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Архитектура Аудит Военная наука Иностранные языки Медицина Металлургия Метрология Образование Политология Производство Психология Стандартизация Технологии |
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Архитектура Аудит Военная наука Иностранные языки Медицина Металлургия Метрология Образование Политология Производство Психология Стандартизация Технологии |
Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples. For example: When the Internet was first introduced it was used primarily by scientists, now it is common in every classroom.
a) Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summary of that idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each body paragraph to support the central idea. b) The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of the introductory paragraph. c) Begin the summary paragraph by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body paragraphs. For example: ‘The Internet in the home, benefits and ease of use of modern computer systems...’ d) The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example: ‘We have now passed from the industrial revolution to the information revolution’. e) Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you have shown in the essay. For example: ‘The next step: The complete disappearance of the workplace’. Tips: 1. Use strong verbs and avoid modals to state your opinion. It is better to write: The workplace has evolved than The workplace seems to have evolved 2. Do not apologize for what you are saying. An essay is about your opinion. 3. Do not translate from your mother tongue. It will quickly get you into trouble! Suggested links which may help you improve your essay writing: § http: //www.essaypunch.com § http: //writesite.cuny.edu/ § http: //www.geocities.com/soho/atrium/1437/index.html § http: //owl.english.purdue.edu/ § http: //dictionary.reference.com/ § http: //thesaurus.reference.com/
LECTURE II: SOCIALIZING AND NETWORKING TOPICAL WORDS and PHRASES
PLAN: First impression: Greetings Make active small talk Building the relationship 4. Look for ‘hot buttons’ Soften your approach Grab opportunities Being a good host English for Socializing is for people who want to be able to build good relationships with international clients and colleagues. Whether you are at a business dinner, an exhibition stand, showing a visitor around your company or attending an event after work-you need to be able make conversation in an appropriate and confident way in order to establish and maintain successful business relationships. English for Socializing presents all the essential expressions and conversation techniques that will enable you to socialize and make business contacts in English. Most of us want to create long-term business relationships based on trust and mutual respect. This means that networking and socializing are important activities, especially when working internationally. In some cultures the relationship is even more important than the particular business in hand. A great deal of time and energy goes into building and maintaining good personal relationships in order to make difficult business discussions and decisions easier to handle [7, c. 8]. First impression: Greetings The first words you say set the scene for the rest of the relationship. ‘You never have a second chance to make a first impression’ is an over-used saying that contains a great deal of truth. When we say ‘hello’ we are telling our business partner how we are feeling about meeting them. And we have a large number of ‘hellos’ to choose from. You can be highly formal - or very informal. Your partner is expected to mirror this feeling in their reply. How would you reply to these greetings? ‘It’s an honor to meet you.’‘How do you do? ’‘How are you doing? ’ ‘ How’re things? ’ ‘Hi, there’. You can find the right answers: a) ‘Thank you’ b) ‘How do you do’ c) ‘Fine, thanks and you? ’ d) ‘Great. And how’re things with you? ’ e) ‘Hi’. But instead of simply reacting to other people, why not seize the initiative and set the level of formality you prefer? Be proactive. This also means being flexible. If you don’t want to sound too friendly because you want to bring up several complaints during the meeting, then choose a more formal greeting. If you’ve built up a good relationship over the phone or by email, then choose an informal greeting. My favorite greeting when I meet someone for the first time is: ‘Nice to meet you’. It’s friendly but business-like. It’s easy to get the reply right as well: ‘Nice to meet you, too’. What do you say after you’ve said ‘hello’? Well, if this is a first meeting we often need to say who we are, and this can cause cultural problems. In Germany, for example, business people might only offer their family names –Schmidt. In Sweden you might only be offered the first name - Sven. When working internationally, use both names. This is useful information to match the business card you offer and it can allow you to be proactive again. Don’t say: ‘I’m Manfred Schmidt.’This means your business partner has to choose whether to call you Manfred or Mr. Schmidt. Indicate what you want to be called - rather like James Bond in the movies. In the official MI6 meetings he introduces himself as ‘Bond. James Bond.’In other words, he’s telling you to call him Mr. Bond, His first name is simply for your information. But in the bar with the beautiful blonde he says: ‘Hi, there. I’m James, James Bond.’In other words, he’s telling her to call him by his first name. In most international business settings this last approach is probably the best one. This means that your first two sentences would sound something like this: ‘Nice to meet you. I’m Manfred, Manfred Schmidt’[16, c. 2]. Make active small talk
