Tip 59 ”I’m just playing devil’s advocate.”　無料ビジネス英語学習

無料ビジネス英語学習 Words & Phrases 第59弾は、”I’m just playing devil’s advocate.” です。

ディスカッションをすることで新しいアイデアが生まれることって多いですよね。
でも皆が同じ意見に賛成しているだけでは、ディスカッションにならないわけです。

今回のフレーズは、わざと反論をしてディスカッションを盛り上げる
役回りを演じていることを伝えたい際につかえる表現です。

例えば、部下からの提案に対し色々質問を投げかけたところ、
“Why are you asking me such difficult questions?”
「なぜそんな難しい質問をしてくるのですか？」
とやや怒り気味の部下に対して「考えを深めてもらうために、わざと反対役を演じているんだよ。」
と、その理由を伝えたい場合にあなたならどういいますか。

うまく伝えないと、部下の怒りが収まらない状況ですね。

こんな時にこそ、
“play devil’s advocate” ＝「（議論を面白くするために）わざと反対意見を述べる」
という意味のフレーズをつかって

“I’m just playing devil’s advocate.”
と言うようにしましょう。

ぜひシチュエーションごと覚えて、いざという時に使ってみてください！

Hello and welcome to this Bizmates words and phrases
video series for Japanese businesspeople.

And today's phrase is
I'm just playing devil's advocate.

Wow, this is a difficult one.
Yes, but actually the meaning is not so difficult.

OK, but we will learn this today.
OK, so first let's do a little test.

So tell me what still needs a bit of tweaking?
Remember we learned tweaking?

Well tell me, what needs a bit of tweaking?
An email you've written, a report, a project, a product?

What needs a bit of tweaking?

OK, so let's go on to today's phrase,
I'm just playing devil's advocate.

The devil, OK, it doesn't sound too good.
An advocate is like someone who supports.

So, I'm supporting the devil.
What does this mean?

Supporting the devil?
OK, well let's see.

Well imagine Taro is my boss or my colleague, OK,
and then I make a proposal or something.

And he's asking me all these difficult questions.
Taro is asking well what about this, well what about this?

And I'm getting a little bit frustrated, a little angry.
And I say, Taro, why are you asking me such difficult questions?

OK, why are you picking on me?
Why are you asking these difficult questions?

And he says, yeah... Hika,
I'm challenging you so you can make good logic.

You're challenging me so I can make good logic.
So you're purposely asking me all these difficult question,

so I can create good logical answers when I meet
my customer. OK, OK, so he is helping me, I get it.

But if he says this, it's kind of difficult to understand.
Yeah, OK.

But I... I think it's important to ask challenging
questions to help the other person,

but there's a better way of saying this.
OK and it's like this.

So if Taro's asking me all these difficult questions
and I'm getting fed up. I'm frustrated.

And I say, why are you asking me such difficult questions?
And he says, Hika I'm just playing devil's advocate.

OK, so you're helping me so that I can come up
or create my logic better. I see, thank you.

So, if you could say this phrase,
the other person would see it as really positive thing.

OK, you're helping me.
Yeah, it's great. It's used in meetings a lot.

You know, you have someone that has an idea
and everyone is saying it's a great idea,

and one person asks difficult questions and he says,
hey... don't get angry, I'm just playing devil's advocate.

And everyone will say, Oh... OK, yeah.
Of course, of course, please help us.

OK, all right, let's look at pronunciation.
I'm jus playin devil's advocate.

OK, and it's not just playing g...
But it's I'm jus playing devil'sadvocate, devil'sadvocate.

OK, you try.

Good, OK. Let's try it with the question.
So why are you asking me such difficult questions?

OK, did you get that ?
If you could use that, it's great.

OK, so for homework next time I'm gonna say,
why are you asking me such difficult questions?

And you just say, Hika, I'm just playing devil's advocate.
OK, So I'll see you in the next video lesson. Thank you.