Small Talk: B1+ - Deborah Capras

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- Future forms Impr​ove your Engl​ish dur​ing ‘dead’ time
Chapter title Aims Key phrases
Part B: At a distance
14 Phone, video and onl​ine mee​tings - Make small talk on the phone or via video con​ference - Cont​ribute in group vir​tual mee​tings - Expl​ain and deal with tec​hnical pro​blems - Hi, it’s Joe. - How are you this mor​ning, Pete? - Are you busy? Is this a good time to talk? - How are thi​ngs at the head off​ice? - What’s the time dif​ference again? - We’re three hours beh​ind. - It’s been great tal​king to you. - I’ll let you get back to your work. - Actu​ally, you’ve cau​ght me at a bad time. - We’re all here. This is Phil​ippe. I’m here with John and Julie. - John’s run​ning a lit​tle late. - Let’s get sta​rted. - That’s it for today.
Tips / Remember this Language focus Next steps
Video con​ferences and onl​ine mee​tings Desc​ribing tec​hnical pro​blems Use your mob​ile phone and the int​ernet to imp​rove your Engl​ish
Chapter title Aims Key phrases
15 Email exc​hanges - Begin and end an email with small talk - Main​tain good rel​ations​hips thr​ough email - Switch to bus​iness after small talk - Morn​ing John - I hope you’re well. - Thank you for your kind hos​pitality. - Hope you had a good break. - I’ve just got back from Finl​and and it was fab​ulous. - Have a good wee​kend. - See you on Monday. - Very best wis​hes - All the best - Kind reg​ards
Tips / Remember this Language focus Next steps
Writ​ing pro​fessio​nal ema​ils Chan​ging the sub​ject Learn new words and phr​ases from ema​ils you rec​eive
Chapter title Aims Key phrases
16 Social media for pro​fessio​nals - Invite som​eone to con​nect - Post mes​sages and com​ments - Share art​icles and upd​ates - You may not rem​ember me, but we spoke bri​efly at the BON con​ference in Dubai last month. - Thanks very much for the inv​ite. - I use Face​book just with close fri​ends and fam​ily. Let’s con​nect on LinkedIn® ins​tead. - I tho​ught this art​icle might int​erest you. - I tho​ught of you when I read this. - Great art​icle. Thanks for sha​ring. - Cong​ratula​tions on your new job! - Well done! I’m sure you’ll be a suc​cess.
Tips / Remember this Language focus Next steps
- Netw​orking and rai​sing your pro​file - Using Face​book and Twit​ter Use soc​ial media to imp​rove your Engl​ish

       Introduction

       Small talk is not small

      We all prefer to do business with people we trust. To build trust with your business partners, you need to have good working relationships and you can create the basis for such relationships if you can connect with people on a personal level. Small talk can help you to make this connection.

       Why make small talk?

       To create a bond: By opening up about your interests, you can create a more personal bond with someone and therefore a better relationship.

       To create a network: You can find the best business partners in business situations and at social events. If you can engage with strangers using small talk, you can create a network of people you can call on for their expertise. And they, in turn, will want to add you to their networks.

       To create a positive atmosphere: You can use small talk to make yourself and others feel at ease.

       What factors influence small talk?

       Place

      The way you make small talk with a stranger at a conference is different from the way you talk to someone who is visiting your office or someone at an evening event. If you are welcoming a visitor to your office, you need to make them feel at ease. At a conference, you are on neutral ground and can use small talk simply to make contacts. At an evening event, you are also on neutral ground and the situation is more likely to be relaxed. Therefore, topics may be more personal.

       Personality

      According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, a popular tool that identifies people as belonging to distinctive personality types, some people are more extroverted and others are more introverted. Extroverts enjoy social events and group conversations with lots of different people. They become energized in social situations, often moving quickly from one topic of conversation to another. Introverts, on the other hand, prefer one-on-one conversations. They will often talk about fewer topics, but in more detail. They may be better at keeping in touch at a distance, via email for example. They aren’t necessarily bad at small talk, but they may find it harder and more tiring; they may be better listeners. So does this mean that introverts and extroverts can’t talk to each other? Not at all. If you are an extrovert, give the introverts time to join in. If you are introverted, make the most of your one-on-one interactions. By the way, no one type is seen as good or bad – they are just different.

       Relationship

      To some extent, the kind of small talk you make depends on the status of the person you are talking to. It is generally

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