Workplace Experience: Have You Ever…? Professional Life
Core PathWay
1 Workplace Experiences: What Have You Done?
You already know the grammar. You know how to use ‘have + past participle’ to talk about experiences in your life. Now we look at a special area: professional experience — the things you have done at work. Look at these seven examples. These are all ‘higher-level’ experiences — not simple daily tasks, but important moments in a working life. You will hear all of these in the conversation on this page.
💬 Seven Workplace Experiences
A teacher introduces seven key professional experiences to prepare students for the main dialogue.
Josie: “OK, let's get ready for the main dialogue. I want to show you seven experiences that professionals talk about. You will hear all seven in the dialogue. Listen carefully. Number one: 'go on a business trip abroad.' This means you travel to another country for work. For example: 'I went on a business trip abroad last year.' Number two: 'give a presentation to the board.' The board is the group of top leaders in a company. You show them information and speak to them. This is a big moment at work.”
Josie: “Number three: 'lead a negotiation.' This means you are in charge of a discussion. Two sides want to agree on something — maybe a price or a contract. You lead that discussion. Number four: 'have lunch with the CEO.' The CEO is the top person in the company. Having lunch with the CEO is a big deal. Number five: 'chair a meeting.' This means you officially run the meeting. You start it, you manage it, and you close it. You are in control.”
Josie: “Number six: 'train a new member of staff.' This means you teach a new colleague how to do their job. You show them what to do. Number seven: 'reach an agreement.' This means both sides finally say yes. The negotiation is finished. Now, here is the pattern we use with these experiences. We say: 'Have you ever chaired a meeting?' — 'ever' means at any time in your life. And for a negative answer, we say: 'No, I've never chaired a meeting.' — 'never' means not at any time. So: ever in questions, never in negative answers. Let's look at all seven together one more time before the dialogue starts.”
2 Chatting about Work Experiences
Three colleagues — Alex, Sam, and Jordan — are having lunch. They talk about work experiences they have had and haven’t had. Listen for the present perfect and the past simple.
💬 Dialogue 1: Have You Ever Done That at Work?
A company canteen. Three colleagues eat lunch together and compare their work experiences.
📝 Comprehension Check: Work Experiences at the Office
Answer the questions based on what you heard in the audio.
Which speaker went to another country for work in 2019?
Which speaker said a manager always speaks to the board for their team?
Which speaker finished a work deal with another company in just one afternoon?
Which speaker had a meal with the company leader two times?
Which speaker ran the weekly project meetings for two years?
Which speaker helped about fifteen new workers learn their job?
Alex: “So, Sam — you've been here longer than us. Have you ever gone on a business trip abroad?”
Sam: “Yes, many times. I've been to Germany, Japan, and Brazil. The Brazil trip was the most interesting — I went there in 2019 for a trade conference.”
Jordan: “I've never been on a business trip abroad. Not even once. All my trips have been inside this country.”
Alex: “Really? Have you ever given a presentation to the board, Jordan?”
Jordan: “Yes, twice. It was terrifying both times! The first time, I presented the Q3 sales figures. I did it last March.”
Sam: “I've given board presentations many times now. But the first time was awful. I forgot half my notes and had to stop and look at the floor for about ten seconds.”
Alex: “I've never given a board presentation. My manager always does it for our team. Have either of you ever led a negotiation with a client?”
Sam: “Yes, I've led negotiations several times. The toughest one was with a supplier in Tokyo. We spent three days at the table before we reached an agreement.”
Jordan: “I've only led one negotiation. It was with a small local company. It went well, actually — we agreed on the contract in one afternoon.”
Alex: “I've never led a negotiation. Not even once. I've only ever attended them as a note-taker. It's a bit embarrassing, honestly.”
Sam: “Have you ever had lunch with the CEO, Alex?”
Alex: “Ha! No, never. I've seen her in the corridor a couple of times, but that's it. We've never actually spoken. Have you?”
Sam: “Yes, once. It was at a company strategy day two years ago. She was very direct — she asked everyone at the table what they would change about the company.”
Jordan: “I've had lunch with the CEO twice. Once at the Christmas dinner and once at a team award event. She remembered my name the second time, which really surprised me.”
Alex: “Have you ever chaired a meeting, Sam? Like, officially run the whole thing from start to finish?”
Sam: “Yes, many times. I've chaired the weekly project meetings for two years now. It's not my favourite job, but someone has to do it.”
Jordan: “I've chaired a meeting once. My manager was ill, so I stepped in. It was only a short team update, but I was very nervous the whole time.”
Alex: “I've never chaired a meeting. I'd really like to try one day. Have you ever trained a new member of staff?”
Sam: “Yes, many times. I've probably trained about fifteen people over the years. Each one is different — some learn fast, some need a lot more time and support.”
Jordan: “I've trained two people — both in the last year. It's harder than it looks. You realise how much you actually know without knowing that you know it. It's a strange feeling.”
3 Sam, Alex, and Jordan: Who Has Done the Most?
In the dialogue, you met three colleagues: Sam, Alex, and Jordan. They all work for the same company. None of them are new — they all have real experience. But their experience is very different.
Sam has the most experience overall. Sam has been on business trips abroad to Germany, Japan, and Brazil. Sam has given board presentations many times, led negotiations with international suppliers, chaired meetings for two years, and trained about fifteen people. Sam is clearly a senior, experienced professional.
Jordan is also experienced, but in a different way. Jordan has never been on a business trip abroad — all travel has been inside the country. But Jordan has given a board presentation twice, led one negotiation, and has had lunch with the CEO twice. Jordan has also trained two new colleagues recently.
Alex has the least experience in these specific areas — but Alex is not a junior employee. Alex has attended many negotiations as a note-taker and has seen the CEO in the office. Alex has never chaired a meeting or led a negotiation, but clearly wants to grow. ‘I’d really like to try one day,’ Alex says.
The key point: all three have considerable experience. The difference is in what specific experiences each person has had.
Key Terms
4 Professional Skills: Experiences You Need to Gain
At work, there are many important experiences that professionals need to gain over time. These are not simple tasks — they are skills that take practice and time. Look at the collocations below. A collocation is two or more words that go together naturally. For example, we say ‘deal with a difficult client’ — not ‘manage a difficult client’ or ‘handle a difficult client situation’. The verb and noun go together like a team.
Here are twelve important professional experience collocations. Notice the verb that begins each one — these are the verbs that native speakers use most naturally:
• deal with a difficult client — manage a situation where a customer is unhappy or demanding
• handle sensitive data — work carefully with private or confidential information
• manage a project budget — be responsible for how money is spent on a project
• resolve a conflict — find a solution when two people or teams disagree
• deliver a report to senior management — present findings or results to the people at the top
• onboard a new employee — help a new person join the company and learn their role
• represent the company at an event — go to a conference or event as an official person from your company
• meet a tight deadline — finish work on time when the time limit is very short
• take on additional responsibility — accept more tasks or a bigger role at work
• work across departments — collaborate with people from different parts of the company
• implement a new system — put a new process or technology into use
• escalate an issue — pass a problem to someone more senior because you cannot solve it alone
Notice the pattern: each collocation starts with a strong action verb. Pay attention to these verbs — they are the ones that go with these nouns in professional English.
