Role Play Giving and asking for advice.

Work in pairs. Read the instructions for Student A and Student B. After working on your part for ten minutes, act out the dialogue.

Student A:

You are a cross-cultural consultant hired by a foreign executive going to do business for the first time in your country or a country you know well. Prepare some advice that you would give your client about business practices. Use the following topics to help you.

Use of language: Is there a special way of addressing (or greeting) people? (Formal? Informal?)

Non-verbal communication: What are the various roles played by handshaking, gestures, and silence.

Business negotiations: How important is punctuality and respecting the agenda? What kind of negotiating styles are preferred? (Direct? Indirect?) When is the right moment to mention money?

Socialising: What are the attitudes towards gift giving, eating and humour? What kind of conversation topics are avoided? (Religion? Politics? Salaries?)

The following structures will help you to answer the questions that your client (Student B) will ask.

You should always/never...

I would advise you to ...

Don't forget to ...

It is important/essential to ...

It would be a good idea to ...

Student B:

You are a business person going to negotiate in a foreign country. As part of the preparation for your trip, you have arranged to meet a consultant (Student A), who is an expert on the culture of this country. Using the headings below, draw up a list of the questions that you would ask him/her.

Use of language

Non-verbal communication

Business negotiations

Socialising

Examples:

Do I call my business contact by his/her first name?

How should I greet my business partners?

How important is it to exchange business cards in this country?

Are there any topics to avoid in an informal conversation?

Possible destinations: Ukraine, Japan, the US, France, Germany, Britain, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Business skills meetings

All business people spend a fair amount of their time attending meetings. When participating in meetings of different kinds and sizes some skills are required. It depends on whether the meeting is formal or informal. The relationships and behaviour at meetings where many people are involved, as in a committee, or where just two people are involved will be different. We speak about one-to-one meetings if two people participate in them and not interviews, as by interviews we mean job interviews, progress interviews or promotion interviews. The main advantage of one-to-one meetings is that they do not require any elaborate preparation but arranging the time of it and the place, i.e. making an appointment.

Face-to-face meetings are more personal, more interaction and feedback is possible, it can make more impact, it is cheaper if no travel is required, you can smile ...But you have to think as you speak, once you’ve said something it can’t be rubbed out, saying something once may not sink in or be remembered.

Memorize the following phrases and make up dialogues using them.

Face-to-face meetings

Introducing yourself

I don’t think we’ve met. I’m...

Introducing others

Let me introduce you. Maribel, this is Charles Hammond.

Charles, this is Maribel Rivera.

I think you two have already met: Steve Reich ― Ruth Harris.

Greeting

Pleased to meet you. How do you do?

Ah yes, nice to see you again! How are you?

Fine, thanks. How are you?