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Business English vocabulary · Meetings

Talk shop

Meaning in business english, with examples

phraseCommon term

In business english, talk shop means: To discuss work or professional matters in a social setting.

In Turkish: sosyal ortamda iş konuşmak

How it is used

Informal, often used when colleagues socialize. Talking shop is the -ing form of talk shop. Guests outside the profession may feel excluded from the conversation.

Example sentences

  1. We agreed not to talk shop over dinner because our partners wanted a break from work stories.

    The colleagues keep professional topics out of a shared meal so their partners can take part in the conversation.

  2. The designers stayed after the conference to talk shop over coffee and compare their experiences.

    Here the informal work discussion is welcome because the participants share a professional interest.

Common collocations

  • talk shop over dinner
  • try not to talk shop
  • small talkLight informal conversation about ordinary topics, often used to be polite or make social situations more comfortable.
  • networkingMeeting and talking to people in your industry, for example at conferences and events, to build useful professional relationships.

More terms: Meetings

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