4. You: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CL: I’ve got a bit of a problem as I said. Do you think you would have the time to just check my charts for me? 5. You: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CL: That would be great. Thank you so much, I’ll email them through to you and I’m really looking forward to seeing you again. 6. You: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CL: Thank you once again and goodbye. ᭿ Task 9 When you get to the office on Monday morning, you find that you received this voicemail from a US PA the previous Friday evening. Hi, this is Claire speaking from XYZ company in Seattle. About the meeting in Munich next week, do you think we could kick off at 10 instead of 8? And could you push lunch back to 1.30? The reason is that Mr A is taking a different flight which will arrive pretty late in the evening and he’d therefore like to start a bit later in the morning so that he can get some shuteye. Can you let me know asap please? This is going to be difficult for you to arrange as there are several other meeting participants. However, Mr A is an important participant so you’d like to help him. The best you can do, without upsetting others’ schedules, is to change the start of the meeting to 9 am and break for lunch at 12.30. You pick up the phone to leave her a message but before you do, reflect on what you know of the preferred communication style of Americans. Here’s how you can order your voicemail: ᭤ ask her how she is ᭤ get down to business ᭤ suggest a compromise solution ᭤ sign off Here are some expressions you can use: Maintaining the relationship ᭤ Hi, how are you? ᭤ How nice to hear from you ᭤ How are things your end? 30 Best-practice emails and working in multi-cultural teams Getting down to business ᭤ I’m returning your call about ᭤ I gather there’s a problem with ᭤ I understand is going to be Suggesting a compromise ᭤ What if we ᭤ How about if we ᭤ If we , would that help? Signing off ᭤ It’d be good to hear from you soon ᭤ It’d be nice to talk to you so that we can ᭤ Let me know if there’s anything else I can do Now write down what you’d say: Next time you have to deal with someone from a different culture whether on the phone, face-to-face, or by email, it’s a good idea to reflect on what you know about that culture. Therefore, don’t be surprised if your Italian counterpart likes to chat a bit before getting down to business or if your Dutch colleague gets straight to the point. Neither style is better – they’re just different! Raising awareness of different communication styles 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Building business relationships Striking up a conversation with someone you don’t know very well can be difficult as you’re not always sure what topics are appropriate to talk about. But building rapport is an essential part of establishing and maintaining relationships, which, in turn, are essential elements of doing business successfully in a global environment. ᭿ Task 1 Read the article ‘Small Talk – Big Problem’ and find words or phrases which mean: 1. a person who takes part in a conversation, dialogue or discussion 2. makes easier 3. to start immediately 4. carry out successfully 5. promotes/builds 6. bounces 7. to widen 8. rejecting 9. involved in 10. instrument Small Talk – Big Problem Small talk is a vitally important function of the English language because it helps you to build a relationship with your interlocutor. It facilitates international relations at every level. Look, for example, at the level of understanding the Blairs had with the Clintons – they certainly didn’t just speak about politics. Why is small talk a big problem? Germans are a low-context culture which means they are task-oriented and not used to small talk, preferring to get straight down to business. To other nationalities this can make them seem unfriendly, particularly those from higher context cultures such as the British and the Latins. These cultures are relationship-oriented and they like and expect to exchange a few words before they get down to business. Why make small talk at all? You may ask, ‘what is the point of small talk?’ – you don’t achieve anything and it wastes time. On the contrary – small talk enables you to build a bridge with your interlocutor and to move quickly from ‘I’ and ‘they’ to a feeling of ‘we’. Finding common ground fosters trust and enables you to build relationships with people from other cultures. Of course you can’t just talk about anything – you should avoid personal and hot topics such as sex, politics, religion, and money. These topics, as in any other cultures, you reserve for close friends. Be an active listener Making small talk is a bit like playing table tennis – the conversational ball pingpongs back and forth. You also mustn’t forget that to build rapport you need to be a sympathetic listener. Although ‘mm mm’ and ‘yes’ are acceptable, try to broaden your range of active listening devices as too much use of ‘mm mm’ can sound dismissive and as if you’re really bored. Experiment with using ‘oh really?’, ‘that’s interesting’, ‘I see’ etc. and sound as though you really mean it. This shows your partner that you’re engaged in the dialogue and really listening to what they’re saying. Small talk is a bridge to building a relationship and is just another tool in your linguistic toolbox, like grammar or vocabulary. Language is about communicating but don’t forget that you will always be communicating with a person and not a robot. This is why small talk is very important as it shows your interlocutor that you are interested in them as a person. Making small talk When you meet someone for the first time, you need to introduce yourself. Introducing yourself A: I’m Elke Schmidt. How do you do? B: I’m Ramona Braun. How do you do? A: Pleased to meet you. B: Nice to meet you too. This is a standard formulaic exchange. If you’ve met the person before, you can say: A: How nice to see you again/How are you?/ How are things? B: Good to see you too?/Very well and you?/Great and what about you? Small Talk – Big Problem 33 When you meet someone in a social situation, it’s useful to have communication techniques that move quickly from a sense of “us and them” to a feeling of “we.” ᭿ Task 2 Look at the following exchanges to establish common interest and classify them according to: a) likes/dislikes b) opinions c) experience 1. A: I think the Harry Potter books are overrated. B: I think so too. 2. A: I’ve visited the USA a number of times. B: Really? So have I? Where did you go?. 3. A: I really like modern art. B: Yes, I do too. 4. A: I can’t stand in-flight food. B: I can’t either. 5. A: Creativity is the key word. B: I couldn’t agree more. 6. A: I worked in marketing for a number of years. B: That’s interesting. So did I. What did you do exactly? Building on small talk As you will usually get an answer linked to what you’ve said, you can then build on it to establish rapport. 34 Building business relationships For example: A: So what do you think of Frankfurt? B: Well, I don’t know Frankfurt so well but I like big cities in general. A: Me too. Well, I was actually born here so I guess it’s in my blood. Where do you come from originally? B: I’m from New York originally. Have you ever been there? A: Yes, I’ve been there many times and I really like it. It’s got this buzz to it. . the phone, face-to-face, or by email, it’s a good idea to reflect on what you know about that culture. Therefore, don’t be surprised if your Italian counterpart likes to chat a bit before getting. low-context culture which means they are task-oriented and not used to small talk, preferring to get straight down to business. To other nationalities this can make them seem unfriendly, particularly those. schedules, is to change the start of the meeting to 9 am and break for lunch at 12.30. You pick up the phone to leave her a message but before you do, reflect on what you know of the preferred communication style