How To Make Small-Talk At A Business Meeting - Business English (Free PDF included)

Summary

This interactive lesson teaches effective small talk for business meetings. It covers three scenarios: conversing with a well-known colleague, someone from a different department, and a first-time meeting. The lesson includes dialogues and examples for starting conversations, such as discussing recent events, work updates, or personal experiences. It also provides tips for engaging with others and encourages practice to improve communication skills in a business context.

Takeaways

• 😀 Start small talk by asking about a known event or plan, such as a recent presentation.
• 🗣️ Practice dialogues to get comfortable with conversation starters like discussing work presentations.
• 🤝 Use open-ended questions to engage in conversation, for example, asking about someone's workload.
• 🔍 Inquire about departmental updates or changes to keep the conversation relevant and interesting.
• 🏢 When meeting someone from a different department, ask about their current projects or challenges.
• 🌐 For new acquaintances, use general topics like recent weather or events to initiate conversation.
• 👋 Greet someone you've only communicated with digitally by expressing excitement to finally meet in person.
• 🏨 Ask about their travel and accommodation to show care and make the other person feel welcomed.
• ⏰ Use the opportunity to schedule a follow-up chat during a break to continue building rapport.
• 💡 Encourage further engagement by asking open-ended questions about their experiences or opinions.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the interactive lesson?

The main focus of the interactive lesson is to teach how to make small talk at the start of a business meeting.

How many different scenarios are discussed in the lesson?

There are three different scenarios discussed in the lesson.

What is the first scenario presented in the lesson?

The first scenario is how to make small talk with a colleague you know well.

What is an effective way to start a conversation with a colleague as demonstrated in the first scenario?

An effective way to start a conversation is by asking about a recent event or something that you knew was planned or coming up, such as a presentation.

What are some additional conversation starters suggested for the first scenario?

Additional conversation starters for the first scenario include asking about upcoming events like a trade show, inquiring about a contract, or mentioning a colleague's promotion.

What is the second scenario about?

The second scenario is about making small talk with someone from a different department whom you don't know very well.

How does Gunter initiate the conversation in the second scenario?

Gunter initiates the conversation by asking if the other person is busy these days, which is a simple and effective way to start a conversation in this situation.

What is the third scenario presented in the lesson?

The third scenario is about starting a conversation with someone you haven't met before.

How does Javi start the conversation with Alexis in the third scenario?

Javi starts the conversation by saying 'It's great to finally put a face to the name,' which is a good conversation starter for meeting someone in person for the first time.

What are some conversation starters suggested for the third scenario?

Some conversation starters for the third scenario include asking about the person's trip, the weather in their hometown, or if it's their first time in a particular location.

What is the instructor's invitation to the audience at the end of the lesson?

The instructor invites the audience to share their own conversation starters in the comments and to watch more lessons for learning additional small talk phrases for business.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Small Talk Strategies for Business Meetings

This paragraph introduces an interactive lesson focused on small talk at the beginning of business meetings. It outlines three different scenarios for conversation, starting with a dialogue between colleagues who know each other well. The dialogue includes questions about a recent presentation and the boss's reaction, followed by inquiries about other colleagues and meetings. The lesson emphasizes the importance of asking about planned or upcoming events to initiate conversation. Additional conversation starters are provided, such as discussing a trade show, a contract, or personal updates like promotions. The paragraph concludes with a suggestion to practice the dialogue out loud, highlighting the effectiveness of asking about shared knowledge or experiences to foster engagement.

05:01

🌐 Engaging with New and Familiar Faces

The second paragraph delves into scenarios for starting conversations with less familiar colleagues or entirely new contacts. It presents a dialogue between two individuals from different departments who have not had regular interactions. The conversation begins with a general inquiry about current workload, leading to discussions about new hires and upcoming trade shows. The paragraph also includes examples of conversation starters suitable for meeting someone for the first time, such as comments on the weather or traffic. The lesson suggests practicing these dialogues to improve small talk skills in business settings. It concludes with prompts for further conversation, encouraging participants to think of additional openers and to engage in discussions during breaks, emphasizing the value of personal touches and common experiences in building rapport.

