Check the meaning of an unclear statement without pretending to understand.
Your situation
The team has time for one major task this week. One colleague wants a new report and another needs a customer-facing issue fixed.
Known detail: the customer-facing issue affects an upcoming demonstration. Your communication task is to agree the priority and explain what will move. Keep that task in mind while practising the language; accuracy matters more than sounding elaborate.
| Your role | a team coordinator |
|---|---|
| Other person | two colleagues with competing requests |
| What is unresolved | the team cannot complete both major tasks this week |
| Possible agreed outcome | the team will complete the customer-facing fix and schedule the report next |
A useful language pattern
When you say …, do you mean …?
Pointing to the unclear part makes it easier for the speaker to provide the information you need.
Example: “When you mention the next step, do you mean we should agree the priority and explain what will move?” This is one way to express the idea. Change the wording when the actual situation calls for a different level of formality.
| Less useful wording | I do not understand anything. |
|---|---|
| Clearer follow-up | Understood. Let us clarify the owner as well. My understanding is that the team will complete the customer-facing fix and schedule the report next. Is that correct? |
Example exchange
An illustrative exchange. Real conversations will take a different path.
YouWhen you mention the next step, do you mean we should agree the priority and explain what will move?
PartnerThat is part of it, but I also need to know who will be responsible.
YouUnderstood. Let us clarify the owner as well. My understanding is that the team will complete the customer-facing fix and schedule the report next. Is that correct?
PartnerLet us confirm what we have agreed and what still needs checking.
Vocabulary for this conversation
| capacity | the amount of work a team can take on |
|---|---|
| backlog | work waiting to be done |
| owner | the person accountable for moving a task forward |
An eight-minute practice
- Minute 1: read the situation and identify what is known, what is uncertain and what you need to agree the priority and explain what will move.
- Minutes 2–3: Ask about one unclear word or assumption. Then repeat the meaning in your own words.
- Minutes 4–5: ask a partner to reply differently from the example. Respond to their meaning rather than restarting your prepared answer.
- Minutes 6–7: review the three criteria below. Rewrite one unclear sentence using shorter, more specific words.
- Minute 8: repeat the difficult exchange without looking at the model. Finish by confirming the next step.
Make the exercise easier or harder
You do not need an idiom or a complicated sentence to sound professional. Check that the listener understands the message, can ask a question and knows which action follows. This exercise does not assess your accent or certify a language level.
| More support | Keep this pattern visible: When you say …, do you mean …? Practise one exchange at a time and ask the other person to speak more slowly when needed. |
|---|---|
| More challenge | Add a new constraint: the other person cannot answer immediately. Keep the discussion accurate while you agree the priority and explain what will move. |
| For your actual work | Replace the fictional detail “the customer-facing issue affects an upcoming demonstration” with an appropriate, non-confidential example from your work. |
Your working sheet
Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.
Example: When you mention the next step, do you mean we should agree the priority and explain what will move?
Example: That is part of it, but I also need to know who will be responsible.
Example: Understood. Let us clarify the owner as well. My understanding is that the team will complete the customer-facing fix and schedule the report next. Is that correct?
Example: Let us confirm: the team will complete the customer-facing fix and schedule the report next. Have I understood correctly?
Review your work
Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions about this resource
Do I need advanced English for this exercise?
Start with the sentence pattern and a short exchange. If that is comfortable, use the harder variation. The exercise can be adapted to your ability and does not assign a formal language level.
What should I focus on in team planning meetings?
The practical task is to agree the priority and explain what will move. Check that your language helps the other person understand the facts and respond to the request.
Can I use this dialogue at work?
Adapt it to the real situation. Do not repeat fictional details or commitments. The useful part is the communication pattern: When you say …, do you mean …?
Original fictional language practice. Model answers are examples, not the only correct wording. The self-review is not a formal language assessment. About these resources.