Dr. H.

MAKHAD

ENGLISH LANGUAGE RESOURCES

CONVERSATIONS: BUSINESS INTRODUCTIONS

1. INTRODUCTION: WHY CONVERSATIONS?

ACCESSIBILITY TO ENGLISH IN REAL SITUATIONS;

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION;
A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY OF A WHOLE NEW CULTURE;
REINFORCE SELF-CONFIDENCE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE USE;
DEVELOPS AND IMPROVES LANGUAGE SKILLS;
ABILITY TO EXPRESS ONESELF CLEARLY AND EASILY;

2. PRINCIPLES OF SOFT CONVERSATIONS:

MASTER THE COURAGE TO BE POLITE WITH PEOPLE: BE NICE AND YOU WIN PEOPLE;
MAKE THE CONVERSATION REAL: CRITICIZE BUT DO NOT BE HATEFUL;
BE COOPERATIVE: ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOU CANT WIN AN ARGUMENT;
COME OUT INTO THE TOPIC BUT MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GLAD TO DO WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO;
TACKLE THE CHALLENGE TODAY, BUT MAKE THE FAULTS SEEM EASY TO CORRECT;
NEVER FORGET THAT GOOD MANNERS ARE REALLY ATTRACTIVE: IF YOURE WRONG, ADMIT IT;
DO NOT TRY TO FIND THE FAULTS OF PEOPLE: TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN MISTAKES FIRST;
DO NOT OBEY YOUR INSTINCTS AND INTUITION AS NO ONE LIKES TO TAKE ORDERS, BUT
EVERYONE RESPECTS RULES OF THE GAME;
DO NOT LET SILENCE DO THE HEAVY JOB: BE THERE AND PREPARE TO BE NOWHERE ELSE.

3. INTRODUCING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

3. 1. BUSINESS SITUATION: (Meeting a business colleague for the first time in a hotel lobby)
3. 1. 1. READ AND PRACTICE THE CONVERSATION.
Mr. Ono:
Mr. Davis:
Mr. Ono:
Mr. Davis:
Mr. Ono:
Mr. Davis:
Mr. Ono:
Mr. Davis:
Mr. Ono:
Mr. Davis:

Excuse me, you wouldnt happen to be Mr. Davis, would you? (1)
Well. yes, I am. (2) You must be Mr. Ono of Tokyo Textiles.
Yes, thats right. It is a pleasure to meet you, (3) sir. (4)
(They shake hands)
Its a pleasure to meet you, too. Let me give you one of my business cards.
Here you go. (5)
Oh, thank you. Please here is one of mine also.
Thank you.
I hope you were not waiting long. (6)
No, not at all. I just arrived myself a few moments before you did (7).
Ah, I see you are the Senior Sales Representative for the Midwest Division.
Yes. As you can see on my card, our regional office is based in Indianapolis,
Indiana. This is my third year to work at that office. By the way, (8)
thank you very much for agreeing to meet me here today.
No, (9) its my pleasure. I am glad that our schedules allowed us the opportunity
to meet up (10) today.

3. 2. EXPRESSIONS FROM THE CONVERSATION

(1) EXCUSE ME, YOU WOULDNT HAPPEN TO BE MR. DAVIS, WOULD YOU?
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This is a very polite way to ask a stranger who he/she is if you are unsure. The tag question makes it more
polite. Consider the following example:
A:
Pardon me, you wouldnt happen to know a Ms. Strieber, would you?
B:
Yes. Thats her standing over there next to the door.
(2) WELL YES, I AM.
The well used here is a conjunction used as a filler word in his initial response.
A:
Are you going to the opera tomorrow?
B:
Why yes, I am. Why do you ask?
(3) IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
This expression is used when meeting someone for the first time. People will often say: Its nice to meet
you. The person responding simply says: its a pleasure to meet you, too. or, its nice to meet you, too.
(4) SIR: This is the polite form to address a gentleman; especially if he is older than you. When addressing a
woman, the polite expression is: MAAM: madam.
(5) HERE YOU GO: This expression is always said when handing something to someone.
A:
May I borrow a piece of paper?
B:
Sure. Here you go.
(6) I HOPE YOU WERE NOT WAITING LONG: Since Mr. Ono had asked Mr. Davis to meet him, and because he
arrived after Mr. Davis did, he used this expression to show his concern for perhaps wasting Mr. Davis
time.
(7) NO, NOT AT ALL. I JUST ARRIVED MYSELF A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE YOU DID.
Mr. Davis replied with this sentence to help put Mr. Ono at ease. It is likely that Mr. Ono was on time, but
Mr. Davis was early. Since Mr. Davis wasnt angry, he responded in a friendly manner and made an
explanation to Mr. Ono.
(8) BY THE WAY.
Mr. Ono politely wanted to shift the direction of the conversation from him back to Mr. Davis by
introducing a new topic. In this case, he wished to thank Mr. Davis for meeting him. Another example
would be:
A:
Its been a long time since we have met.
B:
It has been a long time. By the way, are you free for lunch tomorrow?
(9). NO: This no is placed here to say: No, you dont have to thank me its my pleasure. It is standard
that English speakers shorten their utterances when the intention of the words is clearly understood.
(10). TO MEET UP: When a schedule meeting is set in advance, often people will use this expression to refer
to the meeting rather than just saying simply to meet.
It was so nice to meet up with my old high school friends at the gathering.
3. 2. 1. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Which of the two people had asked the other one to meet?
What is Mr. Onos company called?
Did Mr. Davis have to wait for a long time for Mr. Ono to arrive?
What is Mr. Onos business title?
How long has Mr. Ono worked in Indianapolis, Indiana?
Why did Mr. Davis say: You must be Mr. Ono of Tokyo Textiles.
Why did Mr. Ono start with: Excuse me?
What is the reason why Mr. Davis said: Let me give you one of my business cards?

