Диссертация 2 (1173144), страница 14
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As you read this passage, try to answer the questionsthat follow it.Small talk isn’t as easy as it sounds. On the contrary, conversing with strangers can beawkward, stilted and even painful. But there is an art to it, and it can be mastered.Many people are familiar with the situation when they have just been introduced to a newperson, and awkward silence appeared, because there was nothing to talk about. It is scarier if thenew person is a foreigner and you have to talk to him in English.So, you have just been introduced to someone and you have to say something. It is better touse some formal phrases to look more polite. The true hallmark of a skilled and gracious small talkeris the ability to introduce people with ease. In addition to announcing names, offer a piece ofinformation about each person, or a shared interest, thereby facilitating a conversation.The hardest part is establishing contact and finding something to discuss.
Your best move is toask the person a question that can’t be answered yes or no. You can only ask such questions if youhave some follow-ups. Anyway, try to ask question you would love to answer yourself. Do not askpersonal questions. If you ask the person to express an opinion about something he or she willprobably address the same question to you.People love to talk about themselves, so be ready to be a great listener.Don’t panic when there’s a lull in the conversation. Silence isn’t as long as you think it is.Remember that if you say something, the other person may need to process it. Think of silence as atransition.The main rule of small talk is to avoid anything that can inflame negative feelings.
It is best toavoid topics that could potentially hurt a person’s feelings or challenge their opinion. There are sometopics that are not acceptable when making small talk. When making small talk, you should avoidtalking about money, health, politics, religion, morals, current affairs (news) which demand anopinion, a person’s appearance, anything too personal, anything that someone might have an intenseopinion about. Personal information such as salaries or divorce also should not be discussed betweenpeople who do not know each other well.
Negative comments about another person not involved inthe conversation are also not acceptable. It is also not wise to continue talking about an issue thatthe other person does not seem comfortably with or interested in.85Pay attention to how people feel during small talk. Sometimes small talk is not appropriate orwelcomed by the other person. When you are making small talk, you should always be aware of howthe conversation is going. Notice if the conversation seems forced or the other person looksuncomfortable (one-word answers, not reciprocating questions). Notice if things seem tense(strongly voicing an opinion, raising eyebrows and any king of look of anger or irritation). Then a shiftin topic – or even silence – may be the best solution.Stay engaged in the conversation.
Whenever you are talking with someone, you should showinterest in the conversation. This is also true for small talk. If you’re not interested, the other will notbe interested either. These are some things to keep in mind when trying to understand your situationduring small talk. A red flag is a warning sign that you should pay attention to. If you see one of thesered flags, then you should relax, change the topic or possibly stop talking. Take note of the otherperson’s body language: crossed arms, a serious look or closed off body language are all red flagsshowing that a person is uncomfortable with small talk.
Do not insist on making small talk of theother person is not interested, looks at his/her phone or appears to not hear what you are saying.https://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/03/26/rs.big.rules.small.talk/https://www.fluentu.com/blog/business-english/business-english-conversation/http://en.treewords.com/posts/154-small-talk-in-english-rules-phrases-and-examples#kontaktyhttps://studfiles.net/preview/5788673/page:8/(adapted)ØWas there anything new for you in the passage above? What exactly?ØAre these rules really useful for keeping small talk, from your point ofview? Why?ØCan these rules be appropriate for small talk in intercultural academicenvironment? Are they enough?ØWhat other important rules of keeping small talk in academic settings canyou name? Sum all the rules up in a chart, please.3.Read the following dialogue between two conference participants at adinner and then answer the questions below.Man: So, how do you know Justin?Woman: We worked on the project two years ago in Tomsk.Man: Aha, you must be a teacher from Russia.Woman: That’s right.Man: And what does your husband do?Woman: Uhm, I’m divorced.Man: Oh, sorry.
Anyway, so tell me, why do you, Russians, celebrate two NewYears? Does it have any religious implications?Woman: By the way, it’s just an excuse to have a longer public holiday.86Man: Hmm, interesting. That’s something I’d love to discuss with you, what doyou think about your new prime minister?Woman: Well, but can we do it at another time?(Bezzabotnova O.
