Unit One

Face to face

Study objectives• The emphasis throughout is on encouraging you

to consider and re-evaluate the social functions of English.

• In business, it’s important not just to be efficient and do your job but also to look and sound friendly, confident, sincere and helpful… and not unfriendly, insincere, shy or unhelpful!

• Maintaining a competitive edge in the business world differentiates you from the competition. The most important advice I can give you is to keep learning and enhancing your business and your business and social skills to boost your success with social skills to boost your success with etiquette.etiquette.

•You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

1.1 First Impressions…First Impressions…

• This section introduces the idea that, in business life, to a great extent, success in business depends on creating the right impression. Politeness and formality are often keys to achieving a desired communicative effect.

• A good impression reflects your company’s image (no company wants its customers to think it’s unpleasant!). If you start off a relationship in a friendly, pleasant way, it’s likely to go on in the same way, which will be to everyone’s advantage.

• Try to be: alert, distinct, friendly, confident, calm, honest, skilful, intelligent, nice, helpful, polite

• Try not to be: sleepy, unclear, lazy, dishonest, clumsy, stupid, prejudiced, inefficient, nasty, unhelpful, rude

Business Introduction

• Have you ever questioned your Have you ever questioned your introduction skills?introduction skills?

• If not, you should since making a proper introduction is a form of business etiquette and sets the tone for how others will perceive you. Learning proper introductions not only enhances your business savvy but boosts your self-confidence.

• Making a proper introduction demonstrates your level of acumen and respect for others.

• Introductions vary in degrees of formality.

• Some situations call for formal introductions; some need informal ones. Some people seem to favor formal introductions to persons of “importance”, and others prefer short and informal introductions that can help create a light atmosphere.

• Different situations require different expressions for greeting and introducing.

• To avoid feeling socially awkward and to To avoid feeling socially awkward and to present a poised, polished, and professional present a poised, polished, and professional image upon meeting and making image upon meeting and making introductions. Here are some points to introductions. Here are some points to remember when making business remember when making business introductions in English-speaking Western introductions in English-speaking Western countries:countries:

• Introduce people in business based on rank, not gender or age.

• In business, the client, guest or visitor outranks the boss or co-worker and should be introduced first.

• Women and men should stand when introduced. Always smile and maintain eye contact.

• Shake a woman and man's hand the same, straight up and down. Extend a good, firm (not painful) handshake to exhibit respect, trust, and acceptance.

☺Treat business cards with respect. Take a moment to read them and carefully put them somewhere safe.

☺Address people by their first names only if they indicate that they want you to.

☺ Never use an honorific title such as Ms., Mr., or Dr. to introduce yourself.

Small talk

• How do you prepare for the first contact with a seller or broker/stranger?

Break the ice

The topics of common interest/small talk

What is ‘small talk’?

• In most English-speaking countries, it is normal and necessary to make “small talk” in certain situations.

• Small talk is a casual form of conversation that “breaks the ice” or fills an awkward silence between people. Even though you may feel shy using your second language, it is sometimes considered rude to say nothing. Just as there are certain times when small talk is appropriate, there are also certain topics that people often discuss during those moments.

Topics of Common interests

Weather Current events Office

Beautiful day, isn’t it?It looks like it’s

going to rain.

Did you catch the news today?

I heard on the radio Today that…

Looking forward to The weekend?

What do you thinkOf the new computer?

Ending the small talk• If the small talk continues too long, you may

want to change the subject to business matters. Here are some ways of doing it:

• with someone you know well: Let’s get down to business. / Let’s get

started.• with someone you don’t know well: Perhaps we could talk about the subject of

our meeting. Shall we talk about the reason I’m here?

Step D • This step introduces some expressions that used when meeting s

omeone for the first time, or meeting them again after an absence. Listen to the conversation and notice how the “small talk” develops.

• Additional questions: ♫ What is Chris Grey’s job? ♫ What problem did Liz Jones meet ? ♫ Where does Miss Lucas live and where was she raised? ☼ He is Jenny Santini’s assistant. ☼ There was all this fog at Heathrow. We had to go by bus from the

re to London. So I didn’t get to my hotel till lunchtime, it was crazy.

☼ She live in Buenos Aires, but was raised in Mendoza.

1.4 It’s not just what you say…

Spoken language

Written language

Body language

Ways of communicating

What is body language?What is body language?

Body language is one form of nonverbal communication ( 非言辞交际 ) without using words. Eye contact or gaze, facial expression, gesture ( 手势 ), and posture ( 姿势 ), or the way you stand, are different kinds of body language.

• In this section, we focus on specific ways in which your non-verbal signals and body language may influence the way people see you.

• For example: 1) your tone of voice; 2) your expression; 3) the noises you make; 4) your body language and the way you stand or sit; 5) your appearance

How are they feeling?

happy

sad

                                                                                                                          

                                                                              

confident

                                                                                                                                 

                                                                       

naughty

                                                                                                                                 

                                                                       

excited depressed

confused

Good/Well done!

Bad!

Come here!

Good luck!

Me?

I don’t know!

Body language varies from culture to

culture.

