- Future forms
| Chapter title | Aims | Key phrases | |
| Part B: At a distance | |||
| 14 | Phone, video and onlâine meeâtings | - Make small talk on the phone or via video conâference - Contâribute in group virâtual meeâtings - Explâain and deal with tecâhnical proâblems | - Hi, itâs Joe. - How are you this morâning, Pete? - Are you busy? Is this a good time to talk? - How are thiângs at the head offâice? - Whatâs the time difâference again? - Weâre three hours behâind. - Itâs been great talâking to you. - Iâll let you get back to your work. - Actuâally, youâve cauâght me at a bad time. - Weâre all here. This is Philâippe. Iâm here with John and Julie. - Johnâs runâning a litâtle late. - Letâs get staârted. - Thatâs it for today. |
| Tips / Remember this | Language focus | Next steps | |
| Video conâferences and onlâine meeâtings | Descâribing tecâhnical proâblems | Use your mobâile phone and the intâernet to impârove your Englâish |
| Chapter title | Aims | Key phrases | |
| 15 | Email excâhanges | - Begin and end an email with small talk - Mainâtain good relâationsâhips thrâough email - Switch to busâiness after small talk | - Mornâing John - I hope youâre well. - Thank you for your kind hosâpitality. - Hope you had a good break. - Iâve just got back from Finlâand and it was fabâulous. - Have a good weeâkend. - See you on Monday. - Very best wisâhes - All the best - Kind regâards |
| Tips / Remember this | Language focus | Next steps | |
| Writâing proâfessioânal emaâils | Chanâging the subâject | Learn new words and phrâases from emaâils you recâeive |
| Chapter title | Aims | Key phrases | |
| 16 | Social media for proâfessioânals | - Invite somâeone to conânect - Post mesâsages and comâments - Share artâicles and updâates | - You may not remâember me, but we spoke briâefly at the BON conâference in Dubai last month. - Thanks very much for the invâite. - I use Faceâbook just with close friâends and famâily. Letâs conânect on LinkedIn® insâtead. - I thoâught this artâicle might intâerest you. - I thoâught of you when I read this. - Great artâicle. Thanks for shaâring. - Congâratulaâtions on your new job! - Well done! Iâm sure youâll be a sucâcess. |
| Tips / Remember this | Language focus | Next steps | |
| - Netwâorking and raiâsing your proâfile - Using Faceâbook and Twitâter | Use socâial media to impârove your Englâish |
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 arenât 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 canât 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 â 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