English for Academics. Book 1.– Cambridge University Press, 2014. – P. 100)ØIs it possible to consider this small talk successful or not? Prove yourpoint?ØAre there any communication (including socio-cultural) errors made by theinterlocutors? What are they?4. Look at this picture. Is this small talk going to be successful? Prove yourpoint, please.5.Watch the following videos “Signs you’re not good at small talk”(https://youtu.be/Y2-8Fm1EUXw) and “How to small talk – socially awkwardsituations – BBC Brit” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM-OsynIcDw).
Singleout the failures that were made by interlocutors while small talk in informalcommunication situations. Share your thoughts with your colleagues.6.Imagine that you were asked a personal question you do not want toanswer at the international scholarly conference during coffee break. How wouldyou react on it?877.At the 12th Annual EALTA Conference in Copenhagen (Denmark) youwere introduced to Jeremy Harmer by one of your interlocutors during a lunchbreak. What would be your reaction to this introduction? What would you say inthis situation?8.One of your interlocutors at the 8th International Conference “Educationand New Learning Technologies” in Barcelona (Spain) asked for your opinionabout one academic presentation that was, from your point of view, not veryacademically successful.
What would you say in order to avoid giving youropinion?9.Expressing an interest in what your interlocutor is saying at anyinternationalscholarlyconferenceisaveryimportantinterculturalcommunication skill. Imagine that you need to express an interest in what yourinterlocutor is saying during small talk in intercultural academic settings. Whatlanguage would you use in order to do it?10. Imagine that after the International Conference “New Trends in EnglishLanguage Teaching and Testing” in Dubai (U.A.E.) you were invited to someChinese restaurant.
How would you react to this invitation, if you were not veryimpressed with Chinese cuisine?11.Imagine that you are a participant of the international scholarlyconference in New York (the USA). You are supposed to meet some colleagues(that you have never met before) from the UK, the USA, Germany, France, Italyand from Iran, India and China. What kind of small talk would you like to start inorder to make a good impression on them with a view to establish professionalcooperation with the representatives of different cultures and academiccommunities? What questions would you avoid? Comment on your choice.8812. Role-play the following situation in pairs.Speech roles: participants of some international scholarly conference in Berlin.Place: the hall of the Humboldt University of BerlinSituation: You and a person who you have never met before are waiting for thebeginning of the conference section.
You have to start a small talk with him, as silencemakes you both fell extremely uncomfortable. The communicative scheme will helpyou.13. After that try to answer the following question:ØHave you found it difficult or easy to start and end an informalconversation? Why?ØComment on your verbal and non-verbal communication behaviour.
Was itappropriate or inappropriate? Prove your point.ØHave you managed to interact with your partner? Comment on it, please.8914. Work in pairs. What would you say in this situation described below?Speech roles: two professors from Russia and ChinaSituation: A Russian and a Chinese professor are attending an internationalscholarly conference in Moscow.
At the opening reception, the Russian professornotices the Chinese professor is standing alone and looks lonely. The Russian decides tosay hello.What might the Russian professor say in a situation like this? How might theChinese professor respond? Divide into pairs, please, and make up short dialogues thatyou can act out.15.Try to evaluate other students’ communicative verbal and non-verbalbehaviour while acting out their dialogues in pairs answering the questions below:ØHow has the dialogue been structured? Logically or illogically? Proveyour point.ØHave the interlocutors managed to introduce themselves? Whatinformation have they mentioned?ØHave the interlocutors told about their academic interests briefly?Comment on it, please.ØIt is possible to consider small talk topics chosen by the interlocutorsacademically adequate or inadequate?ØComment on students’ verbal and non-verbal communication behaviour.Was it appropriate or inappropriate? Prove your point.90ØWhat recommendations would you make to the students in order to improvetheir intercultural communication skills necessary for effective participating in a smalltalk in academic settings?91МОСКОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТИМЕНИ М.В.
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