Act It Out!
Act: You are lost. Ask for directions.
✅ “Excuse me, can you help me?”
✅ “How can I get to ___?”
Don’t understand someone.
✅ “Sorry, could you repeat that?”
✅ “I didn’t catch that.”
❌ “I don’t understand you.”
✅ “Sorry, I didn’t understand. Could you say that again?”
✅ “I didn’t catch that.”
✅ “Could you repeat that, please?”
✅ “Sorry, could you speak a little slower?”
Is eye contact always good? Why/why not?
✅ “It depends on culture.”
✅ “Too much eye contact can feel rude in some places.”
(Japan/South Korea/China/Taiwan vs. USA/Canada/Australia)
Ask for help.
✅ “Excuse me, can you help me?”
✅ “I need some help, please.”
✅ “Would you mind helping me?”
✅ "Can you give me a hand?"
✅ “Hey, can you help me for a second?”
✅ “Do you mind helping me real quick?”
Act: Lost wallet. Explain problem.
✅ “I lost my wallet.”
✅ “I think I dropped it.”
Food is wrong.
✅ “Excuse me, I don't think this what I ordered. I ordered ____”
✅ “Could I change this?"
❌ “This is wrong. Change it.”
✅ “Excuse me, I think there’s a mistake. Could you help me fix it?”
✅ “Sorry, could I change this?”
✅ “Would it be possible to change this?”
What is a polite way to greet someone new?
✅ “Hello, nice to meet you.”
✅ “Hi, I’m ___.”
✅ “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”
✅ “Hi, how are you?”
✅ "Hey, how's it going?"
handshake, nod your head, high five??
Apologize for being late.
✅ “Sorry I’m late.”
✅ “I apologize for being late.”
✅ “Sorry for being late.”
✅ “I’m so sorry I’m late.”
✅ “Thanks for waiting, and sorry I’m late.”
Act: Sick. Ask for help.
✅ “I don’t feel well.”
✅ “Can you help me find a doctor?”
Loud roommate.
✅ “Could you please be quieter at night?”
✅ “I’m having trouble sleeping.”
❌ “You are too loud. Stop.”
✅ “Hey, could you keep it down a bit? I’m trying to sleep.”
✅ “Do you mind being a little quieter?”
✅ “Could you please be a bit quieter?”
✅ “Hey, it’s a bit loud. Could you turn it down?”
Why is saying “no” directly sometimes rude?
✅ “It can sound too direct.”
✅ “Some cultures prefer softer language.”
“Maybe another time.”
“That might be difficult.”
“I don’t think I can.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Ask directions + follow-up.
✅ “Excuse me, how do I get to ___?”
✅ “Hi, could you tell me how to get to _____?"
✅ “Excuse me, do you know where the _____ is?"
✅ “Sorry, can you help me find _____?"
✅ “Hi, I’m trying to get to _____ . Can you help me?"
Act: Missed train. Solve problem.
✅ “I missed my train.”
✅ “Is there another one?”
Don’t understand accent.
✅ “Sorry, could you speak a little slower?”
✅ “Could you say that again?”
❌ “Huh?!?! Speak better English.”
✅ “Sorry, I’m having trouble understanding. Could you repeat that?”
✅ “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
✅ “Sorry, could you say that again?”
✅ “Sorry, could you speak a little slower?”
What should you do if you make a cultural mistake?
✅ “Apologize politely.”
✅ "Be respectful."
✅ “Explain and learn from it.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. Thank you for explaining.”
Nervous help request.
✅ “Um… excuse me, can you help me?”
✅ “Sorry to bother you…”
Act: Hotel lost reservation.
✅ “I have a reservation.”
✅ “Can you check again?”
✅ “What can we do?”
Someone cuts in line.
✅ “Excuse me, I was here first.”
✅ “I think the line starts back there.”
Teacher Tyler's responses:
✅ "Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?"
✅ "What are you, VIP?! Back of the line!"
❌ “You are wrong.”
✅ “I think there might be a misunderstanding.”
✅ “I see it a little differently.”
✅ “I’m not sure that’s correct.”
✅ “I could be wrong, but I thought ___.”
✅ “Close… but not quite!”
"Respectfully, I disagree. In my opinion, ________."
Give 1 example of a cultural misunderstanding + solution.
✅ “Different greeting styles.”
✅ “Personal space differences.”
✅ “Not speaking up in class.”
✅ “Being too quiet in group work.”
✅ “Waiting for instructions instead of asking.”
Any scenario.
✅ Clear explanation
✅ Asking for help
✅ Responding naturally