English – Part X
Hi! – Nice to see you on my blog again!
Let’s talk about small talk today and start with a time for a smile: ‘Small talk makes your business partners feel at home, even if you wish they were’ J
Ok, serious now: no business without small talk. You make small talk on planes and trains, before and after interviews or meetings. You small-talk at congresses, trade fairs and receptions. And there are, of course, different types of small talk:
- There is that type of small talk that you use to fill in time when you talk about the weather, your last holiday, a new car or sports. It is small talk pure, innocent small talk without any thought of how to profit by it professionally. It is small talk without purpose.
- Small talk on the second level is an exchange of information, interesting ideas or opinions. You enjoy a ‘meeting of the minds’.
- Then there is the third level where you make small talk with a purpose. This is a social skill and a business skill. You create contacts with people you are professionally interested in. Often good relations are established, good ideas are born and good contracts are won during informal talks at the swimming pool or at the golf club.
- It is not important what you know, but WHO you know. Small talkers with a vision try to find a place in a network of partners who collect and exchange useful information over a longer period of time.
The perfect small talker is a good listener and interested in meeting other people. He (The five “es” of small talk) …
1 enjoys the moment and the company,
2 encourages others to participate in small talk,
3 exchanges memories, information and ideas with others,
4 explores new business opportunities,
5 establishes a network as a bridge to professional success.
I hope you’ll find these tips useful and meet me on my next blog. Bye for now, Renate