Some people love to small talk, others hate it. Some cultures demand it whilst others ignore it. In international business, small-talk can be extremely useful. By talking about neutral, non-controversial topics you can start to break the ice, get a feeling for the communication style of your partner and begin to tune your ear to their English. Neutral topics - the weather, the trip, the hotel, the town - are easy to talk about without disagreement. In Britain it is said that there are three taboo subjects for small talk - politics, sex and religion. Why? Because it’s easy to get into an argument about them. What you are aiming to do instead is to build a platform of agreement on which to do business. This platform of agreement will help when you might have to disagree later on in the meeting. Even if you come from a country where small talk is not part of your culture, try to use it as an icebreaker with your international guests -before the meeting, in the taxi, at the airport or over a coffee. Your main linguistic tool in successful small talk is the open question. Small talk is like a friendly game of tennis: the idea is to keep the ball going backwards and forwards over the net. This means the questions you ask should require more than a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer. Use the ‘W’ question words instead: What? Why? When? Where? Who? Which? How? Asking open questions and inviting longer answers makes it easier to develop a conversation. - What would you like to see here during the visit? -I’d like to go to The Museum of Modern Art. - Oh, why is that? - There’s a couple of Van Gogh’s there I’d like to see. - Which are those? - Two views from the time he spent in Arles. Such questions open up the conversation and start the ball rolling. Do remember to keep your end of the ‘tennis game’ going. Even when your partner asks you questions that you could answer with one word – don’t. Answer with a sentence, and then ask an open question of your own. The Prime Minister of a small European country was due to meet the President of the United States. He wanted to make a good first impression but his English was rather poor. He took some private lessons and concentrated on learning the greetings. His teacher told him that if the President said: ‘How are you? ’ he should answer: ‘Fine, thanks.’ And that he should then not forget to ask back: ‘And how are you? ’ The great day arrived and the President shook his hand and said, ‘How are you, Mr. Prime Minister? ’ Nervous and a little overawed, the Prime Minister replied: ‘Fine, thanks.’ Just in time he remembered - ask back. His mind went blank. All his English vocabulary seemed to disappear. After a long pause he said: ‘And who are you? ’
Building the relationship You have to follow some rules in order to make contact and build the relationship with your business partner. § Be the first to say hello and introduce you to others. § Use eye contact and smiling as your first contact with people. § Make an effort to remember people’s names. § Be able to tell others what you do in a few short sentences. § Ask open questions (not questions that can be answered Yes or No). § Encourage others to talk more by showing interest. § Respond positively to what they say. § Look for common interests, goals and experiences that you can talk about. § Be tolerant of other people’s beliefs if they differ from yours.
4. Look for ‘hot buttons’ We all have ‘hot buttons’– personal interests that are important to us. They might include family, travelling, sports, pets, hobbies, etc. Friendship is often based on two people having similar ‘hot buttons’. In international business, look for your business partner’s ‘hot buttons’ and explore whether you have any in common. You need to become a ‘hot button’ detective. People leave clues in their conversations with you. When, in the coffee break, a business partner says: ‘Did you see the game on television last night? ’it’s another way of saying: ‘Is football one of your ‘hot buttons’? ’When your business partner says: ‘I hope we finish on time. I’ve got some tickets for the theatre this evening.’ They are saying: ‘Do you like the theatre? ’So don’t just reply: ‘Yes’ or ‘I see’. Follow it up like a good detective. Tell them you support Real Madrid or Chelsea. Ask what play they are going to see. And then, most importantly, offer some information back. Say that you prefer rugby to football. Tell them you went to see a good film last week. The best way to find out someone’s family situation is not to ask a direct question: ‘Are you married? ’The answer might be embarrassing: ‘Actually my wife has just run off with my best friend and taken the kids with her.’ Oh, dear! Instead, say that your wife and kids are away this week on holiday, and that you’re going to join them at the weekend. Then your partner can volunteer information about their family if they feel comfortable about it. Soften your approach
There are three key areas we need to think about when meeting our international business partners: what we say, how we say it and how we act. But we are often concentrating so hard on the words we want to use, and on their pronunciation and intonation that we forget the non-verbal side of the communication. We need to soften our approach. It reminds us of an important non-verbal signals we should use in conversation. Smile! A friendly face helps people feel welcome and more relaxed. Too often we forget to smile. We are concentrating on getting the language correct. Our facial expression becomes serious, our forehead creases up, and we come across as critical, cold and unfriendly. Open gestures. Sitting with arms and legs crossed can subconsciously affect our speaking partner. It may give the signal that we are closed to the relationship or closed to the other person’s ideas. But often we do it because we are feeling defensive about working in English, not because of the relationship with the other person. Gesture naturally and sit with your feet together on the floor. Forward lean. When we want to show interest in another person we lean forward. This is more noticeable when we are sitting down, but it also happens when standing in a ‘cocktail party’ situation. It creates a positive ‘I’m with you’ feeling. Touch. Normally we only touch each other in business when we shake hands at the start of the meeting. But we read a lot into that handshake! If the handshake is too aggressive or of the ‘wet fish’ variety, we judge people negatively. A good international handshake is firm –but not too firm – and lasts for two to three shakes. Eye contact. This varies according to cultural background but, according to some studies, during the average