideas but you don’t know how to express them.
It is common that when we have to share our opinion we feel insecure and nervous. The fear to speak up can be ever worse if we have to speak in a different language. Fear often prevents us to share our opinions with our classmates, colleagues, managers, and other English speakers.
It’s time you learned useful phrases that will make you feel confident enough to speak up. This in turn will allow you to grow professionally, academically and personally.
In this post I share useful phrases that you can use in your next class or meeting.
GIVING YOUR OPINION
BASIC OPINIONS | STRONG AND PERSONAL OPINIONS | WEAK OR HESITANT OPINIONS |
I (don’t) think… | I (don’t) really think … | As far as I know,… |
I (don’t ) believe … | I strongly believe that … | As far as I’m concerned, … |
I (don’t) feel … | There’s no doubt that … | It seems to me that … |
In my opinion/ view … | I honestly think that …. | I might be wrong but … |
The way I see it … | I’m convinced that… | You probably won’t agree, but … |
ASKING FOR OPINION
What’s your opinion?
What do you think?
How do you feel about …?
How do you see the situation?
What’s your view?
RESPONDING TO AN OPINION
AGREEING | DISAGREEING | REACTING |
I agree. | I disagree. | Really? |
I think so too. | I don’t think so. | + That’s a great suggestion – That doesn’t make any sense |
I couldn’t agree more. | I’m not quite sure. | I’m not very familiar with the topic. |
You might be right. | That’s not true. | Know what I think? |
I couldn’t have said it better. | I totally disagree. | I see what you mean. |
Practice time
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What topics would you like to be discussed in this blog?
Related
Essential Vocabulary for Online Meetings
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