Asking for and Giving Opinions at Work

1 Building Blocks for Opinions

Asking for and giving opinions is a very important skill. You use it every day at work. You need to know what other people think. You need to say what you think.

The good news? You can start with just a few simple pieces. Think of them like building blocks. You need two question forms: What do you think about…? and What is your opinion about…? You need two answer forms: I think… and In my opinion…

But don’t stop there! Always say WHY you think something. Use because to give your reason. Then ask a follow-up question: ‘What about you?’ or ‘Do you agree?’ This keeps the conversation going. These simple blocks help you have real conversations about work topics.

2 The Monday Morning Meeting

Alex, Jordan, and Sam work together in the sales team. Their manager sent an email yesterday. The company wants to start a new team meeting every Monday morning at 8:30 am.

Alex arrives at work and sees Jordan in the kitchen. ‘Did you see the email about the Monday meetings?’ Alex asks. ‘What do you think about the new time?’

Jordan makes coffee and thinks. ‘In my opinion, 8:30 is too early,’ Jordan says. ‘I think it’s a bad idea because many people arrive at 9:00. What about you? Do you agree?’

‘I disagree,’ Alex says. ‘I think 8:30 is a good idea because we can finish the meeting before we start work. The meeting won’t stop our work day.’

Sam walks into the kitchen. ‘What is your opinion about the Monday meeting time?’ Jordan asks.

Sam smiles. ‘I think 8:30 is OK,’ Sam says. ‘But what I think is that we should ask the manager for a short meeting. Maybe 20 minutes only. A long early meeting is a problem.’

‘That’s a great idea!’ Alex and Jordan say together. All three colleagues agree with Sam’s opinion.

3 How to Ask and Answer

Let’s look at the two most important question forms for opinions.

Question 1: What do you think about…?
You can use this with any person:
– What do you think about the new schedule?
– What does he think about the plan?
– What does she think about the idea?
– What do they think about the meeting time?

Question 2: What is your opinion about…?
This works the same way:
– What is your opinion about the new office?
– What is his opinion about the project?
– What is her opinion about the change?
– What is their opinion about the proposal?

Now the answers. You have three simple forms:

Answer 1: I think (that)…
– I think the meeting is too early.
– I think that 8:30 is a good time.

Answer 2: In my opinion…
– In my opinion, we need more time.
– In my opinion, the plan is excellent.

Answer 3: What I think is that…
– What I think is that we should start later.
– What I think is that the idea is very good.

Remember: Always give a reason! Use because to say why:
– I think 8:30 is early because many people arrive at 9:00.
– In my opinion, the plan is good because it saves time.
– What I think is that we need a short meeting because long meetings are difficult in the morning.

4 Your Opinion, Please

Now use what you studied. Give your opinions about three new work procedures.

5 What You Learned

You now have the building blocks for opinion conversations at work.

You can ask for opinions two ways: ‘What do you think about…?’ and ‘What is your opinion about…?’ You can give your opinion three ways: ‘I think…’, ‘In my opinion…’, and ‘What I think is that…’

The most important thing? Always say WHY. Use because to give your reason. This makes your opinion stronger and clearer.

Don’t forget the follow-up questions: ‘What about you?’ and ‘Do you agree?’ These simple questions keep the conversation going. They show you want to hear other people’s ideas.

Practice these building blocks every day. Ask your colleagues questions. Give your opinions with reasons. Soon, these patterns will feel natural and easy.