Learn How to 'Read the Room'
2022-08-07
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2As humans, we have emotional states, also called moods.
3Sometimes we feel happy and sometimes sad.
4Other times we may feel angry or anxious or excited.
5Well, moods are not just for individuals.
6Groups of people can also share a collective mood.
7On today's show we talk about an expression that describes ways we understand the general mood of a group of people.
8That expression is "to read the room."
9When you read the room, you use your powers of observation to learn the general mood or emotional state of people in a particular setting.
10You may then act in a way that is similar to that mood.
11You match it.
12Let's say you are in a silly mood - laughing a lot and making jokes.
13Then you enter a serious work meeting.
14You may need to read the room and change your behavior.
15Here's another example.
16If I need to bring up a serious issue with a group of friends, I will read the room first.
17If everyone is having a good time and the issue is not urgent, I will wait.
18You can tell someone else to "read the room" if they seem clueless about the mood of a group of people.
19It is a way of expressing to that person that they are behaving incorrectly or inappropriately.
20Used this way, it can either be funny or insulting - depending on the situation and how we say the phrase.
21Let's say you are at a dinner party.
22People are seated around a table enjoying good food and conversation.
23Then, your friend Betsy brings up a very serious topic - like a historic battle where many people died.
24Suddenly the tone changes.
25The atmosphere goes from happy to serious.
26You could say, "Betsy, read the room! No one wants to talk about that now."
27Or I could say to someone later, "Betsy needs to learn how to read the room.
28She brought down the mood of the party with her talk of war and death."
29The expression "read the room" is all about being observant.
30Reading the room is a skill.
31People who can read the room know the right atmosphere, tone, and mood and are able to fit in.
32And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2As humans, we have emotional states, also called moods. Sometimes we feel happy and sometimes sad. Other times we may feel angry or anxious or excited. 3Well, moods are not just for individuals. Groups of people can also share a collective mood. On today's show we talk about an expression that describes ways we understand the general mood of a group of people. 4That expression is "to read the room." 5When you read the room, you use your powers of observation to learn the general mood or emotional state of people in a particular setting. You may then act in a way that is similar to that mood. You match it. 6Let's say you are in a silly mood - laughing a lot and making jokes. Then you enter a serious work meeting. You may need to read the room and change your behavior. 7Here's another example. 8If I need to bring up a serious issue with a group of friends, I will read the room first. If everyone is having a good time and the issue is not urgent, I will wait. 9You can tell someone else to "read the room" if they seem clueless about the mood of a group of people. It is a way of expressing to that person that they are behaving incorrectly or inappropriately. 10Used this way, it can either be funny or insulting - depending on the situation and how we say the phrase. 11Let's say you are at a dinner party. People are seated around a table enjoying good food and conversation. Then, your friend Betsy brings up a very serious topic - like a historic battle where many people died. Suddenly the tone changes. The atmosphere goes from happy to serious. You could say, "Betsy, read the room! No one wants to talk about that now." 12Or I could say to someone later, "Betsy needs to learn how to read the room. She brought down the mood of the party with her talk of war and death." 13The expression "read the room" is all about being observant. Reading the room is a skill. People who can read the room know the right atmosphere, tone, and mood and are able to fit in. 14And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time... I'm Anna Matteo. 15Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 16_______________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18anxious - adj. afraid or nervous about what may happen 19mood - n. a person's emotional state 20silly - adj. not serious or important : playful and lighthearted 21insulting - adj. giving or intended to give offense 22conversation - n. a talk between two or more people : the act of talking 23tone - n. an individual way of speaking or writing especially when used to express an emotion 24______________________________________________________________________ 25We want to hear from you. Are you good at reading the room? Do you have a similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. 26We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 27Write your comment in the box. 28Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 29Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.