Unit One Introductions & Greetings
Unit Two Nonverbal Communication
Unit Three Stressed Words & Intonation
Unit Four Effective Listening
Unit Five Participating in Social Events
Unit Six Organization & Responsibility
Unit Seven Using the Telephone·1
Unit Eight Job Routines
Unit Nine Preparing for the Agenda
Unit Ten Expressing Opinions
Unit Eleven Speaking in Public
Unit Twelve Extracting Information from Graphs
Speaking Exercise Describing Graphs
Scripts & Answers
內容試閱:
Unit One Introductions & Greetings
Additional Source
Text A Small Talk: Who, What, Where, When, Why?
WHO makes small talk?
People with many different relationships use small talk. The most common type of people to use small talk are those who do not know each other at all. Though we often teach children not to talk to strangers, adults are expected to say at least a few words in certain situations (see WHERE). It is also common for
people who are only acquaintances, often called a “friend of a friend,” to use small talk. Other people who have short casual conversations are office employees who may not be good friends but work in the same department. Customer service representatives, waitresses, hairdressers and receptionists often make small
talk with customers. If you happen to be outside when the mailman comes to your door you might make small talk with him too.
WHAT do people make small talk about?
There are certain “safe” topics that people usually make small talk about. The weather is probably the number one thing that people who do not know each other well discuss. Sometimes even friends and family members discuss the weather when they meet or start a conversation. Another topic that is generally safe
is current events. As long as you are not discussing a controversial issue, such as a recent law concerning equal rights, it is usually safe to discuss the news. Sports news is a very common topic, especially if a local team or player is in a tournament or play-off or doing extremely well or badly. Entertainment news, such as
a celebrity who is in town, is another good topic. If there is something that you and the other speaker have in common, that may also be acceptable to talk about. For example, if the bus is extremely full and there are no seats available you might talk about the reasons. Similarly, people in an office might casually discuss the
new paint or furniture. There are also some subjects that