It’s Interesting to Know

What does it mean to communicate?

The word “communicate” has a long history. It has come to the English language, like many words, from Latin. To the ancient Romans, who spoke Latin, the term meant “to make common”.

Once an understanding passes between people, with or without words, they communicate. Nonverbal communication includes eye contact, facial expressions, speaking distance and some others.

Meeting a person’s eyes and keeping eye contact is one way of showing interest in what that person is saying. It shows that you are paying attention to the speaker. Avoiding eye contact suggests that you may be uninterested, fearful or inattentive.

The normal distance between speakers may be different in different cultures. You should not stand too close to another person but standing too far may cause distrust for both speakers. Under the right circumstances even physical contact becomes an acceptable way of communicating. In formal situations such as introductions, physical contact often takes the form of a handshake. Less formally, a brief touch of hand or shoulder can express care towards another person. The same gesture can be used to show satisfaction with someone’s work.

Facial expressions communicate a wide range of attitudes and feelings. Eye contact, a smile can create a feeling of solidarity between people. At work, where interpersonal communication is essential, nonverbal communication expresses friendship. Nonverbal communication can tell co-workers that you care about them.

1) Choose the right answer A, B, or C;

1. Eye contact

1. to rub your eyes

2. a type of eyeglasses

3. meeting a person’s glance

2. Physical contact

1. aggressive behavior

2. touching of any kind

3. a gesture

3. Nonverbal communication

1. the difference between humans and animals

2. to speak without verbs

3. communication other than words

2) Fill in the gaps with the given words.

Eye contact, physical contact, nonverbal communication.

1. Although her boss remained silent, she could tell how he was feeling by his______________.

2. The interviewer thought that the applicant was insincere because she did not make any ____________ during the interview.

3. When her boss touched her arm she became uncomfortable. ______________ is less common between people in her culture.

3) Use a dictionary and choose the synonym to the underlined word in each sentence.

1. Lifting the shoulders is a gesture that indicates lack of interest.

1. napping

2. shrugging

3. sighing

4. yawning

2. His energy expressed in his eyes seemed to be boundless.

1. without limits

2. unnatural

3. bright

4. suspicious

3. Ralph Nader always speaks out with his gestures about everything.

1. declares his opinion

2. agrees

3. shows

4. has an interest

4. He flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

1. musical

2. hot-tempered

3. loyal

4. jealous

5. The receptionist was a cheerful but phlegmatic person.

1. calm

2. dishonest

3. practical

4. interesting

Business Communication.

Dealing with interruptions.

Exercise A. Listening. Track 2:18

1. Listen to a meeting taking place in a company which produces radios and televisions. Lisa Spinelli, John Forbes, Tom Lee and Mary Riley are meeting to decide whether or not to open a fitness centre for employees. Decide who is an expert listener, who is an average listener and who is a terrible listener.

Lisa___ John_____ Tom_____ Mary_____

2. Listen to the meeting again and mark the statements T (true) and F (false).

1. Ms Sanchez definitely wants a fitness centre.

2. This is not the first time a fitness centre is discussed.

3. The fitness centre should be outside the company.

4. The company would need to hire more staff.

5. John thinks a fitness centre would be counterproductive.

6. There is a high illness rate only among production staff.

Exercise B. Listen to the meeting again and complete the table with phrases for dealing with interruptions.

Rejecting an interruption If I could finish_____ _____ _____ _____.	Polite interruption May I interrupt here? Sorry to interrupt but I’d ____ ___ ___ ____ ____.	Impolite interruption Let me speak for myself! Stop ___ ___!
Coming back to a point As I was saying. Could we get back to ___ ____ ___.	Preventing an interruption I’d like to make ___ ___ before we start talking.	Adding an opinion I’ve got something ____ ____ ____.

Exercise C. Match a beginning with the correct ending.

Please allow me to finish and	and I’d like the chance to explain why.
That’s a very interesting point, which	time is running short?
Can I ask you to be brief, as	I’d like to come back to later.
That’s not relevant to this discussion so	then you can make your comments.
You’ve said quite a lot and now	could we get back on track?
I don’t agree with your last point	I’d like the chance to have my say.

Exercise D. Work in groups of three. Prepare a short talk for other members of your group. Be prepared to answer any questions when they interrupt.

Student A.

Prepare a short talk on an organization you would like to work for. Think about what the organization does, why you would like to work for it, what you would do there. Imagine what working there would be like. Then talk to the other two members of your group and be ready to answer any questions. When the others will talk, be ready to ask questions and interrupt once or twice.

Student B.

Prepare a short talk on a company that is successful all over the world. Think about what the company does, why you think they are successful and who their main rivals are. Then talk to the other two members of your group and be ready to answer any questions. When the others will talk, be ready to ask questions and interrupt once or twice.

Student C.

Prepare a short talk on the kind of company you would like to set up. Think about what your company would specialize in, why you want to set up this kind of company and what you would do to make this company successful. . Then talk to the other two members of your group and be ready to answer any questions. When the others will talk, be ready to ask questions and interrupt once or twice.

Follow-Up

1. Comment on the proverb: The shortest distance between two people is a smile. Do you know any Russian equivalents?

2. Internet Research. Search for the keywords communication skills. What are some other important points for being a good communicator?