Small Talk

What is the conversation about when business associates greet each other at the airport, meet during a break at a conference, or go out for dinner after a long meeting? Some of the discussion at these times will be about business. Yet it is probably more likely that a lot of the issues are not related to work at all. Rather, a general style of chit-chat will develop and this is known as “small talk.”

Small talk can be considered an important part of business because it gets your mind off work. It is also a way to find common ground between different business associates. This will to the establishment of deeper and more personal ties to maintain business in the future.

Although it is important to participate in small talk, it is also necessary to know what can be talked about and what is off-limits. For example, asking someone about the local food, national culture and recent weather is considered an acceptable way to break the ice with a business counterpart. Hopefully a casual discussion will continue and eventually help develop mutual understanding which can then create a trustworthy business relationship.

However, people must also be aware of sensitive issues that are hot potatoes and should not be discussed in this environment. For instance, any conversation focused on politics, religion or personal questions should not come up. This is because others could become angry. Not only would the situation become awkward, but the business relationship could be hurt by such topics.

VOCABULARY:

Business associates
People who have business relationships together
Ex: I will talk to my business associates about a new sales idea.

Break
Short temporary stop
Ex: After you sell a TV to this customer, let’s take a break and eat lunch.

Chit-chat
Casual and informal talk
Ex: The workers had a chit-chat about their summer vacations.

Common ground
A similar position agreeable for all people
Ex: we hope to find common ground and make a contract.

Ties
Relationships
Ex: The man trusts me because we have had business ties for 20 years.

Counterpart
Individual with the same position or function in another company
Ex: Our company’s president met with his Brazilian counterpart.

Mutual
Each person having the same feeling as the other
Ex: Signing the contract was a mutual agreement.

Awkward
Uncomfortable
Ex: It was awkward telling the boss that I disagreed with her.

EXPRESSIONS:

Gets your mind off
Let yourself forget about it temporarily
Ex: He wants to get his mind off the mistake he made while negotiating.

Off-limits
Not to be talked about
Ex: Telling racist jokes is off-limits.

Break the ice
Begin a conversation when meeting someone the first time
Ex: It is nice for current employees to break the ice with new ones.

Hot potatoes
Topics that are controversial or that could cause problems
Ex: Be careful with hot potatoes or you might argue.

Come up
Become part of the discussion
Ex: Information about a client’s account could come up in the meeting.

DISCUSSION POINTS

1. What are some other small talk topics which should or should not be discussed?
· For instance, it is fine to have a conversation about sports or history?

2. Do you think small talk is important in your culture?
· For example, when clients meet do they only talk about their job and position or do they also talk about their job and position or do they also talk about their other experiences?

3. What are some personal questions that should be avoided?
· For instance, is it fine to ask someone if they are married or how much money they earn?

4. Do you believe that small talk can influence business deals or are they not related with each other?

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