3. 2. 2. REPRODUCE THE TEXT USING YOUR OWN WORDS

3. 3. MATCH THE BEST COMBINATION OF SENTENCES FROM COLUMN A AND B.

COLUMN A
COLUMN B
Do you have a course there?
Of Course, there you go.
Of course, you did go there, didnt you?
Do you have a pen?
Would you please go there?
Could you lend me your car tonight?
I hope I did not make you lose your time. No, she hasnt arrived yet.
I wish you were not waiting long.
Yes, I arrived later than you.
Actually, I just arrived myself.
My pleasure to meet you is enormous.
Its nice to meet you, too.
I havent met you yet, have I?
Its a pleasure to meet you.
Have you met my friend, Bret?
I had the pleasure of meeting you before.
Thank you for helping me today.
Not at all, it was my pleasure.
No, I didnt help today.
Actually, I am not helping you.
It was my pleasure to help you ahead of
today.
Would you happen to have the time?
Excuse me, have you got the time?
I think so, it is 5 pm.
Yes, It happened last time.
I would have more time, if I had left earlier.
I have lots of time. Lets go to the cafeteria.
3. 4. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH APPROPRIATE WORDS
A:
Good morning, you must be Ms. Woods. Allow me to ____________ myself. I am Jane Bolt. It is
a __________ to meet you.
B:
It is a pleasure to meet you, too. Let me give you one of my business card.
_______ _______ _______.
A:
Thank you, Madam. Here is ________.
B:
Oh, I see you are __________ the New York office.
A:
Yes, thats __________. I recently transferred there from Washington. ________ ________
________, thank you for meeting me today. I know how busy you must be.
B:
_______ _______ _______, its my pleasure. I am glad that our schedules allowed us the
opportunity to meet up today.
C:
D:
C:
D:
C:
D:

Excuse me, you wouldnt happen to be Mr. Davidson, _______ _______?

________, I am. You must be Mr. Douglas from the regional office.
Yes, sir. _______ __ ______. I am so happy to meet you finally.
It certainly is a pleasure ____ ______ you, too.
I hope you werent _______ _______.
No, not at all. Actually, I came a ______ ________ to read the information you had sent me for this
meeting.

E:
F:
E:

_______ ________ ________ to introduce myself. My name is Sam Johnson.

______ _____ ________ to meet you, Mr. Johnson. I am Ken March.
Let me give you ______ _________ _________. Here you go.
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F:
Thank you. I must apologize. I havent had a __________ to have any business cards made yet. I just
arrived from Denver, Oregon yesterday.
E:
_________________ my email address and my phone number are on my card. Please send me a
__________ or call with your contact number so that I can reach you.
F:
Absolutely, I will be sure to do that as soon as I return to my _______ _________.
3. 5. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE FOLLOWING

WORDS

TOUCH, NASTY, OPEN, CHECK, TAKING, BUSY, BY THE WAY, EXACTLY, DEAR, DELAY, AROUND, UNLESS, WEEK,
COMPUTER, ARE, REST, RESPONDED, GOING, WELL, LAST, SO, LATELY

