Стр. 13 - Skurikhin_Communicative style

Упрощенная HTML-версия

Reading: Breaking the ice (part 2)
I don’t smoke, and I don’t intend to start, but I’ve noticed that smokers seem to have a
natural advantage at networking events: they hang around outside, where it’s quieter,
there are fewer people and it’s easier to talk, and they have an easy way to start a
conversation
(Do you have a light? It’s cold out here, isn’t it?)
. Of course, you don’t
have to smoke to get these advantages: you could simply step outside for some fresh air
and try to strike up a conversation with someone who is standing alone out there. You
may find that half of the ‘smokers’ aren’t actually smoking, just taking advantage of the
natural opportunity to start conversations.
Another natural place for starting conversations is the buffet or bar, even if the
conversations are very superficial:
Do you know where I can find the spoons? Could you
pass me the milk?
Of course, you need to be ready to follow up these ice-breakers with
something much more engaging.
So what can you talk about? The obvious thing to mention is the party itself – but
whatever you do, don’t start moaning about how much you hate parties.
Nobody likes listening to moaners. Why not ask if the other person knows a lot of people
at the party, or if they are enjoying the party. Another great topic is the conference: did
you attend any good presentations today? Are you giving a presentation yourself? Have
you travelled a long way to get here? Topics like sport and the weather are fine for
keeping a conversation going, but might not be suitable as an opening discussion. The
same goes for work: by all means find out what the other person does for a living, but
perhaps try a little small talk about the party, the conference or the food first.
Finally, you may think that socialising in a foreign language would be harder than in your
first language. In fact, in many ways it’s easier. You’ve got a great topic of conversation
which other people will always find interesting: where you’re from. Many people will
also treat you with more patience when they know you are a foreigner, and you are
having problems with the language. Of course, you can’t just walk up to someone and
say
“Hi, I’m from Brazil”
. It’s always better to start with a question about the other
person, rather than a statement about yourself. But by choosing the topic, you’re making
it much easier for the other person to follow up with a question about you:
“And what
about you
?”
So don’t hide, don’t walk around looking busy, and don’t try to escape from the first
boring person who tries to talk to you. If you make an effort, you’ll find the experience a
lot more enjoyable – and successful for your professional career.
VOCABULARY
networking │point sb in the direction of sth│ a potential customer │daunting│ pretend
to do sth│ admit sth│ get involved in sth│ polite│ interrupt sb│ embarrassed│ your
own worst enemy│ engage sb in conversation│ make the effort to do sth│ deserve sth│
hang around│ strike up a conversation│ superficial│ engaging│ moan│ small talk│
patience│ hide.
13