SOCIAL SKILLS I

II. MEETING, GREETING AND MAKING SMALL TALK

1. INTRODUCING YOURSELF

Meeting people

There are a few ways to greet someone, depending on the time of day.

Good morning.

Good afternoon.

Good evening.

If you are welcoming someone, you should make an effort to introduce yourself first and ask the person's name if you don't already know it.


How can I help you?
I'm Edward.

My name's Ed. And you are? You must be Elly. Notice in the third example below, you might have already spoken to the other person on the phone or over email,  but it's the first time you're meeting face to face. Nice to meet you. Pleasure to meet you. It's nice to finally meet you. Sometimes you might want the other person to call you by a shortened form of your name. A: You must be William. B: Yes. But please, call me Bill. A: Good evening . How can I help you? B: My name's Philip. I'm here for the job interview. A: Pleasure to meet you , Philip. I'm Susannah Kent, the hiring manager. B: Oh, nice to meet you too , Ms. Kent. A: Please, call me Susie. Let's go in my office for that interview.

2. MAKING SMALL TALK

Appropriate topics

There are several topics that are reliable conversation starters. Some of the most common topics are the weather, traffic, a person's education and where they live.

A. The weather is beautiful today, isn't it?

B. Absolutely. I love going for a walk on days like this.

A. Sorry I'm late. Traffic was awful today.

B. Yeah, Interstate 80 is the worst. That's why I always take Vasco Road.

A. So you studied marketing in Irvine? How was that?

B. Oh, it was fun. I graduated in 2013. I still keep in touch with a lot of my friends.

A. You live in the northern part of town, right?

B. Yeah. It's pretty convenient. Lots of stores nearby, and the rent is reasonable.

If the person is visiting, you can ask them about their flight and hotel, and whether they have been around town yet.

A. How was the flight?
B. It was long. I'm exhausted. But I'll be fine.

A. Is the hotel comfortable?
B. I like it. The breakfast is pretty good.

A. How long have you been in Seattle? Have you seen the Space Needle yet?
B. I've been here three days. I saw the Space Needle yesterday; it was amazing.

For many people, political and religious views are private and not suitable for small talk. Other potentially inappropriate topics include marital or relationship status, age, and anything related to salary or personal finances.



OK for small talk

How long was the flight?
How long does it take you to get to work?
Does it rain a lot in New York?
Is the hotel comfortable?

not OK for small talk
Does your job pay well?
Do you go to church often?
Are you dating anyone? 
Who are you voting for?

- How was the flight?
- It was long, but I slept most of the way.

- It looks beautiful
- It is. So do you live near the office or do you commute?

- I just ride my bike, it's only about 10 minutes.
- Oh, that's nice. I drive to work. Traffic isn't too bad here.
- And is the hotel all right?
- Yes, it's very comfortable and quiet.

3. POLITELY ENDING A CONVERSATION

1) excuses herself
2) gives reason
3) exchanges business cards
4) arranges future contact

Excuse yourself politely

If you need to leave in the middle of a conversation, excuse yourself.

I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me.

I really have to get going.

I really have to run.

Give a reason for why you're leaving.

I have an appointment at 3 o'clock.

I have to go to a meeting in five minutes.

You can also arrange to meet again or continue the conversation later.

Can I give you my card?

Here's my contact information.

Let's meet up for lunch, sometime next week.

Let's keep in touch.

I'll be in touch.

A: I thought international relations would be a useful major, but in the end, my job wasn't related to that at all.

B: Yeah, that happened to a lot of people I know. Hey, I'm sorry , but I have to get going .

A: Oh, OK, no problem.

B: I have a meeting in five minutes.

A: Sure, I understand.

B: Let's meet next time , though. Can I give you my card ? Let's keep in touch

III. MAKING CONVERSATION AT BUSINESS EVENT

1. TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF

sales
human resources (HR)
marketing
information technology (IT)
finance and accounting


sales department - meets with potential clients
HR department - arranges interviews for potential staff 
IT department - sets up email accounts for new employees
marketing department - advertises services to clients
finance and accounting department - organizes payment of staff

Departments and positions

Tell people about your job by explaining what company you work for and what your company does.

I work for SynTest. I work in education. We're a company that develops phone apps. You can also mention what your position is, and what your main job duties are. I'm an assistant manager. I work as a sales manager for a travel company.

I'm in charge of the IT department.

I'm mainly responsible for running QA tests.

My main role is overseeing the Asian markets.

A company can have hundreds of different positions, but here are some of the most common ones. Different companies may use different names for similar roles.

I'm a director at a medical company.
I work as a manager for an airline.
I'm an assistant in a toy company.

Positions can also be combined with department names to be more specific.

I'm a marketing director for a cosmetics company.

I work as a sales manager for a travel company.

I'm an assistant sales manager at a bank.

SAM: My name's Sam. I'm a manager in the marketing  department of a cosmetics company, and I'm  mainly responsible  for the promotion of our brand in our Asia markets.

GEORGE: I'm George. I work as a director for Better Backs. I'm in charge of a company that makes mattresses for people with back problems. I'm mainly responsible for our markets in Europe.

2. POLITELY EXPRESSING OPINIONS

Giving opinions

Express an opinion politely by stating it as your personal view rather than general fact.

In my view, robots could never do high-level jobs.

In my opinion, it would be good for society.

I think it could happen someday.

I don't think it will ever happen.

