Communication

20 words

1. 1

   break the iceidiom/breɪk ðə aɪs/

   to do or say something to make people feel more comfortable and start talking

   “I told a silly story to break the ice before the meeting started.”

2. 2

   small talkidiom/smɔːl tɔːk/

   casual conversation about unimportant things, often used when meeting people socially

   “They made small talk about the weather before getting down to business.”

3. 3

   speak one's mindidiom/spiːk wʌnz maɪnd/

   to say honestly what you think even if it might upset people

   “He always speaks his mind in meetings, which can be refreshing.”

4. 4

   hold one's tongueidiom/həʊld wʌnz tʌŋ/

   to keep quiet and not say what you think or want to say

   “I held my tongue during the meeting because it wasn't the right moment to criticise.”

5. 5

   read the roomidiom/riːd ðə ruːm/

   to understand the mood of a group so you can act appropriately

   “Before making a joke, he should learn to read the room.”

6. 6

   get straight to the pointidiom

   to say the most important thing without unnecessary details or delay

   “The interviewer appreciated that she got straight to the point about her achievements.”

7. 7

   get the message acrossidiom/ɡet ðə ˈmesɪdʒ əˈkrɒs/

   to successfully communicate an idea or information so others understand it

   “She used clear slides to get the message across.”

8. 8

   spill the beansidiom/ˈspɪl ðə biːnz/

   to reveal secret information, often accidentally or prematurely

   “She promised not to tell anyone, but she spilled the beans at lunch.”

9. 9

   let the cat out of the bagidiom

   to reveal a secret, usually by accident

   “He let the cat out of the bag when he mentioned the date of the party.”

10. 10

    get something off your chestidiom

    to tell someone about something worrying you so you feel relieved

    “If something's bothering you, just tell me — get it off your chest.”

11. 11

    beat around the bushidiom/biːt əˈraʊnd ðə ˈbʊʃ/

    to avoid talking about what is important or what you really mean

    “Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.”

12. 12

    read between the linesidiom/riːd bɪˈtwiːn ðə ˈlaɪnz/

    to understand the hidden meaning in what someone says or writes

    “She didn't say she was unhappy, but I could read between the lines.”

13. 13

    keep someone in the loopidiom/kiːp ˈsʌmwʌn ɪn ðə luːp/

    to keep someone informed about a situation or project

    “Please keep me in the loop about any changes to the schedule.”

14. 14

    pick someone's brainidiom/pɪk ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈbreɪn/

    to ask someone questions in order to get information or advice from them

    “Can I pick your brain about university applications?”

15. 15

    put one's foot in one's mouthidiom

    to say something embarrassing or inappropriate, usually by accident

    “I really put my foot in my mouth when I asked if she was pregnant.”

16. 16

    touch baseidiom/tʌtʃ beɪs/

    to make brief contact with someone to update or confirm something

    “I'll touch base with you next week to confirm the meeting.”

17. 17

    keep someone postedidiom/kiːp ˈsʌmwʌn ˈpəʊstɪd/

    to continue giving someone the latest information about a situation

    “I'll keep you posted on any changes to the schedule.”

18. 18

    put two and two togetheridiom/pʊt ˌtuː ənd ˌtuː təˈɡeðə/

    to deduce or figure something out from the facts or clues available

    “When I saw his wet shoes and the opened door, I put two and two together and realised he'd been here.”

19. 19

    be all earsidiom/biː ɔːl ɪəz/

    to listen very carefully because you are very interested

    “When she started talking about her trip, I was all ears.”

20. 20

    get the wrong end of the stickidiom

    to misunderstand what someone has said or meant

    “I think you got the wrong end of the stick — she was talking about her job, not you.”