Listen
Wang Fei is worried his hot date might turn out to be an icy situation! Luckily, Rob has some handy advice.
The script from this programme:
Wang Fei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Wang Fei.
Rob: And I'm Rob Carter.
Wang Fei: Rob, I'm going on a hot date tomorrow and I'm feeling a bit nervous now. I think I need your help.
Rob: Hmm. It is a scary thing to do. What you need is some kind of icebreaker.
Wang Fei: An icebreaker? That sounds quite cold!
Rob: Don't worry, it's not. But an icebreaker has got something to do with warming up a cold situation. It will make things more relaxed.
Wang Fei: An icebreaker is something you can do or some words you can say to make people feel relaxed. So an icebreaker will make things less formal?
Rob: Yes, that's right. Doing something or saying something at the start will hopefully make your date more relaxed and less tense.
Wang Fei: I see. An icebreaker will make people feel more relaxed. Maybe I should sing a song or do a dance?!
Rob: Now that's a bit over the top – why not start with a joke?
Wang Fei: If singing or dancing is a bit over the top, or too much, I will think of a joke then.
- Telling a joke is an excellent icebreaker.
- That party needed an icebreaker to make it less formal!
Wang Fei: So just now we heard people using icebreaker in their conversation. Rob, does icebreaker literally mean breaking the ice?
Rob: It does. You can do it when you start a new job. Everything feels so formal that it's good to break the ice. We British can be a bit reserved or formal so it's good if someone can break the ice.
Wang Fei: Yes, I agree. Sometimes British people can be quite reserved and formal. Rob I'm not good at jokes. Do you have any I can use?
Rob: Let's have a think. How about telling this one? "With my last girlfriend it was love at first sight – then I took a second look!"
Wang Fei: It's a good joke. But honestly, did it work for you?
Rob: Um... It didn't actually. But it might be good for you!
Wang Fei: Hmm… Actually I think I would rather find a good story on our website as an icebreaker.
Rob: Yes. Don't forget our website is a good place to learn some English phrases that might help you break the ice at a party.
Wang Fei: And our website is…
Rob: www.bbclearningenglish.com. Bye bye.
Wang Fei: Bye!