European conversation: - the listener looks at the speaker 75% of the time - the speaker looks at the listener 40% of the time - they look each other in the eye 30% of the time - the average length of mutual eye contact is 1.5 seconds. If we stare at each other without breaking eye contact, this is perceived as being aggressive. In fact, in some cultures the eyes are lowered during a conversation to show respect. But in most cultures we need to reassure ourselves that our partner is still listening - and we do that by eye contact. It’s a way of getting feedback on how our ideas are being received. Nod. Moving your head up and down to indicate agreement encourages your speaking partner to open up. Your nodding tells them that you are listening and that you want them to continue speaking. These non-verbal signals work in any language, but are even more important when you are working in a second language. They underline and reinforce the verbal message and can help correct misunderstandings. If someone asks you where the toilets are and you point upwards, but say: ‘Downstairs’, they are more likely to believe the hand signal than the words. Try this experiment with a friend. Ask them to tell you about their last holiday. While they are speaking, use the soften approach to encourage them to talk. After a minute or so, start to switch off the soften signals -stop smiling, cross your arms, lean back, push your chair back, look down or away and shake your head. Your friend will either stop talking or get irritated. Stop and then discuss how it felt. Both parties usually agree that the first minute was fine, but that it soon began to feel tense and unpleasant. Some people get really angry with their ‘negative’ listening partner. If that happens, apologize – and blame this book! People greet each other in different ways in different parts of the world. Eskimos rub noses. Maoris touch foreheads. Thais hold their hands in a prayer-like attitude. In Japan they bow and in Europe and the USA they shake hands. Sometimes we try to make the other person feel at home by greeting them in the way that is expected their culture. Then you might get the situation where the American bows to the Japanese whilst the Japanese holds out his hand to be shaken. Grab opportunities You are surrounded by opportunities to practice your socializing skills. You need to grab them with both hands. Try ‘on-the-job’ training. In other words, look for opportunities to use English during your normal work activities or in breaks and ‘dead’ periods. Here are a few tips and ideas you could choose from: Practice with English-speaking visitors. Whenever English speakers visit your organisation, take the chance to practice your English with them. Be volunteer to take them to lunch. See it as an opportunity rather than an imposition. Find other English addicts. There are probably several of your colleagues who would also like to practice their English. Arrange a weekly ‘English only’ lunch or coffee break – or even an English Pub Night every month. Find a native-speaker coach. If you have a regular English-speaking contact on the phone or a native-speaker colleague, try to build a friendly trainee-mentor relationship. Ask if you can check your language with them. Many native speakers like to become an ‘expert’ or a ‘coach’. Attend international events. Think of trade fairs and road shows as chances to practice your networking skills in English as well as business opportunities. Go on business training programmers where you have to use English to communicate with the other trainees. Try practicing in your spare time too: Join an English-speaking organization. There are many ‘friendship’ societies where you can meet people from other cultures and where English is the medium of communication. Organizations like the Columbus Society, the British Council and various embassies often hold events and lectures in English. Chat to English speakers while on holiday. It is fun to meet new people when you are feeling relaxed and where there is a safe environment for making and correcting mistakes. Small talks in English with your family. Have some fun in English together. It helps to improve your children’s and your partner’s English, too. In other words, look for every chance to extend your personal and professional network in English. Each time you socialise successfully in English you are building up your confidence and giving yourself the chance of doing it even more successfully the next time.
Being a good host Business entertaining often involves interacting with people that we do not know well good host makes guests feel relaxed and welcome by anticipating what they need to feel comfortable and helping to avoid what might make them feel uncomfortable. It is a good idea to: - welcome guests personally and ask if they need anything (food, drink? ). - avoid being too familiar. It is not a good idea to shorten names or use nicknames unless invited to do so. - encourage, but don’t force, guests to participate in conversation. - be good company, which means being a good listener as well as a good talker. - move the conversation away from controversial subjects or areas that might make guests uncomfortable. - research the cultural background of guests to check what their expectations will be. - be tactful. For example, if a guest makes a mistake or is unsure what to do, do not draw attention to the situation. Instead, help them to deal with the problem as quickly as possible without embarrassment [16, c. 11].
POST-LECTURE QUESTIONS: 1 When and where do you need to socialize in English? Who do you speak to? Are they native or non-native English speakers? Who do you find easier to understand? 2 What topics do you talk about? What topics are ‘taboo’ in your culture? 3 What do you find difficult about socializing in English? What do you enjoy? 4 How do you break the ice? 5 What are your experiences with socializing with people from other cultures? 6 What differences (and similarities) have you experienced? 7 How important is it to tell the truth in social situations? 8 In what ways do you try to build a relationship with a new business contact? EXERCISES and ACTIVITIES Популярное:
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