_________Megan,
How is it _________? _________, I just realized that I hadnt _________ to your _________ message. I am
_________ sorry for the _________. I definitely will make it up for you sometime in the future. Believe me,
I have been so _________ with work _________ that I barely have time to even _________ my email. Next
_________, I am _________ a few days off to _________. _________, there is a heads-up on a _________
virus that is going _________. Do not _________ any attachments _________ you know _________ what
they_________. Keep in _________.
Yours
Beth
4. CULTURAL DIMENSION
4. 1. READ THE TEXT AND ANSWER SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS
BUSINESS CARD CULTURE IN AMERICA AND JAPAN
The exchange of business cards between colleagues and business contacts is a time-honored tradition
in both America and Japan. The business card is viewed in both cultures as an important tool to gain
valuable information about the person from whom it was received. The emphasis, however, placed upon the
exchange of cards regarding status and respect is credibly different between the United States and Japan.
The custom of exchanging business cards tends to be much more casual in the United States than it
is in Japan. For instance, when business cards are exchanged during business meeting in America, the
American businessperson may only glance briefly at it before placing it in his/ her briefcase or pocket. A
Japanese businessperson, on the other hand, will most likely offer his/her card and accept the other persons
business card with both hands. He/she will then study the other persons card for a while before respectfully
placing it down in front him/her on the table. Only after the meeting is finished will the Japanese
businessperson quietly put it away.
This cultural difference can be offensive to Japanese professionals doing business in the U.S. They
may feel as though their American counterparts have no interest in their position in the company. This is
quite the contrary. Americans do value these aspects and will take note of them later, in private. American
businesspeople believe in the importance of treating everyone equally and with utmost respect, regardless of
their age, position, or title. So, it is often common for an American to put more effort in the face-to-face
aspect of the meeting, rather than trying to decipher a persons credentials and status via a business card.
Americans value greatly first impressions and wish to make a good impression on the other person.
Especially in business situations, Americans will often try to initiate the conversation first, offering the
majority of the information on the business card orally, in order to put the other person at ease. Americans
view too much silence when meeting another person as a sign of not being interested, and hence try to avoid
it at all costs.
To avoid misunderstandings in business situations, both American and Japanese businesspeople must
acquaint themselves with the culture of their corresponding businessperson. Differences between people,
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their traditions and cultures are real. They cannot be avoided. Familiarity with cross-cultural differences can
only enrich the efforts of understanding other nations and groups of people as well as their behavior.
4. 2. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Why is a business card an important device in trade dealings and interactions?
a. Information on a business card can be offered orally;
b. Business card are offered to put colleagues at ease;
c. Too many business cards indicate successful businessperson;
d. Business cards evoke extensive facts about other professionals.
2. Why do Americans glance briefly at business cards?
a. They do not like people giving those cards;
b. They feel offended by Japanese culture and business relations;
c. They want to study Japanese commercial transactions in secret;
d. Business card exchange is an unconstrained and ordinary event in America.
3. Is culture an important element in business interactions?
a. Differences between foreigners are neglected in international dealings;
b. Foreigners cause misunderstandings in business situations;
c. American and Japanese businesspeople offer commercial information orally;
d. Familiarity with cultural diversity enhances thoughtful and right business deals.
4. 3. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
On the basis of the above text, which of the following sentences are true and which are false?
STATEMENT
TRUE FALSE
1. Everybody respects the time when business cards are exchanged.
2. Only colleagues exchange their business cards.
3. Business cards give more honor to business relations.
4. American and Japanese traditions influence business contacts.
5. Business cards are central for future acquaintances.
6.
Americans are offended by Japanese business principles and
traditions.
7.
Exchange of business cards is a condition for success in Japan and
America.
8. Americans differ from Japanese businessmen in that they talk too much.
9. Americans respect business cards; Japanese do not.
10. Japanese value business cards; Americans do not.
11. Japanese & Americans admire business ethics.
12. Business cards are practices performed in meetings.
13. Social ranks and hierarchies have high esteem for Japanese.
14. Americans award significance to titles and positions.
15. Difference between Americans and Japanese is on rank classifications and
prestige.
16. Cultural conditions must be disregarded in doing business.
17. If you do not want to do business remain silent in meetings.
18. Americans talk too much in meetings because they want to control
negotiations.
19. Americans are very formal in doing business.
20. Japanese avoid formalities unless necessary.
21. Strict business is the traditional practice in Japan.
22. Authoritarian businesspeople emphasize on business principles.
23. Americans are easy-going in business cards exchange.
24. Japanese put away business cards before they go to meetings.
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25. Americans throw away business cards during meetings.

26. Americans & Japanese appraise early impressions in business situations.
4. 3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. How is the business card viewed in both cultures?
2. What cultural differences can be offensive to Japanese professionals doing business in the United
States?
3. How do Americans view silence when meeting another person?
4. 4. WRITE A PARAGRAPH AS AN ANSWER TO EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. What are the business card exchange traditions in Moroccan business meetings?
2. Why do Businesspeople exchange business cards?
3. When in a meeting how would you describe your job?
4. 5. WRITE AN ESSAY ON THE FOLLOWING TOPIC
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both American and Japanese ways of exchanging business cards.
5. BUSINESS CARD MORAL PRINCIPLES
1. Business cards have little meaning other than a convenient form of capturing essential personal
details, such as presenting personal contact details;
2. Business cards are viewed as a representation of the owner;
3. Proper business manners demand to treat a business card with respect and honor;
4. Business cards are generally exchanged at the beginning or the end of an initial meeting;
5. Make a point of studying any business card, commenting on it and clarifying information before
putting it away;
6. Your business card should include your title. If your company is the oldest or largest in your country,
that fact should be highlighted on your card;
7. Hold the card in hand when offering it. Use the right hand to give and receive business cards;
8. Never write on someone's card;
9. Business cards should be kept clean and presentable;
10.
Do not feel obliged to hand out a business card to everyone you meet as it is not expected.