Keywords

💡Small talk

Small talk refers to casual, informal conversations, often about trivial or neutral subjects, used to break the ice or fill social gaps. In the video, small talk is the central theme, focusing on how to initiate and maintain conversations at the start of a business meeting. Examples from the script include asking about a colleague's recent presentation or discussing upcoming events like a trade show.

💡Business meeting

A business meeting is a formal gathering of people for the purpose of discussing business-related matters. The video script revolves around the importance of small talk at the beginning of such meetings to establish rapport and set a positive tone. The scenarios presented in the script illustrate different types of interactions that can occur in a business meeting context.

💡Scenario

A scenario in this context refers to a hypothetical situation or setting that is used to demonstrate how to use certain language or communication skills. The video presents three different scenarios to practice small talk, each with a unique context such as talking with a well-known colleague, someone from a different department, or a new acquaintance.

💡Dialogue

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people in a written or spoken format. The video script includes several dialogue examples to illustrate how to engage in small talk. These dialogues are meant to be practiced by the viewers to improve their conversational skills in a business setting.

💡Colleague

A colleague is a person who works in the same profession or at the same workplace. In the video, making small talk with a colleague is one of the scenarios. The script shows how to ask about a colleague's recent presentation as a way to start a conversation, highlighting the familiarity and professional relationship.

💡Presentation

A presentation is a formal talk or speech delivered to an audience, often accompanied by visual aids. The script uses the context of a colleague's recent presentation as a conversation starter, showing how to inquire about someone's work-related experiences to engage in small talk.

💡Department

A department refers to a division of an organization, each with specific responsibilities. The video script includes a scenario where small talk is initiated with someone from a different department, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging the diversity of roles and responsibilities within an organization.

💡Trade show

A trade show is an exhibition event where companies showcase their products and services to potential customers and partners. The script uses the upcoming trade show in Dubai as an example of a topic for small talk, demonstrating how to discuss professional events and plans to foster conversation.

💡Promotion

Promotion in a business context refers to the advancement of an employee to a higher position or rank within an organization. The video script includes an example of asking about a colleague's promotion as a way to start a conversation, showing how to use positive news as a conversational opener.

💡Conversation starter

A conversation starter is a question or statement designed to initiate a conversation. The video provides multiple examples of conversation starters, such as asking about someone's busyness or recent changes in their department, to help viewers learn how to begin small talk in various business situations.

Highlights

Introduction to the interactive lesson on making small talk at the start of a business meeting.

Exploration of three different scenarios for making small talk with colleagues.

Practice dialogue between Kathy and Simon discussing a recent presentation.

Use of 'so' to initiate conversation and inquire about a colleague's presentation.

Example of asking about the boss's reaction to continue the conversation.

Inquiry about Paul's attendance as a way to extend the dialogue.

Additional conversation starters for discussing known events or plans.

Dialogue between Gunter and Stephanie about departmental activities and busyness.

Suggestion to ask about the other person's workload to keep the conversation flowing.

Discussion on preparing for a trade show as a topic for small talk.

Using general questions about the weather or traffic as conversation openers.

Dialogue between Javi and Alexis, who have not met in person before, focusing on meeting for the first time.

Using 'It's great to finally put a face to the name' as an effective conversation starter.

Inquiry about the ease of finding the location as a welcoming conversation topic.

Suggestion to discuss the hotel stay and overall travel experience.

Encouragement for further conversation during breaks in the meeting.

Additional conversation starters related to business, travel, and personal experiences.

Invitation for viewers to share their own conversation starters in the comments.

Recommendation of further lessons for learning more small talk phrases for business.