Gesture Country Meaning

eye conta

ct

some countries

other countries

show interest

rude or disrespectful

moving the index fi

nger in a circle in fr

ont of the ear

some cou

ntries

Brazil

crazy

You have a

phone call.

Gesture Country Meaning

a circle with one’s thumb and index fin

ger

most countries

Japan

France

Germany

Brazil

zero

rude

money

OK

thumbs up

the US

Nigeria

Germany

Japan No.1

rude

good / well done

Gestures countries Meaning

Shaking one’s he

ad

Bulgaria, parts

of Greece, Iran

Other countrie

sNo

Yes

Gestures countries Meanings

Kiss on the

cheek

A firm

handshake

A loving hug

A bow / a nod

of head

Greet friends

France

Russia

Other countries

What do people usually do wh

en meeting?

China, Britain

Russia, France, Arab

Some western countries

Japan, Korea

Maori in New Zealand

• shake hands

• kiss

• embrace/hug

• bow

• touch noses

Step B

• Attention please: the people greeting the visitors are not all receptionists, some are people who happen to be in the office when the visitor arrives---a situation all members of the class may find themselves in.

• Which person seems particularly impolite?

Step A

• This short exercise makes you aware that first names and surnames are used differently in different countries.

• There are no ‘correct’ answers to questions 1 to 6, but suggested answers to the last two questions are: 7c and 8c.

How to use people’s names in the conversation?

• SurnamesSurnames →This is polite and shows respect. It is usual to use surnames at a first meeting.

E.g. Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Rivera.• First namesFirst names →This is informal and most

frequently used with friends. It is used more easily in the US.

E.g. Nice to see you, Steve.• Titles Titles →People with a title are usually

addressed by their title and their surname.

E.g. Good morning, Doctor Smith.

1.5 Developing relationships

• In this section, we also consider the different ways of talking to different kinds of people, depending on your relationship.

• Particularly important in this section is ‘small talk’.

Step A

• You will hear five short conversations between people who work in the same company. After hearing each conversation, discuss these questions with your partner:

1) What is the relationship between the speakers?

2) What are their jobs? 3) What are they talking about?

• There are no definitive right answers to this exercise.• Suggested answers:1)Tony and Bob have a cordial, informal relationship.

Tony is an overseas sales rep and Bob is the Export Sales Manager. They’re talking about problems Tony encountered on a visit to a client in Copenhagen.

2)Mr. Allen is very friendly and informal but is superior to Barry and Susanna, who are new to the company. Mr. Allen is probably office manager and the other two are clerical staff. Mr. Allen is explaining who is who in the office.

3) Mr. Green behaves very much as Martin’s boss. Mr. Green is probably the transport manager and Martin is a driver. They are talking about Martin collecting someone at the airport.

4) Geoff is more experience and probably senior to Mandy. They have an informal relationship. They are probably commercial artists or designers. She’s asking him to evaluate some work she has done.

5)Tony is junior to Mrs. Lang, she is his boss and they have a fairly formal relationship. We can’t tell what their jobs are. They are talking about Tony having time off on Friday.

Step B• The issue of what topics are suitable when talking

to strangers is quite complex, and rather personal.• Clearly there are no hard-and-fast rules about

this, but probably politics and religions are no-go areas, and your own family might be too personal a topic to talk about at the start of the meeting.

• Indeed the purpose of a social conversation with a new person is to discover what you do have in

common, so that you can then exchange

experiences.

Step C

• Role-play a meeting between two business associates. Imagine that one of you has traveled a long way to see the other. You only meet twice a year, but you’ve established a good relationship.

• Attention: Don’t role-play the business phase of the

meeting.

1.2 It’s a small world…

• This section involves some essential vocabulary and a discussion based on a reading passage.

Step A• This step introduces some of the principles

involved in forming nationality words.• It should be done in writing, as spelling is

important here.• Answers: an Australian, a Canadian, a Dutchman or

Dutch person, an Indian, a Norwegian, a Swede, a Brazilian, a Frenchman or French person, a Hungarian, a New Zealander, a Saudi Arabian, an American

Step B

• Please consult a map of the world and make a list of the following countries.

• http://www.9654.com/m/world.htm• Please find out the principles involved in

forming nationality words.

1.3 What do you enjoy about your work?

• The speakers interviewed on the recording are speaking naturally and at their normal speed.

• The speakers all work for a software company, but there’s no need to have any specialist knowledge of computers to understand the main points they each make.

Step A • Suggest answers: 1) Ian McShane: accountant; day-to-day accounting; diff

erent jobs; deadlines; dealing with finance; being difficult with people to get money out of them

2) Lesley Trigg: administrator; correspondence; arranging meetings; or

ganizing travel; the people she works with; not being busy

3) Patrick Verdon: systems administrator; trouble-shooting; back-up of data; installation; the challenge; doing routine back-ups; working late

4) Paul Lockwood: training officer; training courses; direct contact; direct knowledge; stimulating environment; not being able to do hands-on programming

Follow-up discussion

• What aspects of your English do you think you need to improve most of all?

• What have you learnt from this unit that you will be able to apply in future units and in your daily work?