I think it'll be awful for the economy. That's just my two cents.

You may agree with the speaker.

I agree with what you're saying.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

That's a good point.

You may also disagree.

I disagree with that.

And here's a more indirect and polite way to disagree:

I see things a little differently.

You can also concede a point. It doesn't necessarily mean that you've changed your mind or agree with the speaker. It just shows you think they've given good reasons for their argument.

A. We could do more useful things with our time if robots did our jobs.

B. I see what you're saying.

A. It's unimaginable what technology will be able to do 50 years from now. B. Yeah, that's a good point.     Note that that's a good point can be used both for showing agreement or to concede a point.

That's just my two cents.


3. POLITELY INTERRUPTING

Asking for and giving clarification

Sometimes you may wish to ask a person to explain their position more clearly.

I'm not sure what you mean. Would you mind explaining that in more detail? Could you be more specific?

Do you mean that humans will always be working? Make yourself clearer using the following phrases. Allow me to clarify. I mean that it may happen, but not soon. What I mean by that is that it may not happen in our lifetimes. In other words, our jobs are safe for now. You may need to interrupt someone for a variety of reasons, such as sharing a relevant story,  asking for more detail, or simply to take a call. It's acceptable to do so politely. If I could interrupt you there, do you mean that you think things will never change? If I could butt in, I want to share an article I read recently about this. Sorry to interrupt, but I need to take this call. A: In my opinion, social media has had a lot of negative effects on our lives. B: Can you be more specific ? A: Allow me to explain. I think that it's given us an illusion of being connected, but I'm not sure about the quality of those connections. B: Hmm, I see things differently. I think it depends. A: Would you mind explaining that in more detail ? B: What I mean by that is the quality of the connections depends on the user. If you have a thousand friends, and you only know 10 percent of them, that's your fault. I only have a hundred or so friends on my social media, but I know all of them. A: That's a good point. Sorry to interrupt, but I'm getting an important phone call I need to take.

IV. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY AND ROLE

1. DESCRIBING DEPARTMENTS AND ROLES

Human resources (HR) hires new staff
Research and development (R&D) works on new technology
Information technology (IT)
Marketing
Finance
Vice president (VP) reports to the president
Chief executive officer (CEO) makes final decisions on important matters
Managing director (MD)
Chairperson (CP)
General manager (GM)

Departments and position titles

People often use initialisms when referring to position titles and departments that are longer than one word. Both are correct. Using the initialism is just a shorter way of saying it.

Can you hand this document to R&D?

Go see Carl in HR for questions about payroll.

Paula is the VP now. She used to work in IT.

Some position titles have the word 'man' in them, such as 'chairman.' It's acceptable to use this word if the person in this role is indeed male, but you can also use the word 'chairwoman' if the person is female. If you don't know or you want to speak more generally, you can use the word 'chairperson.'

Bill is expected to become chairman this year.

Jenny is our new chairwoman.

Who is the chairperson of your company?

So, the most important section for you is here, the HR department. This is where you'll work, and you'll get lots of people coming to you with their payroll questions. Fortunately, you work near the finance department, which mainly handles all of our budget issues. That's also where our VP works, and obviously he meets with our president often, so make sure you always look busy.

Downstairs on the second floor is our R&D department, and right now they're working on an exciting project, which is related to virtual reality for cellphones. In fact, in that big conference room, the team is having a meeting. The guy in the black suit is Richard, the chairman , who's the real decision maker of the company. And finally, here's my area, the marketing department. We're working on a major marketing campaign for our new product. In fact, I'd better get back to work now!

2. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

Describing your company

You should give information about the history of your company – where it started, who started it, and what it started out as.

The company was founded in 1920.

The company was founded by Lenny Tart.

It began as one small store, but it expanded quickly.

Also mention some current information about the company, such as how big it is, where it operates and what it does. Notice the use of another initialism, HQ (headquarters).

Our HQ is in Spain, but we have branches worldwide.

We export to over 20 countries.

We manufacture office furniture.

We have over 75,000 employees.

We're a leader in our field.

Facts about Studious Studios

• opened in 1970 by Tak Nakamoto

• first was an editing studio, developed into a major advertising agency

• has a staff of over 200

• operates in four countries

• HQ in Los Angeles

We began as an editing studio.
The company was founded in 1970 by Tak Nakamoto.
We have over 200 employees working for us.
Our HQ is in Los Angeles, but we operate in four countries.

3. DESCRIBING YOUR JOB AND DUTIES

Talking about your role

When describing your duties, you should say what you are responsible for, who you report to, and who reports to you.

I'm responsible for the market research team. I'm in charge of the new advertising campaign. I report to the CEO. The sales manager reports to me.

There are several common words and phrases used to describe duties.

I'm responsible for making sure my team meets its deadlines.
I collaborate with the R&D team.
My job is to oversee all new campaigns.
I make sure the team delivers quality work.
I manage the marketing team.
I organize team-building events.

1. My role is to make sure the team stays on task.
2. I report  to the VP.
3. I collaborate  with the marketing team.
4. I'm responsible for  organizing team-building events.
5. My job is to  oversee product development.

Hi Janet,

So nice to have you on board today. I just thought I'd write you a quick email summarizing your job duties. As HR manager, you're mainly in charge of making sure all staff are paid accurately and on time. You will collaborate with the finance team regularly, and you report toRowena, the company VP. You're also responsible for delivering quality work and making sure your team meets its deadlines.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.