Transcripts

hi everybody in this interactive lesson

i'm going to show you how to make small

talk at the start of a business meeting

we're going to look at three different

scenarios and for each one we'll

practice a short dialogue together then

i'll show you lots of extra examples of

how to get a conversation going

and our first scenario is how to make

small talk with a colleague you know

well

so how did your presentation go the

other day oh yeah it went pretty well

thanks i was a bit nervous at the start

but after a few minutes i felt quite

comfortable great and what did the boss

say

well he didn't say anything but i got

the impression he was happy with it good

for you

thanks

do you know if paul is going to be at

this meeting

let's go back to the start of this

dialogue

kathy uses so to get started and then

she asks simon how his presentation went

this is a great way to start the

conversation asking about something that

you knew was planned or coming up

and now let's practice the dialogue

together you read the white text that's

kathy's part and i'll read the black

text simon's part as soon as you see the

dialogue you can begin and remember to

read out loud let's try it

oh yeah it went pretty well thanks i was

a bit nervous at the start but after a

few minutes i felt quite comfortable

well he didn't say anything but i got

the impression he was happy with it

thanks

excellent and now let's look at some

other ways to start a conversation in

this scenario

are you going to the trade show in dubai

next month

any news on the harrison contract

so these two conversation starters are

similar to the ones in the dialogue

asking about things that you know are

going on or planned

and one more example did you hear that

tanya got promoted

and now some more general examples

did you watch the match last night

did you do anything interesting at the

weekend

how's the family

in this scenario we'll see an example of

how to make small talk with someone you

don't know very well for example someone

from a different department

and that you don't have regular contact

with

are you busy these days

yeah actually we've just hired three new

assistants and i'm training them in at

the moment oh so you have your hands

full

yeah pretty much what about you how are

things going in your department we're

also quite busy at the moment preparing

for the big trade show in milan next

month oh yeah of course i know there's a

lot of work involved in that absolutely

so what are the new assistants like

and now let's go back to the start of

this dialogue

gunter starts the conversation with

are you busy these days which is a very

simple but effective way to start a

conversation in this situation

and now let's act out this dialogue

together you read gunter's pad in white

and i'll read stephanie's part in black

as soon as the dialogue appears you can

begin

yeah actually we've just hired three new

assistants and i'm training them in at

the moment

yeah pretty much what about you how are

things going in your department

oh yeah of course i know there's a lot

of work involved in that

are you working on anything interesting

at the moment

i heard there's been quite a few changes

in your department recently

are you still in touch with klaus berger

in this last example imagine that

klausberger is someone that you both

know and worked with before

i wonder if this rain is ever going to

stop

did you have a nice easter

and one more example the traffic was

crazy this morning

this one is very similar to starting a

conversation about the weather it's very

general and if you know the other person

drives to work and the traffic really

was bad it's another way to get a

conversation going

in this scenario we'll see an example of

how to start a conversation with someone

you haven't met before

it's great to finally put a face to the

name

yeah absolutely it's great to meet you i

hope you didn't have any trouble finding

us no no trouble at all just a short

walk from my hotel actually

perfect where are you staying the four

seasons ah yes that's a pretty good

hotel yeah all good so far

oh it looks like we're getting started

let's chat again during the break

great let's do that

so in this scenario javi and alexis have

had email and telephone contact before

they know each other but they've never

met face to face

javi starts off with it's great to

finally put a face to the name this is a

great conversation starter for this

situation javi also follows up with i

hope you didn't have any trouble finding

us which is a typical thing to say to

someone who is visiting you at your

offices for the first time

and now let's practice this one together

you read javi's part and i'll read

alexis

yeah absolutely it's great to meet you

no no trouble at all just a short walk

from my hotel actually

the four seasons

yeah all good so far

great let's do that

how's business

and if you know that the person's

company is having a successful period at

the moment you can say

i believe business is going well

and another example

thanks for making the time to be here

today i hope the traffic wasn't too bad

how was your trip

is this your first time in delhi

how's the weather back in stuttgart

do you know any other conversation

starters for these situations

if you do let me know in the comments

and if you like this lesson and want to

learn lots more great small talk phrases

for business watch these lessons next

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