don't want to make a scene. They might therefore become very nervous if you try to
voice your dissatisfaction. Criticism should also preferably be voiced in an indirect way.
Otherwise it will only make your British counterpart very hostile and defensive and your
criticism is unlikely to have any effect. Friendly
Although the British are generally seen as being reserved, you will find that in the
North of England (where I used to live), people are usually quite friendly. They will
appreciate it if you make a chat about the weather or take an interest in local affairs.
Polite & "quiet"
British are very polite. In a restaurant, you will have to say thank you when you get
the menu, thank you when you place the order, thank you when get your dishes, thank
you when the waiter takes away the plates and even thank you when you pay! You'll
have to say "excuse me" if you want to pass someone and "I'm sorry" if you accidentally
touch someone. British people even say sorry if you stand on their toes! They are also
very "quiet" and keep to themselves. This can be hard if you want to make friends with
them. It is a boon, however, if you are out with your own group or don't like noisy
people.
(
http://www.harzing.com/ukculture.htm
)
CONVERSATION SKILLS QUOTES (STUDENT B)
Here are the missing words from your partner’s quotes:
Answer│ interest│ listen│ questions│ say │story│ talks │understand
STUDENT B (PRACTICE P.38)
We’ve decided to conduct a complete overhaul of our QMS. Basically, VMA and her
team in O and E want to aim for ISO 9001accreditation, because they’re convinced it’ll
help them clinch the Madax deal.
• an overhaul = a complete review and change to a whole system
• QMS = Quality Management System
• VMA = the head of the O and E department, Victor Mark Austin.
• O and E = Operations and Engineering, the name of a department
• ISO 9001 = a QMS standard published by ISO, the International
Organization for Standardization
• accreditation = a process of assessment that may lead to an official
certificate or licence
• to clinch a deal = to finalise a deal (= agreement, negotiation), to get the
other party to accept it
• Madax = the name of a key client
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