5/50 Tech Series | What's the Ask? A Clear Request to Your Boss | English for Product Managers

Learn the English product managers use to make a clear request to a VP: the TLDR first, two options, and a decision by Friday. Tech Conversation 5/50 · Tech Workplace English Watch all 50 in order and you'll be ready for the conversations that happen every day at a US tech company: estimates, code reviews, status updates, roadmaps, and asking for what you need. Full series, in order:    • Tech Workplace English | 50 Conversations   Your VP stops you mid-explanation and asks: what's the ask? Watch a product manager freeze, get coached, and come back with a clear, thirty-second request: the TLDR first, two options, and a decision by Friday. Ben, a product manager, rambles for five minutes about a data problem until his VP, Rachel, asks what he needs from her. He freezes, she coaches him over coffee, and the next morning he comes back with a one-pager and one clear ask. You'll hear 23 phrases people use every day in US tech companies, each one explained in plain words: what it means, and when to say it. Speaking skill: Making a clear request. In this video: 1. The long story: "ramble on", "Sorry, I'm rambling.", "At a high level", "Let me back up" 2. What's the ask?: "a mess", "what's the ask", "Air cover", "What I need from you is" 3. Freezing: "awkward", "I froze", "boil down to", "Point being,", "the bottom line" 4. The coaching: "the TLDR", "the details", "I can go deeper if it's helpful", "Got it, thanks.", "zero in on" 5. One clear ask: "a one-pager", "Go.", "There are two options on the table:", "help unblock it with", "I need a decision on ownership by Friday" Who this is for: Product managers, engineers and anyone who works with tech teams. New managers and people early in their tech career. People at AI companies, startups and Big Tech: the same everyday conversations happen whether you build products, models or infrastructure. Non-native speakers working at US tech companies who want to sound natural in meetings and on Slack. English listening and speaking practice for work: daily use English sentences from a real workplace conversation, the English vocabulary and phrases native speakers use at US tech companies, and a story to follow from start to finish. How to use this video: Listen to each line, then read what it means and when to use it. Pause and say the line out loud. Copy the rhythm. Use one new phrase in your next meeting or Slack message. Made by Campbell Language Institute, where you can learn language in real scenarios. Follow for more real workplace conversations. #LearnEnglish #BusinessEnglish #EnglishForProductManagers #ProductManagement #ManagingUp #Communication #Leadership #TechCareers #AI #AICompanies #BigTech #SiliconValley #TechIndustry #EnglishSpeakingPractice #AmericanEnglish