 4. Asking for and giving advice in English This video is brought to you by the following English learning websites. Asking for and giving advice in English. There are many ways to ask for and give advice in English. This video will provide several tips and phrases to help you get started. We'll use a six-step strategy. 1. Establish a connection. 2. Wait for a response. 3. Describe the problem. 4. Ask for advice. 5. Give or listen to advice. 6. Respond appropriately. 1. Make a connection. Opening lines. It would be quite unusual to just walk up to someone and ask them for advice. First, you need to establish a connection and make sure the other person has time and is willing to share it with you. There are several phrases for doing this. See the examples below. The most common phrases would be, Can I talk to you for a minute? Can I ask you something? Can I talk to you about something? You can also say, I need to talk to you. This is somewhat strong and should probably only be used among good friends. Do you have a minute? Got a minute? These are a little bit more informal. 2. Wait for a response. After you've let the other person know you're going to ask them for advice and need their time, let them respond to your inquiry. They might say, for example, Sure, what's on your mind? This is quite common and would be a neutral response. Yeah, what's up? This is a little more informal. Of course, what can I do for you? This one is a little more formal. Allow the other person to decline or postpone the interaction for later. For example, they might say, Sorry, I'm kind of busy right now. How about getting together after work? 3. Introduce the problem. Describe the situation. Don't waste too much time on small talk. Get to the point as quickly as possible. Some examples for doing this. Well, it's about my English class. Bring up the topic generally at first. I'm having trouble with my computer. Tell what the problem is. Give details. I need help finding good child care. My son is having problems with math. My cat doesn't like anything I feed her. 4. Ask the advice question. After you've described the situation clearly, ask the question. For example, what do you think I should do? This one is the most common way. What do you suggest? What do you recommend? What would you do in this situation? Do you have any advice? Do you have any ideas on this? What's your advice? What's your opinion? 5. Give or listen to advice. When someone asks for advice, it's best to give your response as a suggestion. For example, don't say you should do this. That's quite strong. And don't say you had better do this. That's way too strong. A better way would be maybe you should. This is much softer and more polite. I think you should. Why don't you? I suggest what about? How about? These two are almost the same. With what about, you're usually focusing on an idea. For example, what about this idea? With how about, you're focusing on an activity. How about doing this? It would be a good idea too. If I were you, I'd, or I would, 6. Respond appropriately. The best way to respond to advice is to show that you understand and express appreciation. Sounds good. Sounds like a good idea. Good idea. That's a great idea. That one's a little bit more enthusiastic. I think that will work. I'll try it out. Thanks a lot. Thanks for your help. Thanks for your suggestions. I really appreciate it. Here's a sample conversation. Can I talk to you for a minute? Sure. What's on your mind? Well, it's about my new job. I never have enough time to do everything. Maybe you should make a daily schedule and prioritize the important tasks. Sounds like a good idea. Any other suggestions? Why don't you talk to your boss? Maybe he can adjust your workload. That's a great idea. I'll try that. Let me know how it goes. Great. Thanks a lot for your help. Your turn. Practice with a partner. Practice asking for and giving advice. Remember the six steps. Establish a connection. Wait for a response. Describe the problem. Ask for advice. Give or listen to advice. Respond appropriately. Want to try some advice giving situations? Here are some topics for role play. Ask for, give advice about taking care of a pet. Ask for or give advice about redecorating your room, office, or house. Ask for or give advice about getting in shape. Ask for or give advice about an upcoming trip or vacation. Ask for or give advice about finding a new job. Think of your own advice giving situations. Feel free to pause the video and practice these situations. Go ahead. Talk. Pause the video and take as much time as you need. Hope that was helpful. For more videos like this, remember to subscribe to our channel and send us your suggestions for our next video. Thanks for watching.