2. S TRONG VOCATIONAL FOCUS
Vocational Skills
Every unit includes a vocational skills lesson * , which features authentic material from Harvard Business Review , bridging the gap between academic English and the skills students need for the global workforce.
A Work in pairs. Discuss the questions. • What is small talk?
• How often do you make small talk?
• What can be difficult about small talk?
HOW TO MAKE SMALL TALK WITH ANYONE FROM ANYWHERE by Melissa Hahn and Andy Molinsky © 2024 Harvard Business Review Imagine that you’re attending your first international conference. You are all set to meet new global colleagues in your industry, but you realize that there’s just one problem: You aren’t sure how to strike up a conversation with a stranger from a different culture. In this article, we’ll present a mindset for how to think about small talk and a series of behaviors for how to do small talk. Mindset: How to think about small talk 1. Your country’s norms aren’t universal—but neither are anyone else’s. Our interviews revealed a broad spectrum of norms around who could make small talk with whom, which topics are considered appropriate to discuss, and how long a conversation should last. 2. Aim for a human connection. Remember that you aren’t networking with countries, you’re networking with people. As a result, the person you’re interacting with may turn out to be exactly what you expected, or the complete opposite. Behaviors: How to Do Small Talk 1. Commonalities are like the bricks that build a bridge toward another person. For example, in our opening story, you have something very specific in common with everyone else: You are all at the conference. Given this basic commonality, you might break the ice with a stranger by asking them questions
about the conference: What brought them to the event, what sessions they are interested in attending, do they plan to listen to the keynote later? 2. A closed-ended question would be: “Do you like the conference?” The person could elaborate, but they could also simply say yes or no, and while that’s not terrible, you haven’t made progress. In contrast, imagine asking them: “What do you think of the conference so far?” This change in phrasing opens up a wide range of potential answers. 3. When you share semi-personal information, you allow them to feel like they’re getting to know you. (Remember, they’re trying to figure out how to talk to you, too.) Reveal some “likes” or “dislikes,” or sprinkle in biographical details (like that you’re originally from Jamaica)—this can bring the conversation to life and encourage reciprocation, where the other person can feel comfortable sharing something as well. 4. While the above approaches suggest ways to initiate a conversation, a final tool is to simply say hello, especially if you find small talk hard to navigate. LOST FOR WORDS? break the ice (phr) make people who have not met before feel relaxed commonalities (n) things you have in common elaborate (v) to add extra information mindset (n) the way someone thinks network (v) to meet people, especially professional contacts reciprocation (n) giving somebody something because they gave you something
The original article by Harvard Business Review excerpted by Macmillan Education under license. All rights reserved.
12 UNIT 1
* Not included in Starter level.
3. G RAMMAR VIDEOS FOR INTERACTIVE LEARNING
Each unit contains motion graphic grammar videos that help students understand grammar in context and encourage active participation. These videos also allow teachers to flip instruction, freeing up class time to focus on speaking activities.
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